You know, I don't have so much of a problem with this idea if people would clarify it in that children that are slow to pick up the ideas associated with reading compared to the normal children are more likely to come up to par with the 'average' when given assistance. So by saying average the bell curve is brought into the equation and with a bell curve you will see the majority of students in the normal range with still some on the lower end and of course those on the higher end. So no: "ALL" children do not even out by third grade. The problem now is that the teachers and parents pass the line around and parents accept it when the teachers use that logic to not teach the advance child and have them wait until the others catch up.
So in the end: sure if the child is forbidden to progress at his or her on rate than I guess in time they all would catch up.
