There is an early literacy crisis nationally, and students’ futures are at risk when they are already behind in fourth grade.
In Illinois, only one-third of fourth-grade students met or exceeded reading proficiency standards on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.1
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.”2
Illinois is one of 35 states and the DC in which just one-in-three (or fewer) fourth grade students met or exceeded reading standards in 2022.3
Despite a smaller decline in proficiency following the pandemic compared to some other states, Illinois’ early literacy rate is the same as it was 12 years ago, meaning increases in education spending have failed to improve the literacy rate.
Research has pinpointed third grade as a critical reading milestone because students need to have learned to read by then or they will not be able to absorb the rest of their educations.4
But there’s hope: Many states, including Illinois, have passed laws aimed at aligning reading instruction with evidence-based practices to improve the literacy and academic achievement of students. Still, Illinois could and should do more.
Just 33% of Illinois fourth graders are proficient in reading
On the most recent national exam in 2022, Illinois ranked 17th in the U.S. for the percentage of fourth graders at or above proficiency in reading. The reality of that ranking was just 33.3% of Illinois fourth graders could read at or above grade level and 34 other states and DC also have fewer than 1 in 3 students reading proficiently.5
The national percentage was 32%, with 24 states seeing proficiency above that level. Illinois barely made it onto that list.
In the Midwest, eight of the 12 states had a higher percentage of public school fourth graders at or above reading proficiency than the national percentage: Ohio, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Minnesota. Two of those had a higher percentage than Illinois: Ohio at 35% and Nebraska at 34%.
The overall highest percentage reported was in Massachusetts, where 42.6% of fourth graders were at or above proficiency in reading. Following were Florida with 39% and Wyoming at 38.3%.
The state with the lowest percentage of students reading at or above proficiency was New Mexico with 21%, followed by West Virginia at 22.3% and Oklahoma at 24%.
Despite Illinois’ ranking, it doesn’t bode well when just one-third of students can read at or above grade level.
Even fewer Black, Hispanic fourth graders met reading standards compared to white students
There were significant differences in the percentage of Black and Hispanic fourth-grade students meeting national reading standards compared to white students. Additionally, students from lower-income families were less likely to meet reading standards compared to their higher-income counterparts.
Among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., Illinois recorded the ninth-largest achievement gap between Black and white fourth-grade students,6 with the percentage of Black students meeting national reading standards 28.7 percentage points lower than white students. In the Midwest, Illinois’ achievement gap ranked second worst behind only Wisconsin. In 2022, only 12.6% of Illinois’ Black fourth graders met reading standards.
The achievement gap between Hispanic and white fourth-grade students was also significant. The percentage of Hispanic fourth-grade students meeting reading standards was 19.9 percentage points lower than white students, resulting in Illinois having the 29th-largest achievement gap nationally and the sixth-largest gap in the Midwest.7 In 2022, only 21.4% of Hispanic fourth-grade students met the national reading standards.
There was also a large achievement gap between Illinois’ fourth-grade students whose families met the low-income eligibility requirements for the National School Lunch Program and those who were not eligible.8 The percentage of students meeting national reading requirements who were eligible for free school lunches was 28.2 percentage points lower than those students whose family income was too high for the program.9 That means students from lower-income families were significantly less likely to meet reading standards compared to their higher-income counterparts. In 2022, only 17.2% of students who were eligible for free lunches met reading standards.
All three of the achievement gaps in Illinois have decreased since the 2011 exam, but there is still significant work needed to close the gaps between demographic groups.10
Illinois experienced a smaller decline in early literacy during the pandemic than many other states
The previous national exam was conducted in 2019 prior to the pandemic. On that reading exam, 34.4% of Illinois’ public fourth graders were at or above proficiency.11 That means the percentage of fourth graders meeting or exceeding the test’s proficiency level dropped by 1.1 percentage points between 2019 and 2022.
Of the 45 states and Washington, D.C., that reported declines during the pandemic, Illinois had the sixth-smallest drop. In the Midwest, Illinois had the smallest drop. West Virginia recorded the largest drop at 8 percentage points.
Only five states recorded increases in fourth-grade proficiency during the pandemic: Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.
The Illinois early literacy rate has remained stagnant for 12 years
The percentage of Illinois fourth graders proficient on the national reading exam in 2022 was the same as it had been on the 2011 exam.12 That means after 12 years and a 54% increase in general funding for K-12 education, literacy among public school fourth graders remained unchanged in Illinois.13
During the same 12-year period, 16 states and D.C. increased their percentage of fourth graders at or above reading proficiency on the national exam, with Mississippi recording the biggest increase at 8.9 percentage points.14 Three Midwestern states increased their reading proficiency percentage: South Dakota, Ohio and Indiana.
Illinois’ stagnation in fourth-grade proficiency during the 12-year period may be better than the national score, which declined by 0.3 percentage points. But maintaining the status quo is not sufficient, especially when the status quo means only 1-in-3 fourth graders can read well while general funds for K-12 education have increased by 54%.
Other states offer a roadmap for legislation to improve early literacy rates. During the past decade, many states began to implement “science of reading” policies and experienced growth in early literacy rates.
Mississippi’s nearly 9 point increase in early literacy proficiency – deemed the “Mississippi miracle” – can be attributed to the passage of legislation in 2013 which required schools to develop a literacy curriculum based on the “science of reading.”15
That science includes screening students early for reading problems, emphasizing phonics, using the best research-backed teaching methods and having literacy coaches to support teachers. The emphasis is on getting kids on track before they leave third grade.
High school graduation, future employment and earning potential are on the line, even by third grade
Third grade marks a critical literacy point for students, meaning the low levels of proficiency reported through the national assessment can threaten the wellbeing of students throughout their lives.
“Students who do not ‘learn to read’ during the first three years of school experience enormous difficulty when they are subsequently asked to ‘read to learn,’” according to the National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators.16 If a student struggles to read at grade level by the end of third grade, up to half of the printed fourth-grade curriculum is incomprehensible.17
A report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation warns about the harms of a student’s inability to read effectively by the end of third grade.18 The research shows a student’s likelihood to graduate high school can be predicted with reasonable accuracy by their reading skill at the end of third grade. By the beginning of fourth grade, students transition from learning to read to reading to learn.19
The authors warn that “if we don’t get dramatically more children on track as proficient readers, the United States will lose a growing and essential proportion of its human capital to poverty, and the price will be paid not only by individual children and families, but by this entire country.”20
The price paid by students for poor third-grade literacy is lower future earning potential. The median annual earnings of adults ages 25 through 34 who had not completed high school were $6,000 a year lower than the earnings of those with a diploma, according to data from the Census Bureau’s 2017 Current Population Survey.21
The unemployment rate for high school dropouts was 13% compared to the 7% unemployment rate of those whose highest level of educational was a high school credential.
Additionally, the average high school dropout cost the economy about $272,000 compared to individuals who complete high school because of “lower tax contributions, higher reliance on Medicaid and Medicare, higher rates of criminal activity, and higher reliance on welfare,” according to the National Center for Education Statistics.22
Data from the Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey found 9.6% of Illinoisans aged 25 and over never earned a high school diploma. That includes 5% who failed to reach higher than ninth grade.
Only 17 states have a higher portion of individuals over age 25 who have not earned their high school diploma. Illinois has the second-highest rate in the Midwest, with only Indiana recording a higher percentage at 9.8%.23
States are getting serious about literacy through “science of reading” laws
With the staggering rates of early learners struggling to read across the country, many states have passed legislation to align reading instruction with evidence-based practices to improve the literacy and academic achievement of students.24 These evidence-based practices are called the “science of reading.”
A federally funded report by the National Reading Panel in 2000 first outlined five essential components of effective reading instruction as the basis for the science of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development and reading comprehension.25
Rather than adopting the panel’s evidence-based instruction methods, many states continued to use a “balanced literacy” approach which did not incorporate structured phonics instruction. According to Reading Partners, balanced literacy instruction is criticized for “relying too heavily on contextual cues to guess words and their meaning, known as the three cueing system. For example, students are instructed to find a picture of a butterfly on a page and guess the word ‘butterfly’ in the text.”26
Many states have initiated a return to the science of reading.
According to Education Week, 39 states and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation since 2013 concerning evidence-based methods to teach students how to read.27 Thirty-one of the states and D.C. enacted science-based reading legislation since 2020.
Illinois is among them.28 Lawmakers amended the school code in July 2023 to include a section on literacy to address the low rates of literacy in Illinois public schools.29
The legislation outlines specific actions which the Illinois State Board of Education must undertake to support literacy efforts in school districts:
- By Jan. 31, 2024, create a comprehensive literacy plan for Illinois which would explore evidence-based literacy research to support the literacy needs of all Illinois students.30
- By July 1, 2024, make available to each Illinois public school district a rubric to evaluate curricula and implement evidence-based reading instruction.31 In other words, this is a template to support districts’ development of literacy plans and guidance on training literacy coaches to support teachers.
- By Jan. 1, 2025, develop and make available training opportunities for educators in teaching reading that are aligned with the comprehensive literacy plan released the year prior by ISBE.
While it is a positive move for Illinois lawmakers to enact legislation directing the state board to support literacy efforts, more is needed. Illinois must ensure schools provide the instruction necessary to improve the rate of literacy proficiency among early learners.
Other states reap the benefits of “science of reading” legislation
Illinois lawmakers can learn from states such as Florida and Mississippi, which have experienced growth in early literacy after implementing “science of reading” legislation.
Florida was a leader in the fight to improve early literacy by adopting early literacy legislation in 2002. The legislation created a comprehensive approach to ensure Florida students enter fourth grade with the literacy skills necessary to succeed and continue into higher grades.
It ensured teacher preparation programs train teachers in the “science of reading” and provided training and reading coaches to instruct educators on how to implement “science of reading” methods. Within the first 30 days of a school year, the legislation required schools to administer a universal literacy screening, notify parents and keep them informed of their student’s reading deficiency and create individualized reading plans for them. It also put an end to “social promotion,” meaning third-grade students were required to meet grade-level standards to progress to fourth grade.32
Florida fourth-grade students’ rate of meeting reading standards on the national assessment subsequently increased 12 percentage points between 2002 and 2022.33
Mississippi went from 49th in the nation for average fourth-grade reading score on the national assessment to 21st after implementing literacy legislation in 2013.34 Much like Florida’s legislation, Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act sought to improve early literacy in the state.35
It ensured certified teachers pass a science-of-reading knowledge and skills test, required teachers to use research-based literacy instruction and curriculum, and provided reading coaches to support teachers’ implementation of science-of-reading instruction. It also required improved methods to screen students in early grades for reading deficiencies so schools could provide interventions to get students on track with grade level expectations.36
Additionally, the Mississippi legislation ended “social promotion” and mandated the retention of any third-grade student who did not meet grade-level reading standards by the end of the school year.37
Like the situations in Florida and Mississippi prior to legislators’ interventions, too few Illinois students are on track to read proficiently in their early years of schooling. It is vital for Illinois students’ futures – and the success of the state – to promote evidence-based reading practices and enact legislation to ensure every Illinois student receives high-quality literacy instruction.
Ensuring students have the tools and instruction necessary to read at grade level in their early years can help keep students engaged in their later years, through to high school graduation and brighter futures.
Endnotes
1 National Center for Education Statistics. “Reading: State Achievement, Grade 4.” The Nation’s Report Card. Accessed August 29, 2024. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/states/achievement/?grade=4.
2 National Center for Education Statistics. “FAQs.” The Nation’s Report Card. Accessed Aug. 29, 2024, https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/faq.aspx
3 Ibid.
4 Hannah Schmid, “Literacy in Illinois: Low third-grade reading proficiency warns of trouble ahead,” Illinois Policy Institute, May 30, 2024, https://www.illinoispolicy.org/literacy-in-illinois-low-third-grade-reading-proficiency-warns-of-trouble-ahead/.
5 National Center for Education Statistics. 2022 NAEP Reading State Results. Accessed Aug. 30, 2024. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/supportive_files/2022_NAEP_Reading_State_Results.xlsx.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “National School Lunch Program Factsheet,” last modified June 11, 2024, accessed Sept. 12, 2024. https://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/factsheet.
10 National Center for Education Statistics. 2022 NAEP Reading State Results. Change in achievement gaps between 2011 and 2022 are as follows: White-Black achievement gap declined by 3.4 percentage points, White-Hispanic gap declined by 6.6 percentage points and National School Lunch Program eligible-not eligible gap declined by 4.7 percentage points.
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid.
13 Analyzed general fund expenditures for K-12 education in the budgets for fiscal years 2011 to 2022 as reported by the State of Illinois, Office of Management and Budget, https://budget.illinois.gov/budget-books.html.
14 National Center for Education Statistics. 2022 NAEP Reading State Results. The 16 states with increased percentage are as follows: Mississippi, Hawaii, California, Louisiana, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, Wyoming, Florida, Utah, Texas, Nevada, South Dakota, Ohio, New Mexico and Indiana.
15 Sharon Lurye, “Kids’ reading scores have soared in Mississippi ‘miracle’,” PBS News, May 17, 2023, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/kids-reading-scores-have-soared-in-mississippi-miracle.
16 Learning to Read, Reading to Learn: Helping Children with Learning Disabilities to Succeed, National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators (Eugene, OR), 1, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED398691.pdf
17 Leila Fiester and Ralph Smith, Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters. Baltimore, MD: The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2010. https://assets.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/AECF-Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010.pdf.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid., 9
20 Ibid., 7
21 National Center for Education Statistics. “Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States.” National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed Aug. 30, 2024. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/dropout/intro.asp.
22 Ibid.
23 Schmid, “Literacy in Illinois”
24 Sarah Schwartz, “Which States Have Passed ‘Science of Reading’ Laws? What’s in Them?,” Education Week, July 20, 2022, updated Aug. 15, 2024, https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/which-states-have-passed-science-of-reading-laws-whats-in-them/2022/07.
25 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read. Washington, DC: National Institutes of Health, 2000. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pubs/nrp/Documents/report.pdf.
26 Kristi Mathisen. “The Science of Reading and Balanced Literacy, Part One: History and Context of the Reading Wars.” Reading Partners Blog. April 26, 2022. https://readingpartners.org/blog/the-science-of-reading-and-balanced-literacy-part-one-history-and-context-of-the-reading-wars/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4ri0BhAvEiwA8oo6FzEoooe6qnRJzUnAPLwOXPspxPwAmN_j9P5UuVVyPQL5PCDxdYg_YRoCq4cQAvD_BwE.
27 Sarah Schwartz. “Which States Have Passed ‘Science of Reading’ Laws? What’s in Them? Education Week. July 20, 2022, Retrieved Aug. 29, 2024 from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/which-states-have-passed-science-of-reading-laws-whats-in-them/2022/07.
28 Hannah Schmid, “Literacy legislation aims to fix Illinois’ low reading proficiency,” Illinois Policy Institute, July 5, 2024, https://www.illinoispolicy.org/literacy-legislation-aims-to-fix-illinois-low-reading-proficiency/.
29 Illinois General Assembly. Senate Bill 2243, 103rd General Assembly. Accessed Aug. 29, 2024. https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=112&GA=103&DocTypeId=SB&DocNum=2243&GAID=17&LegID=147129&SpecSess=&Session=.
30 Illinois State Board of Education. Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan 2024. Accessed Aug. 29, 2024. https://www.isbe.net/Documents/IL-Comp-Literacy-Plan-2024.pdf.
31 Illinois State Board of Education. Curriculum and Evaluation Tool: English Language Arts. Accessed Aug. 29, 2024. https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Curr-Eval-Tool-ELA-Add.pdf.
32 Foundation for Florida’s Future. “Early Literacy.” A Florida Promise. Accessed September 12, 2024. https://afloridapromise.org/early-literacy/.
33 National Center for Education Statistics. 2022 NAEP Reading State Results.
34 Ibid.
35 RMC Research Corporation. Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act: An Inside Look. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, February 2019. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED613758.
36 Anne Wicks, “Mississippi’s Reading Revolution,” George W. Bush Presidential Center, Fall 2023, accessed September 12, 2024, https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/the-fix/mississippis-reading-revolution.
37 Ibid.