BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (WAFB) – Numbers may be trending up, with 2022 LEAP scores showing signs of improvement and promising rebound potential. Students in grades K-4 are testing well below average literacy rates.

According to parents and educators, this has become a crisis. His state superintendent of education, Dr. Cade Brumley, says this is not a new problem and the pandemic has only made things worse.

“This is a crisis that we have been facing for a long time, but unfortunately it has been basically flat for over a decade,” said Dr. Brumley.

The department is reportedly proposing a plan to catch the students.Students in grades kindergarten through fourth grade who do not reach the reading level at the end of the school year will be screened before advancing to the next grade, officials said. must complete an additional 30 hours of study during the summer.

“At this time, we are receiving feedback on the proposal, and we are confident that there will be some modifications to the proposal in the future,” Dr. Brumley added.

Dr. Bramley said the Department of Education is looking to other states with similar problems, like Mississippi.

“They have put in place legislative initiatives, state agency initiatives, and are the only state in the union that has been able to improve literacy in the last decade,” explained Dr Bramley.

Representative Richard Nelson introduced a similar bill in the last session, officials said. Her juniors, who don’t read at grade level, are given a few chances over the summer. His bill was defeated by a narrow margin, but he is likely to make a second comeback next year.

“I know one of the laws in Mississippi I believe is part of their work, so I think it would be silly not to consider it as an option here in Louisiana.

The formal proposal they are providing will reportedly be presented for further discussion at the next BESE board meeting.

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