Yet another setback for Louisiana Education (HB269)

On its face, there should be no reason to vote against this bill. On another level, there seems to be apprehension from certain sectors that it would expose the notion that a culture (and voting base) that decries inequality and discrimination also rejects any opportunity to transcend those shackles and instead opt to remain in the throes of ignorance and dependency. What else is behind the curtain?

Bill to hold back Louisiana third graders with reading problems defeated in Senate



Legislation that would have required third graders with reading problems to repeat the grade stumbled near its last legislative stop and was killed Friday by the state Senate. Supporters argued that as much as 40% of third graders don't read proficiently enough to be promoted to the 4th grade. "We're just moving them along," said Sen. Beth Mizell, the Franklinton Republican handling the House Bill 269 for sponsor Rep. Richard Nelson, R-Mandeville. The student would also undergo extensive remedial work, including at least 90 minutes per day during school to work on phonics, fluency, comprehension and other strategies under the measure. The state Senate voted 18-14, which is two shy of the necessary majority to advance. Nelson had argued that Louisiana should adopt a version of the 2013 Mississippi law that backers claim helped spark dramatic improvements in reading skills there.

A 2013 Mississippi law requires third graders to pass a reading assessment - they are given three tries - to qualify for promotion to the fourth grade. Intervention is included after each retest. Student reading skills are assessed three times per year in kindergarten, first, second and third grades, according to the Mississippi Department of Education. Mississippi finished first in the nation for gains on the national report card, with fourth-grade children making the biggest improvement in reading and math between 2017 and 2019. Up to 4,500 students could face promotion problems, based on how Mississippi rolled out its law. Louisiana has about 50,000 third graders. State officials said in 2021 a total of 19% of third graders scored unsatisfactory on an annual English language arts assessment - about 9,500 students. Backers contend the measure makes sense because children who struggle with reading by the end of third grade are almost certain to face academic problems throughout their school years. But state Sen. Louie Bernard, R-Natchitoches, questioned whether children held back would face problems down the road. Republican Sen. J. Rogers Pope, a retired educator from Denham Springs, asked about any studies that show benefits of holding back a student. Others noted that holding back third graders could lead to overcrowded classrooms.

Voting for HB269 (18): President Cortez, Sens, Abraham, Allain, Connick, Fesi, Henry, Hensgens, Hewitt, McMath, Milligan, R. Mills, Mizell, Peacock, Reese, Smith, Stine, Talbot and Ward.

Voting against HB269 (14): Sens Barrow, Bernard, Boudreaux, Bouie, Carter, Jackson, Lambert, Luneau, Mills, F., Morris, Pope, Price, White and Womack.

Not Voting (6): Sens Cathey, Cloud, Fields, Foil, Harris and Tarver.