Percentage of Alabama 3rd Graders Reading at Grade Level Drops Slightly

The percentage of Alabama third graders reading on grade level decreased 2% between 2022 and 2023, according to Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) scores released by the Alabama State Department of Education on Thursday.

76% of Alabama third graders read on third-grade level this year, compared with 78% last year. In 2021, 77% of third graders read on grade level.

State Superintendent Eric Mackey said there are reasons that the numbers might not have changed as they hoped. The test has changed since last year to focus more on the science of reading, so the test includes components that were not previously tested.

The superintendent also suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic might have had an effect. This year鈥檚 third graders were kindergarteners in the 2019-20 school year. After the first COVID-19 case in Alabama was confirmed that March, Alabama schools went to distance learning about two months before classes ended.

鈥淥bviously, it鈥檚 not going the direction we want,鈥� he said.

Alabama rose in rankings for the National Assessment of Education Progress, or 鈥淭he Nation鈥檚 Report Card,鈥� after many states lost ground due to the pandemic. However, the state still lags the country. 28% of Alabama fourth graders were deemed proficient or higher on the NAEP in comparison to the national average of 32%.

Second graders saw a smaller year-to-year decline. In 2023, 79% of second graders read at grade level, compared to 80% in 2022. In 2021, 78% of second graders read on grade level.

The third graders who make up these numbers are not going to be retained under the Literacy Act. Retention begins this upcoming school year.

Mackey said they are also planning to evaluate which textbooks were used in classrooms. He also said that some classrooms did not get textbooks until last November.

Bonnie Short, Alabama Reading Initiative director, said that the districts that had the greatest growth had used the LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training. is a professional training course that offers instruction for teaching the science of reading.

Not all LETRS trained districts did well, however, so she stressed that it was about implementation. She said that many districts with growth had varied instructional programming.

鈥淲hat was not varied was professional learning,鈥� she said.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com. Follow Alabama Reflector on and .

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                <h2>Percentage of Alabama 3rd Graders Reading at Grade Level Drops Slightly</h2>

                <h2>Students reading on grade level decreased 2%.</h2>

                <p class="sans">By <a rel="author" href="/contributor/704692/">Jemma Stephenson</a></p>

                <img src="/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/alabama-reading-grade-level.jpg">

                <p>This story first appeared at <a href="/">麻豆精品</a>, a nonprofit news site covering education. <a href="/about/newsletters/?utm_source=republish-button&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=republish">Sign up for free newsletters from 麻豆精品</a> to get more like this in your inbox.</p>
                <p>The percentage of Alabama third graders reading on grade level decreased 2% between 2022 and 2023, according to Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) scores released by the Alabama State Department of Education on Thursday.</p>
<p>76% of Alabama third graders read on third-grade level this year, compared with 78% last year.  In 2021, 77% of third graders read on grade level.</p>
<p>State Superintendent Eric Mackey said there are reasons that the numbers might not have changed as they hoped. The test has changed since last year to focus more on the science of reading, so the test includes components that were not previously tested.</p>

<p><span style="color: initial;">The superintendent also suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic might have had an effect. This year鈥檚 third graders were kindergarteners in the 2019-20 school year. After the first COVID-19 case in Alabama was confirmed that March, Alabama schools went to distance learning about two months before classes ended.</span></p>
<p><iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/4j0ax/1/" width="100%" height="500" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>鈥淥bviously, it鈥檚 not going the direction we want,鈥� he said.</p>
<p>Alabama rose in rankings for the National Assessment of Education Progress, or 鈥淭he Nation鈥檚 Report Card,鈥� after many states lost ground due to the pandemic. However, the state still lags the country. 28% of Alabama fourth graders were deemed proficient or higher on the NAEP in comparison to the national average of 32%.</p>
<p>Second graders saw a smaller year-to-year decline. In 2023, 79% of second graders read at grade level, compared to 80% in 2022. In 2021, 78% of second graders read on grade level.</p>
<p>The third graders who make up these numbers are not going to be retained under the Literacy Act. Retention begins this upcoming school year.</p>
<p>Mackey said they are also planning to evaluate which textbooks were used in classrooms. He also said that some classrooms did not get textbooks until last November.</p>
<p>Bonnie Short, Alabama Reading Initiative director, said that the districts that had the greatest growth had used the LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training.  is a professional training course that offers instruction for teaching the science of reading.</p>
<p>Not all LETRS trained districts did well, however, so she stressed that it was about implementation. She said that many districts with growth had varied instructional programming.</p>
<p>鈥淲hat was not varied was professional learning,鈥� she said.</p>
<p><em> is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: <a href="mailto:info@alabamareflector.com">info@alabamareflector.com</a>. Follow Alabama Reflector on  and .</em></p>

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