SCHOOLS: HOLDING BACK SLOW READERS DOESN'T HELP

Two local school districts have found breathing room that will allow them to comply with a stringent state law regarding retention of students with underdeveloped reading skills.

Last summer, Cape Girardeau and Jackson school districts were among those in Missouri out of compliance with a state law that requires school districts to retain students who are more than one grade level behind in their reading skills.

At the time, officials at both districts said they were in noncompliance mainly because they were expecting a revision to the law that would have provided time for policy implementation before districts began retaining students who didn't meet the standard.

Since then, both districts have developed strategies to identify students affected by the plan and begin efforts to improve their reading abilities. By providing additional help to youth and requiring participation in summer school and other remedial programs, school officials said they are meeting the spirit of the law.

"There are some ways to work with students at another grade level on reading without retaining them," said Dr. Rita Fischer, Jackson schools assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. "Our thoughts are the more we help them the better. Retention still doesn't solve problems."

Some members of the General Assembly want to return the decision to retain students to local school districts.

Improvement plans

House Bill 50 and Senate Bill 239 are similar bills currently being studied in legislative committees. The legislation would repeal the existing statute and replace it with legislation that requires schools to develop reading improvement plans beginning in third grade for low-achieving readers. Remedial instruction during summer school would be required in the plans, and schools would be allowed to select how the test students to identify reading abilities.

The existing law, enacted in 1999, does not include any penalties or punishments for noncompliance and charges no agency with enforcing the law. Also absent from the existing statute is any mention of what type of test should be used or how often students are to be tested.

"I think the changes the legislators are working on are in the best interests of children," said Cape Girardeau schools assistant superintendent Cathy Evans. "In the original law the reasoning was good, but it wasn't in the best interests of the children."

Evans said between 100 and 150 students were identified through testing last fall who could be affected by the current law. The district has created a plan for providing additional instruction, including summer school, to students to help improve reading achievement.

Test coordinators, classroom teachers, building principals and parents would work together to devise ways to help improve students' reading levels. Those who continue to read at low levels would be retained in their reading classes but allowed to advance with their classmates.

"This allows them to stay with their social peers and at same time catch up," Evans said. "If there is an overall problem and the child can really be helped by being retained, that's something we have to look at."

Fischer said Jackson schools have a similar process for complying with the law.

Students identified from tests given last spring are currently being retested, and deficient readers will have to attend summer school, she said. Following summer school, additional tests will be given, after which decisions regarding promotion or retention will be made.

Fischer said she was unsure how many students were behind more than one grade level in reading.