ST. PAUL -- An effort to improve young Minnesotans' reading abilities was buried by this year's Capitol budget fight, but reading experts say the plan is important for students' future.
Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders shared a goal of encouraging more children to read by third grade, with new laws resulting in requirements that schools do a better job of informing parents about their children's reading progress.
"If parents are made aware and they understand what is going on," children will read better, said Assistant Commissioner Rose Hermodson of the state Education Department.
Among the new provisions lawmakers passed and Dayton signed is one requiring school districts to assess how well students read as early as kindergarten. Just how reading is measured will be up to each school district.
Assessments are required annually, but Hermodson said she thinks "the better districts" will do more frequent assessments.
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The Minnesota Reading Corps reports that almost one in four third graders does not reach basic literacy levels. That is 15,000 children a year.
Hermodson said that laying the reading comprehension groundwork by third grade gives students a much better chance of succeeding in school a few years later.
Dayton promotes a $50 per-pupil, per-year increase in state funding as helping schools, especially improving student reading. It is the first real increase in years, Dayton said, providing $133 million above baseline spending.
Hermodson, like Dayton, said she worries about effects of the state delaying $2.7 billion in state payments to schools. The delay was implemented in the past couple of budgets to help solve state budget problems.
Other education-related issues in new laws include:
