Sweeping changes to public school reading policies, including having struggling readers repeat third grade, overwhelmingly passed the state House on Monday.
Senate BiIl 1778 passed 87-5 and now returns to the Senate, which will consider the bill’s final amendments before potentially sending it to the governor’s desk.
The legislation would require students to repeat third grade if they score below a basic reading level on the yearly state reading test and fail another state-approved assessment, unless they receive a good-cause exemption. Public schools would have to provide extra reading instruction — including small-group tutoring, summer programs or transitional classrooms — to students in first through third grade who score below their grade level in reading.
These changes would take effect in the 2027-28 school year, if the bill becomes law.
Improving early childhood literacy has been a top issue for the Oklahoma Legislature this year after the state had a poor showing in national education rankings. Statewide testing last year showed about 36% of Oklahoma students scored below a basic level in reading.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said his goal is for Oklahoma to leap up nationwide rankings like other states that implemented similar policies, such as Mississippi.
“This, I believe, is going to be a bill of legislation that we’ll be able to look back on, if we stick with it, five and 10 years from now and remember when we planted a flag in the ground to have better outcomes for our kids,” he said while presenting the bill on the House floor.
His bill would create an option for school districts to administer the state third-grade reading test to second graders. A passing score would exempt a second grader a year early from the possibility of repeating third grade, and lower scores would inform a child’s school of the areas where the student needs improvement.
Indiana similarly opened its third-grade reading test to second graders to give students more opportunities to pass the exam before facing possible retention.
Third grade is widely considered a milestone year after which literacy skills become crucial to success in multiple school subjects.
“Before third grade, students learn to read. After third grade, they read to learn. When that transition does not happen, the consequences compound quickly and follow students for life,” Hilbert said in a statement after the House vote.
Under SB 1778, the Oklahoma State Board of Education would have to approve an alternative standardized reading assessment for third graders to take. That assessment would give students a second chance to avoid retention if they make an acceptable score.
The state board also would have to choose a single reading screener for all districts in the state to use to evaluate students’ literacy levels in kindergarten through third grade.
Children scoring below their grade level in reading could voluntarily repeat first or second grade.
Students who have been retained twice between kindergarten and third grade would receive a good-cause exemption to advance to fourth grade, under the bill. A child with a disability who’s been retained once would qualify for a similar exemption.
Children who have spent fewer than two years learning English as their non-native language also would be eligible for a good-cause exemption. A student whose individualized education plan “indicates that participation in the statewide student assessment system is not appropriate” would be exempt from retention, as well.
State lawmakers are planning to add more than $43 million in school funding for reading instruction, with a larger proportion going to districts with greater numbers of struggling readers and to schools that have shown the most improvement.
A proposed state budget also would dedicate $5 million to create teacher academies that train certified school personnel in the science of reading and allow them to earn an early literacy micro-credential. K-3 teachers who earn the micro-credential would receive a $3,000 stipend from the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Another $5 million allocation would help the Education Department expand its team of literacy coaches, who help districts improve their reading instruction.
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