Talking Points: Historic legislation aims to redress pandemic reading gap
St. PAUL, Minn. -- Nearly half of all Minnesota students are not reading at grade level, as the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll. However, new legislation aims to reverse course.
This session, lawmakers approved a $70 million bill called the READ Act, which will change the reading curriculum for all public school students starting July 1.
The new curriculum includes new training for teachers, mandatory individual reading assessments in first and second grade, and mandatory inventions after third grade if the student is not reading at grade level.
At the heart of the curriculum is a back-to-basics approach with a renewed emphasis on phonics, transitioning from a balance of literacy to a science-of-reading approach.
According to statewide assessments in 2022, reading and math at K-12 public schools plummeted during the pandemic.
Now parents like Chris Kwapick are actively working with their child's teachers to get them back on track. When the pandemic started, Kwapick's son, 8-year-old Henry, had just graduated from pre-K. Now in third grade, he struggles to read. Esme Murphy spoke with the concerned father who sees the READ Act as an opportunity to not only help his son but other students impacted by the pandemic.
In the classroom, 36-year veteran elementary teacher Laurie Schlossmacher says the READ Act and its new training for teachers will make a difference. Schlossmacher told Murphy a return to phonics will be a huge help for a wide spectrum of students. This issue hit home for Schlossmacher, whose own daughter struggled with reading growing up.
Denise Specht, president of the Minnesota Teachers Union (Education Minnesota), believes smaller class sizes are the real key to improving reading, but told Murphy the new training will make a difference.
Behind this bill is a mother of three and Edina lawmaker, Rep. Heather Edelson. Edelson told Murphy she was partly inspired by her three boys, who at times struggled to learn to read. She believes the requirement of individual assessments will be a game changer in helping students early on.
Talking Points airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., live on CBS News Minnesota.
