A proposal that could require Nebraska third-graders to be held back in school if they aren't reading at grade level led to impassioned debate Thursday in the Legislature.
Sponsored by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the bill would also require school districts to craft personalized reading-improvement plans for students in kindergarten through third grade if they underperform on state-sanctioned reading tests.
"Too many school districts still have a large percentage of students not reading at grade level when they are promoted to fourth grade," Linehan said. "There's little evidence that a child who leaves third grade not able to read will ever catch up."
Her proposal (LB651) drew fierce opposition from education officials, who argue it takes the wrong approach to improving reading proficiency and would burden districts without providing extra funding.
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"Clearly Sen. Linehan wants children to be able to read, and clearly she does not want to hurt children," said Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, an opponent of the bill. "Some people have said this is a strange way to show it, and I would agree."
Lawmakers adjourned for a long weekend without taking action on the proposal.
Linehan would need support from 32 fellow senators to secure more time on the agenda for a potential vote this year.
"I think I'm very, very close," she told reporters following Thursday morning's debate.
Last year, 18 percent of third-graders failed to meet state reading standards, down from 28 percent in 2011.
Some of that improvement can be attributed to districts adopting policies such as those in Linehan's bill, she said.
Lincoln Public Schools tries to avoid retaining students at any grade level, and such decisions are made on a student-by-student basis with consultation by parents, teachers and administrators, said Jane Stavem, associate superintendent for instruction.
Stavem said studies show requiring students to repeat a grade doesn't necessarily have a big enough impact to be beneficial, and can actually be harmful in some circumstances.
"It's not something we would typically want to do," she said.
Linehan's original proposal would require almost all third-graders who don't meet reading goals to be held back, with exceptions for students who have a disability, have already repeated grades, or have demonstrated mastery of third-grade reading standards through other testing or work samples.
Linehan has since proposed an amendment to let parents opt their children out of being held back.
Pansing Brooks said giving parents that responsibility doesn't resolve her concerns. "We've got parents themselves who can't read," she said.
The proposal appears to have majority support in the Legislature. Lawmakers voted 30-13 last week to bring it forward for debate after it languished for months in the deadlocked Education Committee. But the measure must overcome a filibuster to reach a final vote, which requires support from 33 senators.
In Iowa, lawmakers decided this year to scrap plans for a similar third-grade retention program because of concerns about its cost and effectiveness.
Passed in 2012 with support from Gov. Terry Branstad, Iowa's law would have required third-graders who fail reading tests to participate in a summer reading program in order to be promoted to fourth grade.
Nebraska lawmakers plan to examine strategies for addressing dyslexia and reading literacy as part of a study this summer sponsored by Pansing Brooks, Linehan and other senators.
"We're going to be able to present a much stronger bill about reading next year," Pansing Brooks said. "I think we can more clearly and precisely address the issues and the needs."
Sen. Justin Wayne, a former Omaha school board member who supports Linehan's bill, said it would add urgency to the situation.
"Things get better when there's pressure applied."