Alabama’s public elementary and middle school students are taking annual standardized tests this month, and for third graders, the reading portion is extremely important.

This is the first school year that Alabama’s third-graders’ spring reading test results will put a child on either a path to fourth grade or a path that will include intensive reading help, more testing and possibly an extra year of school. According to state data, about 78% of this year’s third graders were estimated to be on track at the beginning of the school year.

The retention component of the Alabama Literacy Act, passed in 2019, becomes effective with this year’s third graders. In simple terms, it means a third grader could be retained, or held back, if the child is not reading on grade level before August 2024.

What does reading on a third grade level look like?

Parents should get regular communication from their teacher and can ask to review the materials teachers use to see if a student is reading on grade level.

You can also review sample questions from the state’s third grade standardized test. Click “Let’s Go” below.

What is the Alabama Literacy Act?

While this is the first time the retention piece of the law takes effect, many of the foundational parts of the Alabama Literacy Act have been in place for a few years. That includes everything from teachers learning to teach reading based on what science shows about how children learn to read to student reading plans for those who need them to voluntary summer reading camps for young learners.

A third-grader’s test results shouldn’t be the first indication a child is struggling to read. Third grade teachers should have already notified parents if their child is struggling to read on grade level and should have been working to improve their reading skills throughout the school year.

Why is reading in third grade such a big deal?

Experts say third grade is a critical year for reading, where children cross the line from learning to read — sounding out words, figuring out sentence structure — to reading to learn. By fourth grade, children should be using those foundational pieces learned in the previous grades to gain knowledge of other subjects.

If a child isn’t reading on grade level by the end of the third grade they’ll struggle to learn subject-level content from the fourth grade forward, likely falling further behind year after year.

And that can impact whether that child stays in school and graduates on time.

A 2011 study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that students who couldn’t read on grade level by the end of the third grade were four times more likely to leave school without earning a high school diploma.

Authors found that one in six students who are not reading on grade level by the end of the third grade did not graduate from high school on time, four times the rate of their grade-level peers. The number increases exponentially for students who are poor, Black or Hispanic, according to that research.

Will third graders get held back if they don’t pass the statewide spring reading test?

Not necessarily. There are multiple ways for third graders to show they’re able to read at grade level.

Passing the reading portion of the third-grade annual test, called the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program or ACAP, is the quickest way to move on to the fourth grade. All second and third graders will take the spring ACAP ELA test, which includes the reading test, between March 18 and April 12.

But there will be additional chances to take and pass a second and even a third test.

This year, those additional tests will be given in June and again in July.

Beyond passing a test, though, there are other ways to meet the requirement and be promoted to the fourth grade.

A child could qualify for a good cause exemption in the following cases:

• A child is in the first two years of learning the English language,
• A child has a disability and is learning alternate standards,
• A child has a disability, was retained once in kindergarten, first, second or third grade and has received two years of intensive remediation,
• A child has received intensive intervention in reading for two or more years and has already been retained for a total of two years.

Experts told AL.com that if your child meets that last exemption – being held back for two years already in their kindergarten through third grade years, parents should ask whether special education services are needed to get your child the help he needs.

A child can also be promoted to the fourth grade, even if they don’t pass the reading test or qualify for a good cause exemption, if they demonstrate grade level reading through a reading portfolio of work collected by the child’s teacher throughout the year.

Isn’t holding kids back a bad idea?

That depends on who you ask. Last June, Chalkbeat, a nonprofit education news site, rounded up the latest research on holding kids back, and found that evidence for younger grades is mixed and researchers don’t have an easy answer. And Alabama schools already hold back thousands of children in kindergarten through third grade every year.

How many kids are held back in a regular year?

The numbers for retention for kindergarten, first, second and third grades are in the chart below.

Will my child have to go to summer reading camp?

Summer reading camps, held for kindergarten through third grade students, are currently optional. Students who show a deficit in their reading skills are invited to summer camp, but are not required to attend.

The reading camps, which typically run between four and six weeks, have proven to help young students retain their reading skills over the summer according to data shared by the state department of education. Students are given a total of 60 hours of reading instruction.

State education officials said they’re working on ways to raise the low participation among reading camps – only 29,000, or 26% of the state’s 110,000 eligible kindergarten through third grade students participated last summer.

How will I know if my child is struggling to read on grade level?

Every child in kindergarten, first, second and third grade will be tested in reading at the beginning, middle and end of each school year.

If at any time those test results show a child needs help, the teacher has 15 days to notify the child’s parent, in writing. The notice should also include the plan — called an individual reading plan — the school will use to get your child on track.

Parents should receive monthly updates, in writing, on the child’s progress.

If you have a third grader who is struggling to read, you may have already received a notice that their child may have to repeat the third grade if they don’t reach grade level by the end of the summer after their third-grade year.

But remember that your child still has the rest of the school year and this summer to improve their reading skills, if needed. And teachers should be working intensely with children to help them reach grade level.

What happens if my child is held back in the third grade? Will another year in third grade help my child?

If a child is held back in the third grade, it will not be simply a repeat of their third grade year. The child will get more intensive reading help, including being taught by a “highly effective” teacher and frequent monitoring. Parents will be asked to help, too, and will be given resources to help their child at home.

Where can I learn more about how to help my child read?

State education officials have produced “The Alabama Family Guide for Student Reading Success” in both English and Spanish.