Don't Leave Us Behind

Don't Leave Us Behind campaign aims to end mandatory 3rd grade retention in Michigan

We advocate for the improvement of literacy in Michigan. Any literacy legislation should be equitable, evidence-based, and should consider the overall well-being of students.

The Problem:

According to the "Read by Grade 3" law passed in November 2016, third graders in Michigan who are reading one year or more below grade level will be forced to repeat the grade. The retention portion of the law was scheduled to go into effect at the end of the 2019-20 school year.

What Does this Mean?

• The Michigan Department of Education projects that about 5,000 third graders will be subject to retention each year because of the law

• The retention law would cost Michigan $40 million annually to provide that additional year of schooling

• The mandatory retention provision of the reading bill has long-term psychological implications on students

• Extensive research has found that retention has no long-term positive effects. In fact, retained students are 200% to 1100% more likely to drop out before graduating high school.

• Only 9.9% of students in the Detroit Public Schools Community District were proficient in reading in 2017; retention would disproportionately impact these students.

• Wayne County had 38 school districts with proficiency rates of 5% or less

*** PANDEMIC-RELATED DEVELOPMENTS ***

What Happened at the End of 2019-20?

During the pandemic-related school closures at the end of the 2019-20 school year, two events occurred that prevented any students from being retained:

1) The US Department of Education issued a waiver, allowing schools to skip standardized testing during spring 2020.

2) Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued Executive Order No. 2020-35 (Section IX-C), which temporarily suspended the retention portion of the reading law .

What is different during Spring 2021?

Although Michigan is still in the midst of the pandemic, two unfortunate events affecting retention have coincided:

1) The US Department of Education denied Michigan's request to skip standardized testing during spring 2021. The tests are being administered now.

2) The Michigan Legislature has restricted Governor Whitmer's power to issue Executive Orders. In addition, the Legislature has refused to advance SB 199, which would suspend the retention portion of the reading law.

What can I do to protect my child from retention?

With the law unlikely to change soon, we are encouraging ALL MICHIGAN FAMILIES to REFUSE M-STEP for your third grader.

It is YOUR RIGHT to refuse standardized testing for your child.

In fact, both State Superintendent Michael Rice and the Michigan State Board of Education have both come out against standardized testing this year. They know that the health dangers are too great, and the numbers will not mean anything.

Most of all, retention is triggered for a third grader due to a low score on M-STEP.

See our Refuse M-STEP page for more information and a letter template!

NO SCORE, NO RETENTION.