Teacher reading standards bill fails

A bill calling for more reading instruction assessment has pitted a concerned group of parents against the Board of Teaching, and was controversial for the House E-12 Education Committee.

HF3780, sponsored by Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Mpls) would direct the education commissioner to adopt a reading instruction compliance test for pre-kindergarten and elementary school teachers. A motion to send the bill to the House Finance Committee failed 12-6 on March 14.

Parent Bette Erickson testified that one of her daughters was not able to read by third grade, and even with an elementary education degree, she did not know how to help. Her child is now in college, but others with the problem do not always fare so well.

“The outlook for children who are not reading proficiently by third grade is dismal,” she said. In fourth grade, only 40 percent of students in Minnesota read proficiently.

Mary Kirchhof, literacy coordinator for Edina Public Schools, said the board and the Department of Education are in the final stage of developing new standards.

“What is not in the bill is the research that we do have on what does improve reading instruction practice and student achievement,” said Deborah Dillon, professor of literacy education at the University of Minnesota.

Rep. Sondra Erickson (R-Princeton) praised an amendment that would not require current teachers to take the test, but questioned why this issue had to be solved in statute.

Rep. John Benson (DFL-Minnetonka) said he is generally not for mandates, but this problem has been going on for 20 or 30 years. “Each year this goes by we have another group of children who’ve lost their opportunity.”

In the end, the deciding issue was whether teachers needed another test.

Rep. Andy Welti (DFL-Plainview) said when he was in college he had to take a test before he entered the education program and two more when he graduated. “Now you’re going to potentially pile on a third test?”

A companion bill, SF3156, sponsored by Sen. Kathy Saltzman (DFL-Woodbury), awaits action by the Senate State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Committee.