MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1999 Regular Session

To: Education

By: Representative Martinson

AN ACT TO PROHIBIT PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS FROM COMBINING FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD GRADE STUDENTS' READING GRADES WITH LANGUAGE AND SPELLING GRADES; TO REQUIRE FIRST GRADE STUDENTS TO PASS READING INSTRUCTION DURING THE SECOND SEMESTER IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PROMOTION TO THE SECOND GRADE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) The State Department of Education shall require, in the calculation of students' grades, that assessments in reading instruction for students in the first, second and third grades be made separately from assessments in language or spelling, or both. No teacher in the public school system may combine a student's grade in reading instruction with that student's grade in language or spelling, or both.

(2) In order to be eligible for promotion to the second grade, each first grade student in the public schools must receive a passing grade in reading instruction during the second semester of the school year.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1999.