Third-grade reading improvement and other fixes for Michigan classrooms

In this week’s weather forecast, the Michigan Legislature seems to be blooming ahead of spring.

If not for the unseasonable cold over the past weeks, we’d have bulbs coming up and leaves just emerging on the trees. By contrast, the legislature is already moving forward on various items of state policy, education budgets in particular.

Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education reported out its 2015-16 education budget. The spending bill eliminated spending for “categoricals” – funding for various specific program items such as enhanced third grade reading, adult education and extra aid to urban school districts. Committee chair Rep. Tim Kelly argues that removing money for state-imposed priorities drives more resources toward the classroom and provides more flexibility for local schools to figure out just how they want to use their funds.

Overall, his argument makes sense.

I did ask him if zeroing out third grade reading programs means he’s opposed to them. “Not in the slightest,” he responded. “I’m a member of a work group of legislators and members of the (Snyder) Administration that’s thinking about this, and it’s pretty clear most people think third grade reading performance is a real key. What I’m trying to do is make sure emphasizing third-grade reading is a matter of long-term philosophy, not a one-off program that could be cut in future years.”

Kelly points out that the process of developing a state budget is long and complex, especially with the confusion likely to follow the May 5 vote on road funding. “There will be plenty of time to get to agreement about the importance of third grade reading improvement and how best to make sure schools really do it and do it well. That decision can be plugged into the budget downstream.”

Teachers and child development experts alike point to third grade reading proficiency as the key marker predicting a child’s overall success in school. When Bridge Magazine, the Center for Michigan’s publication, sent reporters to find out how states whose schools were lapping Michigan’s were raising achievement, one common finding was emphasis on third grade reading. The devices used included devoting extra effort to help kids who are falling behind in reading, providing additional training in reading improvement for teachers, and thorough in-classroom teacher evaluation and improvement.

Remember the usual rhythm of budget development in Lansing. Subcommittee votes at this time of year are preliminary, and education budgets are certain to change as time passes and discussion intensifies. As this goes on, I hope legislative leaders in both parties will recognize just how compelling the evidence is that third grade reading is vital to overall school performance and find ways to insert special support for kids who need special help.

While they’re at it, lawmakers might want to look at the Center for Michigan’s recent report, “What We’ve Learned about Learning,” a summary of the Center’s four-year long deep dive on public education in Michigan. This involves extensive reporter research around the country and across the state, fact-finding with parents and educators in nearly 300 community conversations, large-sample statistical polls and multiple discussions with education experts.

Here’s a summary:

• Start at the start: Keep going on early childhood programs. The Snyder Administration and the legislature have implemented in Michigan the largest expansion of public preschool in the nation. The key is to continue to refine kindergarten readiness programs to measure the effectiveness of preschool expansion and make improvements where necessary.
• Bolster Educator Accountability and Ongoing Training. Citizens and teachers alike favor increased teacher accountability and more support to improve teacher performance. A comprehensive and rigorous statewide teacher evaluation system including ongoing training is still under development in the legislature. It needs to be completed and implemented ASAP.
• Improve and Intensify Teacher Preparation. Another Center for Michigan report, “Building a Better Teacher,” showed that Michigan is failing its children by failing its beginning teachers. Other countries demand stronger academic credentials from would-be teachers. In Michigan, new teachers drop out at far higher rate than their students, while inexperienced teachers are clustered in Michigan’s poorest schools. The legislature has provided partial funding for an overhaul of teacher certification exams. The Department of Education should adopt and implement these changes without further delay.
• Learn from Leading States. Bridge reporters found many states are zooming past Michigan in improving student performance. These include Tennessee, where the state spends less per pupil than Michigan and pays its teachers considerably less. In Minnesota, early childhood programs begin at birth, while joint developmental classes for young children and parents are wildly popular. Florida now leads the nation in reading proficiency among low-income students; low income Hispanic fourth graders read at a higher level than the average Michigan fourth grader. How? Strong emphasis on teacher training and early-grade reading skills. Massachusetts executed a “grand bargain” by demanding strict performance accountability from its charter schools.

As Michigan lawmakers work on developing school budgets and debating education policy, this checklist might serve as a convenient way to focus the conversation on tried-and-true ways of getting good learning results for our kids.