To remove the mandatory grade retention component of the Michigan third grade reading assessment law for 2020-21, especially in this year of Covid-19 education hardships for students and educators in Michigan.
Schools in Michigan completely shut down in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our schools, educators, administration, families, and students navigated the changes in education with hardworking, positive intentions. Lives have already been upended this year and education systems have been significantly disrupted. Children should not be retained in the third grade if they do not meet the required standards in the Michigan Third Grade Reading Law. Do not penalize children, families, and our educators for circumstances beyond their control.
As a member of the Michigan PTA, I ask that you:
· Remove the mandatory grade retention component of the Michigan third grade reading assessment law for 2020-21.
· Support reading assessments as tools for educators, administrators, and families for identifying how students are performing and in development of education planning for children.
· Recognize that there have been multiple bills to address this issue in the Michigan House and Michigan Senate, and I urge the Michigan Legislature to swiftly work toward a bipartisan solution.
Third grade students will be taking an annual summative reading assessment test in April, which could result in excessive retention. From the great amount of activity in the legislature, Michigan PTA appreciates that this issue is a priority for Michigan State Representatives and Senators. Michigan PTA requests they work quickly and cooperatively to pass a bill to remove the mandatory grade retention component of the Michigan third grade reading assessment law for 2020-21 school year. Michigan PTA urges our legislature to focus on eliminating the retention component swiftly, with bipartisan support, to benefit our third-grade children.
I encourage all Michigan Representatives and Michigan Senators to solve this issue of the mandatory retention due to the third-grade reading assessment as quickly as possible. I would like to see a law passed as quickly as possible to remove the mandatory reading assessment as quickly as possible.
