NE LB1050

Beginning with the 2027-28 school year, students identified as having a "persistent reading deficiency" at the end of grade three must be retained and cannot advance to grade four, with no student retained more than once under this provision

Students can avoid retention by meeting threshold performance levels on the statewide grade three reading assessment, an alternate assessment, or a new test-based student portfolio option that the State Department of Education must establish by January 1, 2027

Exemptions from mandatory retention apply to students with IEPs or 504 plans who participated in reading intervention for at least two years and were previously retained once, or any student with two years of intervention and two cumulative years of prior retention in grades K-3

Schools must provide an "intensive acceleration class" for retained students, featuring reduced class sizes, individualized instruction, evidence-based reading intervention, and optional transitional instructional settings

Schools must notify parents by February 1 if their grade three student remains reading-deficient and faces potential retention, offering an opportunity to discuss changes to the student's reading improvement plan