JEFFERSON CITY — A bill that would ban three-cueing and establish new reading assessments was heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday.
After legislation prohibiting three-cueing as a primary instructional method passed last year, legislators are now aiming for an outright ban.
Three-cueing, also known as the Meaning Structure Visual system, teaches kids to read by using context. Kids are encouraged to figure out unfamiliar words by looking for meaning, whether that be in the sentence, the grammar or any pictures. Legislators aim to return to phonics, which focuses on sounds and the connection between written language and spoken language.
Senate Bill 1442 aims to ban three-cueing. The bill would also establish the “Missouri Universal Reading Screener,” a new reading assessment for first through third grade. Students identified as reading deficient by the assessment will be retained, meaning they will not be promoted to fourth grade until their reading scores improve or they receive an exemption.
Sponsor of the bill, Sen. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair, said Missouri students have fallen behind, citing the National Assessment of Education Progress, or NAEP, reading scores.
“In 2003, Missouri was ranked 14th out of 50 states in NAEP fourth-grade reading scores,” Hudson said. “By 2024, however, Missouri was ranked 38th.”
Hudson said 42% of Missouri’s fourth graders were reading below NAEP’s “basic” level in 2024.
Since 2021, at least eight states have banned three-cueing from the classroom, with many others passing restrictions on the method.
“Reading unlocks doors to the entire world, and it is time we give our students the key,” Hudson said.
Cory Koedel, director of education policy at the Show Me Institute, said the retention of reading-deficient students is the component driving his support of the bill.
“It seems like our human nature to want to be kind and help them along, but that doesn’t help them,” Koedel said. “It is not a kindness to promote someone in early grades who can’t read.”
Dava-Leigh Brush, a representative of the Missouri Equity Education Partnership, testified in opposition to the bill. Brush said she doesn’t like the three-cueing system, but opposes an outright ban.
Brush recalled teaching English to children from Nepal and using strategies from the three-cueing system after finding phonics wasn’t working.
“While it may not work for a lot of kids, it may work for one kid,” Brush said. “(Three-cueing) should not be the primary way to do it, but it should be a tool in a box.”
