Governor Tom Vilsack is skeptical of a Senate-passed bill that would cause more Iowa kids to flunk third grade. The bill seeks to end so-called “social promotion” and bars schools from letting third graders advance to fourth grade if they can’t read at third grade level. Vilsack says the republican-crafted proposal will “create chaos” in public schools. Vilsack says he’d prefer to support class size reduction in the early grades and programs that work with kids who’re having trouble reading. Vilsack says not every kid learns to read at the same rate. Vilsack says it’s wrong to “suggest there’s one size fits all.” The bill would allow school board to advance a student to fourth grade if it “was in the best interest of the child.” That bill cleared the Senate last week and now is in the House.
