Report Targets 3rd-Grade Reading as Crucial Turning Point

Eighty-five percent of poor 4th graders in predominantly low-income schools are failing to reach “proficient” levels in reading on federal tests, according to a study issued by a national foundation as it gears up to lead a 10-year effort to raise 3rd graders’ reading proficiency.

“The evidence is clear that those students who do not read well have a very tough time succeeding in school and graduating from high schools and going on to successful careers and lives,” said Ralph R.

Smith, the executive vice president of the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, which released the report last month. “The Casey Foundation is putting a stake in the ground on grade-level reading by the end...