Reading Proficiency

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Learning begins at birth, and so does the path to literacy. Despite Massachusetts' well-earned reputation as a national leader in education, 39% of the state's third graders scored below proficient on the latest MCAS reading test. Massachusetts also posts a wide achievement gap. Among third graders from low-income families, 60% scored below proficient in reading, according to the 2011 MCAS. The consequences of reading failure can be severe. Three-quarters of children who have trouble with reading in third grade will continue to struggle in school, research shows, greatly reducing their chances of finishing high school, attending college or contributing to our knowledge-based economy.

Concerned about the problem, Strategies for Children in 2010 commissioned a report from Nonie Lesaux, Ph.D., a nationally known expert on language development and literacy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In Turning the Page: Refocusing Massachusetts for Reading Success [PDF], Lesaux offers recommendations to improve the language and literacy development of children, from birth to age 9. The recommendations serve as the basis of An Act Relative to Third Grade Reading Proficiency, introduced in the Massachusetts Legislature in January 2011.

In addition, a number of policies help ensure children’s development as readers and students. See The Building Blocks of Reading Proficiency [PDF]

In Springfield, the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation have launched Read!—a citywide campaign to ensure that children in the Western Massachusetts city are proficient readers by the time they enter fourth grade. For more information, see Reading Success by Fourth Grade: A Blueprint for Springfield [PDF].

Find out about third grade reading proficiency in your community.