Ann Zaniewski

Detroit Free Press Education Writer

A bill that would require third-graders to be held back if they fall a grade-level behind in reading is now headed to Gov. Rick Snyder's desk.

Members of the state House and Senate voted today to pass the long-stalled, controversial legislation one day after a committee of lawmakers reached a compromise on its language.

The bill lets parents request an exemption to allow their child to go to fourth grade even if he or she falls a grade level behind on the state's third-grade reading assessment, but drops a provision that was in an earlier version that would have allowed the student's principal or reading teacher to request an exemption. There is also an exemption for a student who is new to a school and hasn't yet had time to catch up.

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Snyder has long identified making sure Michigan kids can read by the end of third grade one of his top education goals.

"The governor will need to review the final version, but this has been one of his priorities and he is happy to see the initiative has moved forward," Snyder spokesman Ari Adler said.

Experts say reading proficiency in the third grade is crucial for a student's academic success. Research shows that students who struggle with reading at that age are more likely to continue struggling throughout their schooling.

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In the state now, it's up to individual school districts to decide whether to hold back third-graders for lack of reading skills. Some states have turned to strict reading laws in an effort to boost proficiency.

The legislation calls for multiple literacy screenings leading up to third grade and intervention programs for school personnel to help individual students.

If Snyder signs off on it, as expected, the law would become effective for the 2017-18 school year, starting with kindergarten students. Possible retention would not be considered until the 2019-20 school year.

Terry Dangerfield, superintendent of Lincoln Park Public Schools, said the bill isn't perfect, but he's happy that it closely resembles the version passed by the Senate earlier this year. In Lincoln Park, decisions about retention are made by a team that includes parents, teachers, the principal and social workers.

"I am disappointed that they removed ... the ability for the teacher and principal to appeal for an exemption, because the teacher and principal work very closely with the students and parents to be able to make those determinations on what's best for the child and the family," he said.

"But there is still a mechanism for the families to be able to appeal, and to be able to have the superintendent review that along with school teams in making that decision."

In the House, the legislation was approved 60-47. The vote in the Senate was 25 in support, 10 opposed and two excused.

If signed into law, Michigan will join at least 16 states that require struggling third-grade readers to be held back and at least 33 states that require or recommend schools offer intervention or remediation for students who are having trouble, according to a 2014 review of states' reading policies by the Denver-based Education Commission of the States.

After the vote, Rep. Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor, wrote on Facebook that he has several concerns with the legislation that led him to vote against it. Among them, he said, is his worry that it will disproportionately "retain kids whose parents aren't as active in their educational career."

Over the last several months, lawmakers have struggled with disagreements over who should decide whether students should be held back.

Back in October, the House passed HB 4822, which made it mandatory for third-graders who are more than a grade level behind in reading to be held back. The Senate version of the bill, passed in March on a bipartisan basis and with wide support among educators, was less punitive. It included the parent exemption.

House members balked at the Senate version, sending it to a conference committee. It was passed out of the committee Tuesday after lawmakers reached the compromise, which including dropping the provision that allowed a principal or reading teacher to request an exemption.

According to results released late last month, 47.3% of Michigan students in grades 3-8 passed the English language arts portion of the new Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, or M-STEP.

Contact Ann Zaniewski: 313-222-6594 or azaniewski@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AnnZaniewski.