This brief provides information about student literacy performance within and across grade levels to see when most students are classified as at risk, whether or not this differs by grade level, and if students tend to stay at risk over time. It draws from data collected and analyzed in the report A First Look at Early Literacy Performance in Massachusetts: Results of Initial Analysis Based on State Grantee Literacy Screening Assessments, which provides the first-ever large-scale information about early literacy performance and progress of students in grades K–3 in Massachusetts.

Key Insights

  • Many students are not meeting literacy benchmarks in grades K–3. However, schools can change the trajectory of student literacy performance, and getting students on track within the school year most often keeps them on track—especially in earlier grades.
  • Over half of students who start the year classified as at risk remain so at the end of the year. However, across grades, fewer students were classified as at risk of reading difficulty at the end of the year than at the beginning. Those who are on track by mid-year are more likely to stay on track at end of year.
  • There was a greater decrease in percentage of students classified as at risk at earlier grades than later grades. More students at higher grade levels stay at risk from the beginning to the end of year, and more stay at risk as across grades and years. Early interventions are crucial, and interventions for older students may need to be adjusted in kind and intensity.

Read more in the full report

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