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"A group of Oklahoma parents concerned about new reading requirements that third-graders must meet in order to advance to the fourth grade are urging Gov. Mary Fallin to sign a bill making it easier to promote students.The Parent Legislative Action Committee of Central Oklahoma delivered a petition to the governor on Monday with more than 2,000 signatures.\u201CAll we\u2019re asking for is a seat at the table, parents and teachers, to be able to have our kids\u2019 stories be heard,\u201D said Amy Eldridge, who's son TJ is a third-grader. \u201CThe way the current reading law stands, TJ will have to go through mandatory retention, he\u2019ll have to repeat third grade. He already has all A\u2019s and B\u2019s in third grade except for reading.\u201DThe group supports the bill that would make changes to the Reading Sufficiency Act, which mandates a test all third-graders must pass in order to move on to fourth grade. If Gov. Fallin vetoes the bill, parents vow to keep fighting for their kids.\"(We'll be) communicating with our representatives and our senators to encourage them to override that and do what they did in the first place, overwhelmingly, which is listen to our voices,\u201D said Meredith Exline, coordinator of Oklahoma PLAC.Based on test results released two weeks ago, nearly 16 percent of Oklahoma's third-graders scored \"unsatisfactory\" on state reading tests and could be held back next year."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-parents-urge-gov-mary-fallin-to-sign-3rd-grade-reading-bill/4298389>