Map of the Terrain

October 25, 2016

Read by
Grade 3
History

Discussions began in 2007

Assembly Bill 554 (March 28, 2011)
Assembly Bill 161 (February 21,2013)
Senate Bill 391 introduced - March 17,2015
Assembly Final Passage -May 28,2015
Yeas 38 Nays 4
Senate Final Passage -May 14,2015
Yeas 19 Nays 0 Excused 2
June 3, 2015 - Approved by Governor

Key Terms
Retention - The act of keeping something from someone (Merriam Websters Learners
Dictionary)
SB391- This is the technical name for the Read by 3 bill. You may hear several people refer to
this bill by SB391.

Aspect, Issues, & Trends

There are currently 36 states that require a reading assessment in the early grades, 33 of them
have intervention for those struggling readers, and 16 of those states retain students in third
grade.
According to the Nevada Report Card website for the 2014-2015 school year, there were 33,949
fifth graders tested on the CRT. Only 59% of the students tested were considered proficient.

Major Developments

According to research supporting the Read by 3 proposal, early identification and intervention are
critical to student success. SB391 provides flexibility in determining the assessment and
approach to intervention. SB391 also requires a learning strategist at each school to provide
professional development for improving literacy outcomes.
Research is mixed on effectiveness of grade retention. Research on Floridas retention policy
found student achievement increased temporarily and only when accompanied by effective
teaching. Research in Los Angeles, CA found first and second grade retention in correlation to
higher student achievement. 91 studies conducted by RAND found that retention does not
appear to benefit students academically.
SB391 went into effect on July 1, 2015. Retention policies will become effective July 1, 2019.

Key Legislators

Primary Sponsors:
Senator Becky Harris
Senator Ben Kieckhefer
Senator Patricia Farley
Senator Michael Roberson
Senator Joyce Woodhouse
Assemblyman Elliot Anderson

Co-Sponsor(s):

Senator
Senator
Senator
Senator
Senator
Senator
Senator
Senator
Senator
Senator
Senator

Kelvin Atkinson
Moises Denis
Aaron Ford
Pete Goicoechea
Donald Gustavson
Ruben Kihuen
Mark Lipparelli
Mark Manendo
David Parks
James Settelmeyer
Pat Spearman

Key Research
Atchison, B., Workman, E., & Daily, S. (2014, October 1). Initiatives from preschool to third
grade. Retrieved from Education Commission of the States: http://www.ecs.org/docs/earlylearning-primer.pdf
Connor, C. M., Alberto, P. A., Compton, D. L., & O'Connor, R. E. (2014, February). Improving
reading outcomes for students with or at risk for reading disabilities. Retrieved from Google
drive: Read by 3: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8teNtzWUGkOMHEyTXNCOXp1b00
Fiester, L. (2013). Early warning confirmed. Retrieved from Google drive: Read by 3:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8teNtzWUGkORm8tV2dFbUQ4b1k
Gottfried, M. A. (2013, December ). Retained Students and Classmates' Absences in Urban
Schools. American Educational Research Journal, 50(6), 13921423.
Lovejoy, A. (2013, October). A governors guide to early literacy: Getting all students reading by
third grade. Retrieved from National Governors Association:
http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/2013/1310NGAEarlyLiteracyReportWeb.pdf
Xia, N., & Kirby, S. N. (2009). Retaining students in grade. Retrieved from Google drive: Read by
3: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8teNtzWUGkORXVYY3phcGNlVGs

Other Relevant Information

1. (SB391) Read by three: Revision options that will help students. (2016, July 17). Retrieved
from Google drive: Read by 3: https://drive.google.com/open?
id=0B6o68ExvqIk2UkVFSDVUNFJadXc
2. Fiester, L. (2010). Early warning! Why reading at the end of third grade matters. Retrieved
from Google drive: Read by 3: https://drive.google.com/open?
id=0B8teNtzWUGkObW1iYmo5WUd5UDg
3. Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities. (2015, May 18). Legislative testimony: Senate bill
391: Read by 3. Retrieved from Google drive: Read by 3: https://drive.google.com/open?
id=0B6o68ExvqIk2emtzSmNocmFBaHc
4. Nevada Department of Education. (2015, August). Phase 1: Plan to improve literacy. Retrieved
from Google drive: Read by 3: https://drive.google.com/open?
id=0B6o68ExvqIk2Uk5IdzNHbU9sNkk
5. Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau. (2016, October 4). SB391. Retrieved from NELIS:
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/78th2015/Bill/2012/Overview
6. Senate bill no. 391. (2015, March 17). Retrieved from Google drive: Read by 3:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6o68ExvqIk2SVRLMEVZVlh1UVk
7. Workman, E. (2014, December). Third-grade reading policies. Retrieved from Google drive:
Read by 3: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6o68ExvqIk2NFBxYWZlczZmT2 M