Every two years, fourth and eighth grade students across 50 states and District of Columbia take the national reading exam. According to the Nation's Report Card, it is "the only assessment that allows comparison of results from one state with another, or with results for the rest of the nation."
Illinois is one of 35 states and the nation's capital in which just one in three (or fewer) fourth grade students met or exceeded reading standards in 2022.
In her article, "5 Solutions for Illinois Schools to Fight Literacy Crisis," Hannah Schmid of the Illinois Policy Institute explains that the first three years of elementary school are critical in building the necessary skills to prepare students for school and for life.
"Research finds that students who struggle to read at grade level by the end of their third grade school year often are unable to comprehend up to half of the printed fourth grade curriculum," Schmid relays. "That just continues with every subsequent grade level."
She says Colorado, Mississippi, Florida, and the 37+ other states that have undertaken literacy reforms over the past decade "offer great road maps to Illinois."
Since it is important for schools to find reading problems in their students early in their elementary years, one of her proposed solutions "is to provide early literacy reading screeners for every student in first through third grade … so we can help them remediate any deficiencies and be on track for their later school years."
Another solution she offers is to provide reading interventions for any student in first through third grade who has a reading deficiency.
"This is again pinpointing those early elementary grades as critical for building those foundational reading skills," Schmid reiterates.
She also proposes that parents be notified and encouraged to engage in their child's reading deficiency diagnosis and intervention. Schools should also make sure they are using evidence-based instruction methods and discuss and determine grade promotion decisions with parents and teachers for students whose reading deficiencies are not made up by the end of the school year.
"Only immediate action will prevent Illinois students from falling farther behind," she concludes.
