LANSING, MI (AP)-- Third-graders may be forced to repeat the grade next year if they struggle with reading.
It's the result of a 2016 Michigan law whose most controversial provision kicks in beginning next spring.
The number of third-graders who are held back is expected to rise.
Nearly 700, or 0.67%, of the state's 100,000-plus third-graders were retained in the last academic year. Researchers at Michigan State University estimate that between 2,000 and 5,000 students, or 2% to 5%, may be required to repeat third grade under the terms of the law.
How many kids are held back will depend on whether those who score more than a grade level behind on reading skills as part of the M-STEP's English language arts test are given a "good-cause" exemption.
