(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Third graders would have to pass a reading test or be held back under a new proposal by the Indiana Department of Education.

The 2010 General Assembly passed a bill ordering the department to come up with a plan to improve reading skills among Indiana’s students. The state Board of Education voted to pass the new rule Tuesday. Governor Mitch Daniels must still sign off before it can be implemented.

Indiana is 27^th in the nation in 4^th grade reading proficiency Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett told the Indianapolis Star.

Students would be held back for up to two years if they don’t pass the test. After failing the first time, students could take a summer school course and test again to more on to fourth grade.

Special education students, English language learners, and students who had been held back previously in earlier grades would be exempt.