February 28, 2022 Group Watch: Senate Approves Bill to Delay Literacy Act
The Alabama Senate passed a bill by Sen. Rodger Smitherman of Birmingham to delay the implementation of the Literacy Act by a 20-12 vote. The bill pushes a reading proficiency requirement for third graders to move to fourth grade from the current school year to the 2023-24 school year. A similar bill by Rep. Terri Collins proposes to delay the implementation of the requirement to the 2022-23 year. The Literacy Act law contained a provision to hold back third grade students who do not score above the lowest achievement level on a state test; get an unacceptable score on an alternate test; or fail to show mastery of minimum standards. That provision will kick in at the end of this year if it is not delayed. Educators have pushed for a delay in the retention provision due to the impacts COVID has had on education in the last two years.
