The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) is seeing powerful new evidence of a strong relationship between early reading ability and subsequent academic achievement. A study of Ohio students who graduated in 2013 found that those not reading proficiently in third grade were three times more likely not to graduate on time than those who were proficient readers.
“This study is powerful proof that reading is the key to future success in all subjects and why we need Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee,” said Richard A. Ross, superintendent of public instruction at the Ohio Department of Education. “Boys and girls who can read on grade level in third grade control their academic destinies and are more likely to graduate with the skills they need to be successful. This is why we must identify early those students who need extra help and provide them with the intervention they need to become proficient readers.”
To that end, the department of education is releasing K-3 Literacy Improvement grades today to be added to the 2014 report cards. The measure reports whether a district or school is making progress in improving literacy in kindergarten through grade three or how well schools are doing at moving students who are identified as “not on track” to “on track.”
The measure uses the results from the fall reading diagnostics taken in kindergarten through grade three and the results from the third grade reading assessment.“I’m proud that our teachers, parents, students and communities worked harder than ever to bring struggling readers up to speed,” added Dr. Ross. “While these are great results, we still have work to do, but we can see that the guarantee has been effective.”