Missouri Bill to Hold Back Third Graders Who Can’t Read Gains Bipartisan Support Despite Educator Pushback

JOPLIN, Mo. — A Missouri lawmaker is drawing statewide attention with legislation that would require third-grade students who are not reading at grade level to repeat the year, modeled after successful reforms in other states.

Missouri State Representative Cathy Jo Loy of Carthage appeared Wednesday on KZRG’s Morning Newswatch to defend House Bill 2872, often referred to as a “reading retention” bill.

Loy pointed to Mississippi’s dramatic improvement — once ranked near the bottom nationally in education, now in the top 10 — after implementing a similar policy. Louisiana and Tennessee have seen comparable gains.

In Missouri, she said, roughly 41 to 42 percent of third graders — about six in ten students — are not reading on grade level.

“Up through third grade, kids are learning to read so that after third grade they can read to learn,” Loy explained. “Math starts being word problems. Science and social studies require reading comprehension. A child who can’t read is now trying to learn everything without the skills to do so.”

She stressed that the goal is not simply raising test scores, but ensuring children achieve true literacy so they can become successful adults.

“Our goal is to get children to learn to read and to be literate,” Loy said. “No matter what they do.”

Loy described retention as “the tourniquet for the bleed of non-readers.” She acknowledged concerns about higher dropout rates associated with retention but countered with stark statistics: 85 percent of juveniles in the justice system are functionally illiterate.

“Maybe it’s not the retention that’s the problem. Maybe it’s the literacy that’s the problem,” she said.The bill includes multiple safeguards. Students are screened for reading proficiency three times per year in first, second, and third grades — a total of nine opportunities to show progress. Parents are actively engaged with intervention plans, and exemptions exist for students with significant IEPs, English language learners, and other special circumstances. The policy does not rely on a single test.

Loy addressed concerns about students with dyslexia, ADHD, or other learning differences, noting that the science of reading — which was strengthened in Missouri schools by Senate Bill 681 — provides tools to help these students. She shared a personal story of her own son struggling with reading but succeeding in other areas through targeted phonics-based instruction.

“There are tools in the teachers’ toolbox,” she said, adding that intensive reading interventions would be implemented alongside any retention decision.

Opposition from Education Groups

The Carthage Republican reported strong bipartisan support in the House, where the bill passed with 131 votes. However, it faces headwinds in the Senate, where it is scheduled for executive session Thursday. With only three weeks left in the legislative session, Loy said she is prepared to reintroduce the measure next year if it does not advance this session.

Opposition has primarily come from lobbyists representing teachers’ groups, principals, and superintendents, who argue retention is too punitive and that many teachers still lack proper training in the science of reading.

Loy countered that the bill includes teacher training provisions and that screeners would be provided at no cost to schools. She expressed disappointment that some classroom teachers who support the bill feel unable to speak out publicly due to union positions.

“Some of the pushback I got was, ‘Why can’t we do it in kindergarten, first grade, second grade?’” she noted. “But we are in a desperate situation and we don’t have time to wait. The teachers need to catch up.”

Loy pushed back against what she called misconceptions being spread about the bill — that it relies on one test, leads to automatic retention, or leaves parents without a voice.“It’s a partnership,” she said. “We’re meeting with parents, coming up with plans, and engaging them on how they can help their child read better.”

She also criticized the rise of remedial classes in Missouri colleges as a “serious red flag,” arguing it is more punitive to graduate illiterate students than to provide them with the intervention they need earlier.

“If we have retention plus strong interventions with the schools and the parents, I think we’re going to see very few retentions and a lot stronger readers,” Loy concluded.