Snyder signs legislation prioritizing third grade reading proficiency

Gov. Rick Snyder last Thursday signed legislation ensuring Michigan students will become better readers early on and therefore better able to learn before completing the third grade. "By helping students read proficiently by the third grade, we can make sure that our children have the necessary skills to do well in school and be successful for the rest of their lives," Snyder said. The governor was joined in the Capitol rotunda as he signed the bill by students from Dix Elementary School in Otsego. House Bill 4822, sponsored by state Rep. Amanda Price, establishes guidelines to assure students have third grade level literacy before continuing on to the next grade. In order to accomplish this, several supports for struggling students are being created. Individualized plans will be constructed for every student who falls behind to ensure that those students receive the assistance they need to be successful. The bill also requires principals or administrators to provide teachers with professional development programs that will assist them in improving reading proficiency. The new guidelines go into effect for the 2017-2018 kindergarten class. Third-grade reading proficiency was a key point in Snyder's 2015 State of the State address. Research has shown that after third grade, students need to move past learning to read so they can read to learn. In the summer of 2015, a bipartisan group of legislators and education stakeholders met to discuss changes to the state's literacy policies. This legislation is the final piece to completing the work of that group. The bill is now Public Act 306 of 2016. For additional information on this and other legislation, visit www.legislature.mi.gov. Published: Mon, Oct 10, 2016