Third Grade Literacy Policies: Identification, Intervention, Retention

Introduction S tudents not reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade are four times more likely than proficient readers to drop out of high school. 1 This fact and other recent research on the importance of early literacy skills have culminated in an intense focus on improving 3rd-grade reading proficiency. The challenges of improving literacy are, in turn, causing more state leaders to confront the difficult question: Should students who do not have the requisite knowledge and reading skills to succeed in the next grade be retained? The growing number of state initiatives aimed at addressing 3rd-grade reading proficiency include three elements: 1) Early identification of reading difficulties 2) Interventions that occur as close to the point of need as possible 3) Retention. While states such as Florida and major cities such as New York City have enacted so-called " promotion gates " in the past decade, it is the less-contentious aspects of their policies — early assessments to identify reading difficulties and the provision of " whatever-it-takes " interventions for struggling students — that are the most effective drivers of achievement. That said, proponents of retention credit the threat of retention as the mechanism that helps to ensure that reading difficulties are identified and interventions do occur. Research asserting that birth to age 5 are critical years for brain development is also encouraging a growing number of state leaders to target literacy development in the earliest years as well as the early grades. We address here the strategy that is causing the most angst across the states: retention. We also stress the importance of and need for early identification and intervention strategies. To illustrate, we describe the experiences of both Florida and New York City. Finally, we outline strategies to help ensure that a far greater number of young readers leave the early grades at a proficient level of knowledge and skills. Research is mixed on the efficacy of grade retention, mirroring the mixed opinions of educators and parents. While some researchers have found that retained students " can significantly improve their grade-level skills during their repeated year, " others have found that less than half of retained students meet promotion standards after attending summer school and repeating a grade. Some research points to other negative effects, including a greater likelihood of bullying and victim behavior, or dropping out of high school. On the other hand, promoting students …