The Read By Grade 3 Michigan Law

Measurements of the new Michigan, “Read by Grade 3,” law were to take place this academic year school year June, 2020. The MSTEP, Michigan Standardized Test of Educational Progress was due to be administered to Michigan students this spring and the scores on the reading portion of MSTEP was to determine if your 3rd grader will move ahead to the 4th grade. The MSTEP given primarily online each spring is designed to gauge what students have learned throughout the academic school year with testing of state standards. Failing the reading portion of the MSTEP does come with challenges and will not automatically retain all 3rd graders.  Parents can appeal the retention within 30 days and exceptions to retention. These decisions  will have to made by parents, principals and superintendents which all carry weight on the retention of Michigan 3rd graders that fail the reading portion.

Lots of testing being postponed and some being canceled due to school closing for the remaining of the academic school year. The culprit is the arrival of the novel corona virus, COVID-19, which closed schools and business across the globe in a effort to save lives. This pandemic takes aim at learning traditions and long held learning rituals utilized to access learned skills taught during the school year through vigorous academic study and learning. Testing which has been the fundamental threshold for measuring who gets into Ivy League educational institutions are not available today. What will happen to learning as we know it?