Superintendents share thoughts on 1,800 Alabama 3rd graders being retained

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — According to self-reported data from Alabama school districts, 1,832 third graders will be retained statewide.

Alabama State Superintendent of Education Eric Mackey said the later students are retained, the worse the social outcomes.

“It really made me wonder, ‘Was I making the right decisions for him academically? Was I pushing him too hard? Was this test truly an indicator of was he really prepared for the fourth grade?'” said Lorie Minton, whose son just started fourth grade in Hoover City Schools.

She said getting him there didn’t come without the stress of one test.

“But it was very stressful knowing that, especially our child having ADHD,” Minton said. “Test taking is probably not his strong suit, as it never was mine.”

Minton said her son’s third-grade teacher did a great job preparing him. But it didn’t matter how well he did. She said if he failed his reading test at the end of the year, he’d be held back.

The Alabama Literacy Act requires third graders to show sufficient reading skills before they go on to the fourth grade. Chilton County Schools Superintendent Corey Clements said out of 550 third graders, the school system had no retentions.

“We had 34 students that did not make the cut score, but they all either had a good cause exemption or completed portfolio or made a passing score on the secondary test,” Clements said. “So we were thrilled about that.”

Shelby County Schools Superintendent Lewis Brooks said out of 1,500 third graders, only three were retained.

“To have our kids reading at a sufficient level is extremely important because when you’re at that point, you’re moving toward a level of proficiency being above that grade level,” Brooks said.

State Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) said that lawmakers have been meeting to discuss how to better fund school needs.

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