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The percentage of third graders on track in reading hasn鈥檛 budged since this time last year, shows 鈥� a reminder of the literacy setbacks experienced by kindergartners when schools shut down in 2020.

Even so, the test鈥檚 administrators are interpreting the flatline at 54% as good news. Paul Gazzerro, director of data analysis at curriculum provider Amplify, said it鈥檚 likely that third graders would have fallen even further behind without efforts like tutoring and additional group instruction.

鈥淚t looks as if nothing happened, but the reality is I would鈥檝e suspected that things could鈥檝e gotten worse,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese are students in many cases that are missing very tangible skills. They may even be grade levels behind.鈥�

The results come amid brighter news for younger students. The mid-year data, which reflects the performance of about 300,000 students across 43 states, show that more K-2 students are reading on grade level compared with 2022 鈥� a sign that literacy skills overall continue to slowly inch back to pre-COVID levels. 

鈥淭he actual pandemic effect seems to be lessening,鈥� Gazzerro said.

Amplify鈥檚 latest early literacy snapshot reflects a far less disruptive year than the last one. Schools aren鈥檛 dealing with frequent quarantines as they did during last year鈥檚 Omicron wave. In addition, many states and districts are in the midst of revamping how they teach reading and are using to purchase new curriculum and train teachers.

In some cases, states are taking the lead. Tennessee has put toward teacher training and ensuring districts have a phonics-based to match. And the Texas Education Agency will soon publish a list of approved materials to follow up a requiring districts to teach phonics.

At 麻豆精品鈥檚 request, Burbio, a data company, scanned 6,500 districts鈥� plans for spending American Rescue Plan funds. Over 3,800 report an emphasis on literacy, more than 4,100 mention reading and over 2,586 note ELA or English language arts. A smaller number, 530, specifically included phonics, and 258 identified science of reading in their plans.

It鈥檚 too soon to know whether these developments have had a measurable impact on students鈥� skills, but they鈥檙e 鈥渘ot hurting, that鈥檚 for sure,鈥� said Susan Lambert, Amplify鈥檚 chief academic officer for elementary humanities. 

The return to a more predictable schedule has contributed to the growth as well, she added.

鈥淲e can make progress when kids are in the classroom,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he data shows that.鈥� 

Amplify uses an assessment called Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills, or DIBELS, to test student progress toward learning letter sounds and blends, recognizing sight words and gaining speed and accuracy. 

Students in K-2 haven鈥檛 caught up to peers who were in those grades just before COVID hit. But they did make more progress between fall and winter than students did last year. That鈥檚 especially true for the youngest students. In 2021-22, the percentage of kindergartners on track grew 15 points over that time period. This year, it grew 19 percentage points. 

鈥楥an鈥檛 spell Harry or Potter鈥�

For teachers, it鈥檚 rewarding to see their students leap from identifying one or two sounds in a word to accurately writing complete sentences. 

JoLynn Aldinger, who teaches first grade in the West Ada School District, near Boise, Idaho, said her students鈥� growth over the past five months makes her want to 鈥渄o cartwheels鈥� in the classroom. 

A 25-year veteran teacher, she used to emphasize stories and comprehension over phonics. But when she had a 7-year-old in her class who took longer than her peers to learn letter sounds, Aldinger set off on her own quest to learn more about the so-called 鈥渟cience of reading.鈥� 

鈥業 thought, 鈥業 have a master鈥檚 degree in reading. I should know how to teach reading,鈥� 鈥� she said. 鈥淚 knew what phonics was but I didn鈥檛 understand how explicit it needed to be.鈥�

She applied for a grant from her school鈥檚 PTA, which paid $1,275 for her to receive training in methods often used with . The techniques, like pounding out syllables on their desks and spending extra time on letter blends, benefit even her strongest readers, she said. 

鈥淚 would have kids walk in my classroom who have read 鈥楬arry Potter,鈥� but they can鈥檛 spell Harry or Potter,鈥� she said. 

Now she shows off her students鈥� improvement to anyone who will listen. And she asks other teachers if they鈥檝e listened to 鈥淪old a Story,鈥� about how whole language or 鈥渂alanced鈥� literacy came to dominate reading instruction in U.S. schools. Research shows the approach, which focuses more on access to books and using pictures or other clues to guess words, can leave students without the phonics skills to become strong readers.  

鈥極ur COVID kids鈥�

The Amplify data includes other indicators that trends are headed in the right direction. Racial gaps in reading 鈥� which during the pandemic 鈥� have narrowed slightly. And between Hispanic and white students, the disparities are even smaller than before COVID.

Since 2019-20, the gap between Hispanic and white kindergartners needing 鈥渋ntensive鈥� support, for example, has fallen from 14 to 11 percentage points. And in third grade, the gap between Hispanic and white students on track dropped from 13 to 8 percentage points over the same time period. For Black students, it remains at 19 percentage points. 

Third grade, Lambert said, is when foundational skills 鈥渁re supposed to come together鈥� for students so they can learn from what they鈥檙e reading. 

That鈥檚 what Jean Hesson, elementary supervisor for the Sumner County Schools in Tennessee, hopes to see this spring when this year鈥檚 third graders take the state test. 

鈥淭hese are our COVID kids,鈥� she said. Even though the district has adopted a strong curriculum, 鈥渦ltimately you have 20 wildcards sitting in front of you. You have to know where your kids are.鈥�

As in districts statewide, Sumner teachers are now required to use phonics-based instruction. The district adopted the Wit and Wisdom curriculum for reading about history, science and other topics. It added the Fundations program for phonics and Geodes 鈥� a set of books that tie content and literacy skills together.

鈥淭he pictures don鈥檛 lend themselves to guessing words,鈥� Hesson said. Students 鈥渢ruly have to decode and use their skills.鈥� 

Almost 45% of last year鈥檚 third graders met or exceeded English language arts standards 鈥� an increase over pre-pandemic scores. Hesson is hoping that trend continues.

鈥淚f we had not had high-quality materials, teachers would have been teaching in a million different directions,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 can’t imagine the gaps that we would have created.鈥� 

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