Thousands of Arkansas third-graders could be required to repeat the grade next school year under a new reading requirement that takes effect this year, prompting concerns that some parents remain unaware, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported last week.
Under the LEARNS Act, signed into law in 2023 by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, third-graders who fail to meet the state’s reading standard and do not qualify for an exemption will not advance to fourth grade. Education Secretary Jacob Oliva has said about 10,000 students would have been at risk of retention had the rule applied last year.
John Crawford, who runs a Huntington Learning Center in Russellville, told the Democrat-Gazette that mixed reactions from parents suggest some do not grasp the rule’s significance. Literacy advocates say the stakes are high: fourth grade marks the shift from learning to read to reading to learn.
State officials say schools are required to notify parents, provide early intervention, and expand tutoring and summer programs. The end-of-year reading assessment window runs from mid-April through late May, with a retake period into June.
File image of White River by Gena Tate, White River Now
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