LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Thousands of third graders in Arkansas are at risk of being held back under new state reading standards, sparking concern from lawmakers.
Under the new standards, third graders must pass a specific reading level before advancing to fourth grade. The standards are part of the LEARN Act, which said that starting in the 2025-26 school year, the Arkansas Department of Education has to update its requirements for third-grade promotion.
Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva briefed lawmakers on Sept. 3 on the state’s redesigned standardized exams, called ATLAS (Arkansas Teaching, Learning, and Assessment System). Oliva said the exams are tailored to Arkansas’ unique needs, not federal requirements.
Students are scored on a system that ranges from one to four, with one meaning the student had “limited” understanding and four standing for “advanced” understanding.
During the House and Senate Education Committee meeting, Oliva pushed back against concerns from lawmakers, including one that third graders in rural schools won’t meet the reading requirement threshold due to what some consider a lack of resources.
“But the child’s suffering because the adults aren’t getting them the support they need, and I will never say, ever, say ever that because you’re a poor kid from the Delta that you should have access to unqualified teachers,” Oliva said.
Starting this school year, third graders who score a one or two at the end of the year could be held back and not advance to the fourth grade.
However, Oliva said just because a student gets a one or two, it does not mean they are officially getting held back.
“It’s not just an automatic retention, it’s a screener,” Oliva said.
Oliva mentioned that “a lot of factors” would be considered before deciding a student needed to be held back. Having certain disabilities, having less than three years of formal English language learner instruction or receiving intensive support.
If a student gets a one or a two, instructors will meet with the student’s family to determine the next steps before determining whether the child needs to be held back, Oliva said.
The secretary said that had the standards been in effect last year, around 10,000 students would have been up for retention and noted, “that’s a lot of kids.”
“I know the first thing people are going to say is you can’t retain that many kids. I’m going to tell you right now publicly, we do not intend to add student parking to middle school. Right? Like that’s not the goal of third-grade promotion,” Oliva said.