A new report from a study conducted by the Michigan State University’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative shows roughly 5,650 Michigan students received reading scores low enough that they could be required to repeat third grade.

With 95% of students taking the test in 2022, compared to just 71% last year, more students scored below 1252, the state-determined benchmark for one grade level behind in reading, and could be held back under Michigan’s Read by Grade Three law.

Districts that primarily provided remote instruction in 2020-21 had the largest share of students flagged for retention, based on their spring 2022 ELA M-STEP scores, with more than twice the retention-eligibility rates as districts providing in-person or hybrid instruction.