With Oklahoma ranking last in the country in student reading scores – and things being so bad that we’re having to turn to bottom-10 companion Mississippi for guidance – I’m for any logical or rational plan to increase literacy among Oklahoma kids.
I guess that’s why I’m all for a proposal, warts and all, being floated by State Sen. Adam Pugh and State Rep. Toni Hasenbeck – two lawmakers who are running for State Superintendent – that would bring back an older law requiring teens to prove they can read at an 8th-grade level before they can get their driver’s license.
Via Oklahoma Voice:
Teen drivers could be required to meet certain literacy requirements under two bills proposed by Oklahoma lawmakers.
House Bill 4153 and Senate Bill 1538 would each require minors to meet eighth-grade literacy standards and require Service Oklahoma to withdraw driving privileges if the child drops out of school…
Under both bills, youth would need to either pass a statewide reading assessment or an approved alternative test to prove they meet literacy standards before they can be licensed to drive, according to the bills.
Yep! You're telling me we can get more teen drivers off the road and hopefully motivate more kids to learn how to read in the process? Take the wheel and drive! Where do I sign?!
Seriously, why would we not do this, and even better yet, extend it to all adults? Imagine just how peaceful and better our roads would be if we got 20% of drivers off them! In fact, I say we add a basic civics test, too. If you can’t name the lawmakers who help make our roads so bad, should you really be allowed to drive on them?