Districts also can cut back the number of learning goals students must meet at different points in their schooling. Lawmakers rejected efforts by a conservative, grassroots group, the Maple River Education Coalition, to dismantle the Profile of Learning standards. According to the paper, many educators disagree with the law, arguing that holding students back only increases their risk of dropping out of school. Others fear parent uprising over the potentially large number of students who could be held back. Seven in ten Missouri students failed to meet state standards on last year's Missouri Assessment Program tests in reading and writing.
Confusion exists over what grades are effected by the ban on social promotion, reports the paper.
The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education holds that the law applies to grades 1 through 8. State Deputy Education Commissioner Kent King said the rule applies to students who are more than a year behind in their reading levels. However, Senator Steve Ehlmann, sponsor of the bill, said the law applies to students who fall two years behind and should only apply to students from grades 3 to 8. Some schools have begun offering summer school programs or after-school programs to help students improve their reading skills. Social promotion ended this spring in California and many schools across the state were geared up to help students struggling to stay at grade level.