JEFFERSON CITY — A literacy bill limiting the use of the controversial “three-cueing system” of reading instruction and establishing a statewide reading screener was discussed by the Senate on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 1442, sponsored by Sen. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair, seeks to promote literacy by preventing “three-cueing” from being taught to incoming teachers, identifying literacy issues early on with elementary level screeners and providing guardians with resources to resolve those issues.
The bill eventually was laid aside, but can be taken up later in the session.
Hudson cited Missouri’s recent decline in literacy, compared to other states, as reasoning for the bill, calling the placement unacceptable.
“In 2003, Missouri was ranked 14th out of 50 states in writing and reading scores,” Hudson said. “In 2024, however, Missouri was ranked 38th.”
The “three-cueing system” is a method of reading instruction that has faced increased scrutiny in recent years. It encourages students to use context clues to understand the meaning of a new word, a process critics have derided as guesswork. Phonics plays a diminished role in this style — students are instead told to use images, location in sentence and surrounding words to find definitions.
Educational institutions have gradually distanced themselves from three-cueing as evidence has begun to suggest it has been ineffective where implemented. Several states have already attempted to ban it.
While at present, the bill would only prevent teachers from being trained in the method (although specifying three-cueing is not to be used as the primary teaching tool), previous versions were more ambitious in their limitation of its use in schools.
Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City, a former teacher, had concerns about the prospect of banning the method itself. While she agreed it’s generally ineffective, Nurrenbern defended its provisional use on a case-by-case basis.
“I’m always hesitant to say ‘you can’t do this’ even though you’ve been trained to do that thing,” she said. “I used to say, ‘to be an effective teacher, I need the autonomy to be able to practice my craft.’”
The bill also establishes the “Missouri Reading Screener,” a literacy test intended to identify reading deficiencies that would be taken three times a year by students from first to third grade.
The screener would also be designed to recognize traits of dyslexia with hopes of aiding a diagnosis.
Screener results would be sorted into four proficiency categories, listed from lowest to highest score: “at risk,” “approaching expectations,” “meets expectations” and “exceeds expectations”.
The bill designates two levels of literacy problems determined by screener scores. Students who score “approaching expectations” are determined to have a reading deficiency, while students who score “at risk” are determined to have a substantial reading deficiency.
Students who are still recognized as having a substantial deficiency by the end of the third grade will not be allowed to move on to the fourth grade.
Students who are learning English as a second language or who have individualized learning plans as a result of disability may be exempt from this retention to the third grade, on a case-by-case basis.
“First children learn to read and then they read to learn,” Hudson said. “And if they don’t get the learn to read part, they’re going to be behind their entire academic career.”