As many as 10,000 students across Ohio could be held back to repeat the third grade under the new "Third Grade Reading Guarantee" law.

As written, the law permits third graders who simply don't take the test to be promoted, regardless of proficiency, StateImpact reports. That loophole has led parents in other states that have the same law keep their kids home on test days.

After 2016, all education students must graduate with the reading endorsement.

Students entering third grade a year from now will be allowed to advance to fourth grade only if they achieve a minimum score on Ohio’s third-grade reading assessment.

Districts must take seriously the law’s requirement that they offer additional reading support to K-3 students who are identified as reading below grade level. High-quality, student-centered, intensive intervention—especially for first and second graders—should help more students read on grade level by the end of third grade and prevent mandatory retentions. Similarly, districts should consider retaining students earlier than third grade if they cannot read.