TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Michigan’s latest education reform is sparking change in classrooms, in order to make sure all third-graders make it to fourth grade with grade level literacy skills. 

Gov. Rick Snyder’s bill — signed into law in October last year — mandates all third-grade students be held back if they fail to read at grade level, after 2018. Exemptions exist for special circumstances or parental waivers, but the law will still flutter pages.

Officials at Traverse City Area Public Schools estimate that about 43 percent of students in grades K-3 are reading below grade level. They’re performing above the state average, but will need individualized lesson plans to get back on track, said TCAPS Curriculum Leader Caroline Wacker.

Tricia Weston, third-grade teacher at Willow Hill Elementary school in Traverse City, Michigan, spots challenges, but remains hopeful that her students will still be able to move on to fourth grade.

“The pressure is on for sure,” Weston said. “This is a huge change.”

Weston estimates that about one-third of the third-grade students at Willow Hill read below grade level. Future students following the same path are destined to reach the same mediocre outcomes unless something changes, she said. She’s up for the challenge, she said.

“The pressure really comes down to the parents and the other teachers in grades K-3,” Weston said. “I think we’re going to have to work together to meet the needs of all kids.”

Bill DiSessa, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Education, said third grade is when students switch from learning to read to reading to learn. Research stresses the importance of student literacy before fourth grade, he said. That’s why it was pinpointed by the state.

“It’s tied to overall academic success,” DiSessa said.

Sue Kelly, vice president of the district’s board of education, said younger students will be targeted for additional instruction during independent work sessions. 

“If we can have success in preschool, kindergarten, first and second grades, we’ll have successful third-graders.”said Kelly.

Officials at some local districts, however, are concerned about how the law will be implemented. The state has yet to suggest which assessments will be used to gauge proficiency — leaving educators to focus on improvement without a clear finish line.

“Is it the right vehicle and tool?” asked Benzie County Central Superintendent Matt Olson. “I think time will tell. But I’d rather we do what we need to do locally in response to local issues rather than see a one-size-fits-all solution from the state.”

Weston is concerned her third-grade class sizes may grow once the bill is passed, but her top concern is her students and the impact the law might have on their self-confidence.

“It’s hard for us to wrap our minds around judging a child’s success by being able to read in third grade,” she said. “We really just want to save kids the consequences of being held back and whole embarrassment that comes along with that.”

Kaminski writes for the Traverse City, Michigan Record-Eagle.