More than half of Colorado students make it to fourth grade without learning to read well enough to absorb content, and that has vast implications for their entire academic careers, according to a new report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
With the release of statistics collected by the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress test, the foundation said it will address the issue with a long-term push toward improving early education.
According to the NAEP test, a nationwide assessment of student success, 60 percent of Colorado fourth-graders scored below proficient in reading. About 80 percent of minority and low-income students scored below proficient.
“It is horrible compared to where every parent wants their child to be,” said Laura Beavers, the national coordinator for Kids Count, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Expectations on state-created tests, such as the Colorado Student Assessment Program, vary widely. The NAEP assessments use one standard across the country, creating a national yardstick for performance.
Despite the low scores on the national assessment, Colorado fared better than many other states.
“We do rank fifth best in the nation overall in reading,” said Chris Watney,president of the Colorado Children’s Campaign, a Colorado branch of Kids Count.
Poor scores in fourth grade can predict big problems in the future.
“These kids are more likely to be held back as they get older, less likely to graduate high school,” Beavers said.
The link stems from the expectation that fourth-grade students begin to learn by reading rather than simply learning to read.
“It’s more than a double whammy. The implications of not being able to read by the end of third grade are exponential,” Watney said.
The nationwide nonprofit Casey Foundation recommends outreach to parents encouraging good reading habits from birth, along with initiatives targeting low-performing schools and addressing problems such as chronic absences.
Quality preschool instruction is essential too, Watney said, and kids who miss early reading instruction enter kindergarten behind the curve.
Making the changes will carry a price tag, though.
“The research is real clear that it’s quality care that leads to real outcomes and quality costs,” said Scott Groginsky, senior policy director for the Colorado Children’s Campaign.
Heather McWilliams: 303-954-1698 or hmcwilliams@denverpost.com
