Whitmer repeals law requiring repeat of third grade for low reading scores : Michigan

Michigan's law requiring third-graders to repeat the year if they score too low on a state reading test is no more.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday signed a bill repealing the Read By Grade 3 law and making good on one of Democrats' many priorities since taking control of the House and Senate in last November's elections.

Repeal proponents have said parents can still choose to hold back their child over literacy concerns, but the state now can't make that decision for them.

Whitmer, in a statement Friday, said the repeal gives parents "more flexibility" and restores their "rights in deciding what's best for their child's education."

Lawmakers sent Senate Bill 12 to her desk in mostly party-line votes. The only Republicans to vote for it were Rep. Timmy Beson of Bay City, Sen. Joseph Bellino of Monroe and Sen. Ruth Johnson of Groveland Township.

"Parents and schools should be trusted to make decisions about grade retention --- the state shouldn't mass-flunk 3rd graders without parent input based on one test," Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, said in a statement Friday.

In the 2021-2022 school year, about 5,680 third-graders were eligible for being held back after scoring below Michigan's English language arts standards.

The law was signed in 2016 but didn't take effect until 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, enforcement was paused and only recently came back into effect before being repealed Friday.

Many school districts, the Michigan Education Association and the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association supported the repeal.

"Moving ahead, we look forward to further efforts at ensuring we have a preK-12 literacy support system that helps educators support every student in becoming an excellent reader and a lifelong learner," MEA president Paula Herbart said in a statement.