Growing up, Heather Edelson struggled with dyslexia.
“I didn’t really read well until probably late middle school,” said Edelson, a Hennepin County commissioner and a former Minnesota state representative. “It was really challenging.”
Edelson’s experience represents broader literacy challenges in Minnesota that persist today. Since 2013, literacy proficiency rates for third graders have dropped from nearly 56% to about 46%, according to Compass Education.
In 2018, when Edelson was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, she began working to strengthen student’s literacy standards. She questioned why the existing law, Read Well by Third Grade, focused only on reading proficiency by third grade, rather than supporting strong literacy development throughout a student’s education.
Following the 2022 midterms, Democrats gained full control of state government. Edelson then worked with Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, to author the READ Act.
While the READ Act was being drafted, teachers raised concerns about literacy curriculum in classrooms. Edelson said some material was viewed as problematic. For example, depictions of African American and Native American children were sometimes inaccurate and stereotypical.
Gov. Tim Walz signed the first version of the READ Act into law in 2023. The law promotes evidence-based literacy instruction and provides teachers with training on structured literacy methods. About $70 million was appropriated for schools to transition to the programs.
After the initial implementation of the law, Edelson and Maye Quade said they received feedback from Minnesota educators and introduced an updated version of the law in 2024.
Related: Walz, state lawmakers look to transform how Minnesota kids are taught to read with READ Act
Updated law
The revised version of the law, often called READ Act 2.0, included more funding for teacher training. Many teachers said they appreciated its science-based programming, which emphasizes phonics instruction.
READ Act 2.0 is the updated version of the READ Act. It was signed into law in 2024 with additional funding mainly going to teacher training.
Julie Cronin, a second-grade teacher from the Robbinsdale school district, said the READ Act has had a positive effect on her classroom. She cited programs such as Bridge to Read and LETRS, which help teachers instruct students in word study, including how to break apart words, combine letters and sound out unfamiliar terms.
“They get it. They get the rules,” Cronin said.
Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, a DFLer from Eden Prairie and chair of the Senate Education Policy Committee, said he believes the READ Act is improving literacy, based on feedback from teachers and classroom visits he’s made.
“When we visit grade schools and you see the kids reading words that I didn’t know until I was in college, it’s kind of amazing, so it’s working,” he said.
GOP pushback
Despite positive feedback, some Republican lawmakers say additional changes are needed.
Sens. Michael Holmstrom, Jordan Rasmusson and Julia Coleman have introduced a proposal called the READ Act Interventions bill.
The proposal would require public schools to create individualized learning plans for students who do not demonstrate grade-level reading proficiency. It would also require schools to hold students back a grade if it is determined to “in the students best interest.”
Holmstrom said struggling students may fall further behind if they advance to the next grade without mastering reading skills because the standards will increase and expectations of schoolwork increases.
Related: Minnesota’s teacher preparation programs must change for the READ Act to change outcomes
“They’re not going to keep up if we let them, he said.”
Holmstrom said teachers he has spoken with believe there are cases where students should have been held back, but they were not.
Some educators disagree.
Mackenzie Mohen-VonAhnen, a teacher at Centennial Elementary in Richfield, said research shows grade retention can harm students.
“That would be harmful for students, you know, like, mentally and socially,” she said.
Edelson also opposes the proposed changes. She said her own experience being held back in third grade convinced her that grade retention is not an effective solution.
When drafting the original READ Act, she said she deliberately did not include grade retention.
Ongoing disagreements over literacy policy reflect broader partisan divisions at the Capitol. With the Minnesota Legislature currently closely divided, even supporters of the proposed changes say the bill is unlikely to pass this session.
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