The poor reading levels of a significant number of Massachusetts third-graders revealed in a recently released report clearly illustrate the need for a "back to basics" approach to elementary education.

Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars the state has poured into education, a shocking 43 percent of Massachusetts third-graders are still reading below grade level. The statistics revealed in the study, commissioned by the organization Strategies for Children, make it obvious that changes must be implemented.

For example, in Fitchburg, 58 percent of third-graders scored less than proficient in reading on the MCAS exam. In Leominster, 51 percent are reading below grade level. In both Westminster and Ashburnham that figure is 47 percent, and in Lunenburg, it is 44 percent. Those figures are simply unacceptable.

In Lowell, third-graders appear to be having even greater difficulty with reading. A full 67 percent of third-graders there scored below proficient on the MCAS exam. And third-graders in Ayer, Billerica, Dracut, Tewksbury and Tyngsboro are also struggling with the percentages of students reading below proficiency at 44, 43, 41, 42 and 42, respectively.

Education leaders must incorporate additional reading into all areas of curriculum. The best way to enhance a child's abilities in that area is to have them read as often as possible.

Homework should also include more reading assignments, particularly in the early grades. According to Nonie Lesaux, an expert on literacy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, there is a limited time period in which to prevent reading difficulties. By third grade, she wrote, reading struggles are strongly linked to later school difficulties as well as behavioral issues and depression. And once behind, it becomes increasingly difficult for students to catch up to their peers.

Educators should require students to do more old-fashioned homework assignments, such as reading novels and writing book reports. In this way, the teacher can be certain that at least most of the reading was completed and that the student can actually comprehend the story.

Reading more history, geography, civics and social studies -- rather than doing art projects related to the subjects -- would also help enhance students' reading skills.

If Massachusetts wants to see children's reading scores improve, it is time to implement a "back to basics" approach.