LETRS helped raise the percentage of English-language learners reading on grade level from 15% at the start of the 2022-2023 school year to 76%. Johnson said LETRS has changed nearly every aspect ...

Just under half of Louisiana’s third graders ended last school year reading below or significantly below grade level, according to a report released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.

These laws are often called third-grade reading retention policies. They say, if a student cannot read at grade level, they either repeat third grade or receive interventions to catch up.

The policy would also mandate students in third grade read at grade level before moving to fourth. “What children don't need is just another year of third grade. They need something very ...