Last September, Savannah-Chatham County public schools tried out an intensive new tutoring program to help struggling readers catch up before state reading tests at the end of 3rd grade. By winter, ...

Diamond, a third grader in Jefferson Parish, does a timed reading exercise with her summer school teacher, Emily Gurtner. Emily Gurtner sits at a small table in the corner of her third-grade classroom ...

As states pass laws requiring schools to follow the “science of reading,” one aspect of these policies has stirred up particular controversy: Holding back struggling readers who don’t reach ...

Reading scores are improving in Alabama, but thousands of third graders could still be held back this year if they can’t catch up over the summer. When adjusted to current benchmarks, about 88% of ...

A third grade reading and retention law took effect for Tennessee public school children in 2023. Students must meet a state reading benchmark or take extra steps to avoid being held back. Three full ...

Michigan's third graders have struggled to pass the state's annual assessment every spring, with the proportion of students passing the test declining nearly every year since the test's inception. In ...