There is a two-bill package making its way through the state Legislature that could impact students in every third-grade classroom in Michigan.
It would hold back third-graders who have poor reading skills. If a child fails a third-grade reading exam, he or she does not move along to fourth grade.
Backers say it can help get a struggling student back on track. Critics say flunking that struggling student is a punishment. State Superintendent Mike Flanagan panned the legislation, saying it should be up to local schools and parents.
Amber Arellano is the executive director of the Education Trust-Midwest.
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