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Resident urges board to halt "pushing" students through grades amid low reading proficiency
Summary
Joanne Kress told the Taos Municipal Schools board she fears students are advanced to boost graduation rates despite low reading and writing skills, citing that 56% of New Mexico third-graders are not reading at grade level and urging a third-grade reading check before promotion.
Joanne Kress, a 35-year Taos resident and court-appointed special advocate, told the Taos Municipal Schools Board on July 22 that she believes some students are being advanced without the reading and writing skills required for success. "She should've never graduated," Kress said of a student she supported through foster care, arguing that promoting underprepared third-graders produces graduates who lack real opportunities.
Kress asked the board and superintendent whether students are being "pushed through the school system in order to show an increase in graduation rates." She contrasted New Mexico's performance with Mississippi's recent reforms, describing a third-grade reading proficiency test followed by mandatory summer school and possible retention for students who fail. The board accepted the comment during public comment and did not take immediate action; the item was captured for district follow-up and later discussion in instructional planning.
