MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday voted to delay a high-stakes requirement to hold back third graders who don’t meet reading benchmarks.
The Alabama House of Representatives voted 85-8 to delay the requirement – which was set to begin this spring – until the 2023-2024 school year. The Alabama Senate accepted a House amendment. The bill now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.
Ivey has previously expressed support for a one-year delay.
Many lawmakers expressed concern about putting the requirement on students after the pandemic interrupted classrooms for two years. There had been disagreement over how long to delay the requirement.
The promotion requirement is part of the 2019 Alabama Literacy Act.
To move on to fourth grade, students would have to make above a “cut score” on a standardized test or demonstrate mastery of reading standards through a reading portfolio.
State officials earlier this year said 23% of students scored below the set cutoff score on the latest assessment.
Rep. Terri Collins, the sponsor of the 2019 law, said she would have preferred a one-year delay which she said was also supported by groups who worked on the original bill.
“Everyone recommended a one-year delay. In my perfect world, it would be a one-year delay, but the art of getting things done is compromise,” said Collins, a Republican from Decatur.
The Literacy Act set up interventions, summer learning programs and other measures to boost reading scores.
Ivey on Tuesday signed legislation for a separate math initiative, called the Numeracy Act, although it does not contain such a high-stakes promotion requirement.
“We cannot accept passing our students along without the proper foundation as the status quo, and that is why I have proudly signed the Alabama Numeracy Act into law,” Ivey said in a statement.