Arkansas education officials won’t know for months how many third graders will be held back under new reading requirements that took effect this school year, Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva said Friday.
The 2025-26 school year is the first in which students must meet new benchmarks on the Arkansas Teaching, Learning & Assessment System exam to advance to fourth grade. But with end-of-year testing still wrapping up across the state, Oliva said the department hasn’t compiled a count — and won’t have one until later this summer.
“We’ll get that data eventually,” Oliva told reporters. “But it’s going to be a little bit of time.”
The delay stems from the timeline for retesting. Students who didn’t meet the benchmark on their first attempt can take the exam again. The next retesting window is scheduled for May 24, and districts won’t finalize promotion decisions until later in the summer.
The new requirements were approved by the Arkansas Legislature in 2023 as part of a broader early literacy push. Students must demonstrate reading proficiency to move to fourth grade, though exemptions exist for English language learners and students with certain disabilities.
The policy has drawn attention from parents and educators statewide. For some families, the stakes hit close to home.
Jasmine Drew of Dermott said her third-grade son, Josiah, didn’t want to admit he was having trouble reading. Earlier this year, his school identified him as at risk of repeating third grade.
“He didn’t want to admit he was struggling,” Drew said. “But once he started getting tutoring, he could see the difference himself.”
When Josiah took the ATLAS exam at the end of the year, he scored high enough to advance to fourth grade. Drew said showing him video recordings of his progress made the improvement real for him.
“He’s proud of himself,” she said. “He knows he worked hard.”
Not every family will have the same outcome. For students who still don’t meet the benchmark after retesting, districts must hold them back. The state will collect final placement data from school districts in coming weeks, with a full picture expected by late summer.
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
