Beat Third Grade Retention and Focus on Success by Fourth Grade
Third grade retention in Florida can be avoided, even if your child failed the third grade reading FSA or your child opted out of the third grade reading FSA, but a student must meet one of the good cause exemptions. Some people believe that third grade retention is mandatory if a child gets a Level 1 on the Third Grade Reading FSA.
That is false. In one of Florida’s better moves, they created a series of Good Cause Exemptions from 3rd Grade Retention that include:
- Passing a student portfolio that demonstrates a student has mastered the relevant skills
- Passing a test that is typically given the last week of school
- Passing a test that is given at the end of summer school
- Passing a test in the summer
- Not allowing a student with an IEP or Individualized Education Plan to be held back twice before 4th grade
- Now, a student can only be held back once in 3rd grade
We have seen cases where a student failed the third grade reading FSA, because of an anxiety challenge, but for the majority of students, …
Third Grade Retention Usually Indicates a Reading Comprehension Issue
Jeff Solochek’s blog from the Tampa Bay Tribune, recently had an article on third grade retention titled — “Will My Florida Third Grader Have to Repeat The Grade?” Both his blog post and this one are written before results have been given to schools or parents.
![The first day of third grade class at a Pasco County elementary school. [Times | 2015] 3rd Grade Retention by Improving Reading Comprehension](https://www.tampabay.com/storyimage/HI/20180522/ARTICLE/305229834/AR/0/AR-305229834.jpg?MaxW=950&cachebuster=38135)
Beat Third Grade Retention by Improving Reading Comprehension
1- Most students facing third grade retention risks have a reading comprehension issue — on average, students we have tested who failed the third grade reading FSA have a reading comprehension level 1.5 to 3 years below grade level
2- You first want to determine if third grade retention may be right for your child – this is not often the case — but where a child has a combination of a significant reading comprehension issue, attention issues and/or a summer birthday, third grade retention may be right
3- In the majority of cases, the key is to address the relevant issues — that are often causes by the child being a visual learner and processing challenges — that may include attention, visual processing and/or related issues.

Beat Third Grade Retention by Screening for the visual learner and attention and/or eye-teaming issue
If your child failed the third grade reading FSA or just has a reading comprehension issue, we suggest you either:
- Take our Success Assessment that screens for the visual learner and attention and visual processing challenges. Take the Success Assessment with your child.
- Call us at 56-361-7495 and shift the Focus from Third Grade Retention to Success by Fourth Grade