TOLEDO, Ohio — Parents spoke out against the state-mandated Third Grade Reading Guarantee Monday night in a town hall organized by Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson, D-Toledo.
They say it's making students more anxious about being able to move on to the next grade.
Hicks-Hudson gathered parents and educators at the Jones Leadership Academy to discuss the issue further and see how testing can be better suited for learning.
"We had a gentleman come to my office to say that his niece was feeling like she was going to give up on school because of taking these tests," Hicks-Hudson said. "And so you should not have a seven-year-old saying that I shouldn't even be in school. I should just give up and not try."
"If they're going to have the test. I don't think it should dictate if they're going to the next grade," said parent Tonielle Barton, whose daughter is prepping to take the test this year.
Fellow Rep. Lisa Sobecki, D-Toledo, and Chair of the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee Rep. Don Jones, R-Cadiz, attended the meeting as well. They all say they plan to bring the feedback on testing back to Columbus.
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