March 2012

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a determined effort to mobilize philanthropic leadership around moving the needle on third grade reading over the next decade.

The growing momentum for increasing third grade reading proficiency continues to surpass our expectations: On March 12, more than 120 cities, counties, and towns submitted ambitious and sustainable plans to get students on track for grade-level reading by the end of third grade.

These communities are now part of the Grade-Level Reading Network, which will provide access to experts, policymakers, and foundations investing in early literacy. Most of the plans also serve as applications for the All-America City Awards, which will be announced by the National Civic League in July.

Thirty-six of the participating communities have more than 500,000 residents, and 43 have fewer than 100,000. Mayors or county officials lead the effort in 26 communities, United Way chapters lead in 23, and foundations lead in 12.

In addition to the support they receive from the Grade-Level Reading Network, participating communities will have an opportunity to share their plans with foundations and philanthropic donors who fund early childhood and early learning and literacy projects.

Take a closer look at one of the Campaign’s Bright Spot programs, the national school readiness initiative Reach Out and Read. Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud. Building on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers, Reach Out and Read works to develop critical early reading skills in children, beginning at 6 months of age, with a focus on those in low-income communities. The more than 3.9 million families served annually by Reach Out and Read read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with stronger language skills, and a six-month developmental edge over their peers. Be sure to check out Reach Out and Read’s new video, featuring CSI: New York’s Hill Harper.

Stay on top of all that is new with the Campaign and with grade-level reading by making a regular visit to the website: www.gradelevelreading.net. The site offers a comprehensive news source on issues related to early childhood, reading development, and achievement. Get the latest updates on federal initiatives, state campaigns, and local efforts, or read recent studies on child development and literacy.

It’s not just cities and communities that have taken up the grade-level reading banner. State policymakers are focusing on the importance of third grade reading, as well. There are bills in half a dozen state legislatures focusing on early literacy, some of them calling for holding back struggling readers. The Campaign is watching the issue of retention closely. We can’t afford to view this as a simple solution to a complex problem. We need a responsible approach to promotion that recognizes the path to third grade reading proficiency starts long before children arrive at school. The bills include:

• In Connecticut, HB 5350, An Act Concerning Achieving Universal Literacy by Grade Three, includes pieces on workforce development, parent engagement, and curriculum alignment as they pertain to grade-level reading. Connecticut is one of the best-represented states in the Grade-Level Reading Network with 13 communities involved.
  
• The Iowa House has passed a sweeping education reform plan that includes a controversial third grade retention measure. The Senate version of the bill doesn’t include the retention element.
• Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s new education initiative also recommends third grade retention in some cases. Under the plan, Ohio would test students every year beginning in kindergarten and would offer additional instruction as needed. Students not reading proficiently by the end of third grade and who had already participated in intervention plans for at least two years would automatically be held back.
• The Colorado House approved the Colorado Early Literacy Act, focused on improving reading skills in kindergarten through third grade. An earlier version of the bill would have required schools to retain third graders who were deemed to have “significant reading deficiencies.” After much opposition, the current incarnation of HB 12-1238 requires a meeting of parents, teachers, and school administrators to discuss retention.
• The Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education voted favorably on An Act Relative to Third Grade Reading Proficiency (H.1853/S.188), a bill introduced last year. The bill focuses on five areas: curriculum, instruction, professional development, assessment, and family partnership, and would establish an Early Literacy Expert Panel.

A new analysis released this month expands on the research linking third grade reading proficiency and poverty to high school graduation rates. The updated version of Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation demonstrates how living in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty exacerbates other risk factors, making students less likely to graduate.

The initial study found that students who aren’t reading proficiently by the critical third grade milestone are four times less likely to graduate than better readers. If the students are poor and not reading well, they are 13 times less likely to graduate than more affluent peers who have mastered reading.

The new data analysis shows that if students face three risk factors – they are poor, live in a poor neighborhood, and do not read well in third grade – they are 17 times less likely to graduate than students with none of those risks.