General Assembly has a chance to close learning gaps with early reading initiative

An opportunity exists this legislative session to move Kentucky forward in ensuring every student can read at the highest level by the end of third grade. Senate Bill 115, the Read to Succeed Act, would improve upon Kentucky’s long-standing efforts in early literacy: including diagnostic assessments and screening, intervention and student supports, and family engagement – including at-home learning strategies. Moreover, as teaching matters most, the bill would strengthen both teacher preparation and professional development relative to early literacy, ensuring critical resources get to schools and students most in need of support.

The early years of education – kindergarten through third grade – build the foundation students need to do well in middle and high school and to later be successful in college and the workforce. Research shows that students who are not proficient in reading by the end of third grade are four times more likely to not complete high school. These outcomes are worse for those students who live in poverty, as well as for African American and Hispanic students.

Unfortunately, Kentucky is going the wrong way ensuring student success in the early years. From 2015 to 2019, the percentage of students proficient in reading by the end of third grade declined overall, as well as for most student groups – including black, Hispanic and low-income students. Over this same time period, Kentucky dropped from 13th to 26th nationally in the percentage of students scoring proficient or above in 4th grade reading on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) – the nation’s report card.

Now, as most of our students have been working remotely for almost one year – some of them without access to the internet – the need for robust supports for our students and teachers is critical to put our young learners back on the path to success.

Senate Bill 115 is designed to do just that. It represents a great opportunity to reduce widening achievement gaps and learning loss that has occurred since the onset of the pandemic.

A task force facilitated last year by the Prichard Committee and comprised of educators, college and university faculty, and legislative leaders studied the impact of teacher preparation and development on early literacy. These meetings resulted in a report entitled, Teaching Matters Most: Student Success in the Early Grades, available at prichardcommittee.org, which provides recommendations for both state and local action. Many of these recommendations are reflected in Senate Bill 115, including the creation of a literacy coaching program, which would provide job-embedded expert support and training for teachers in schools with the most need.

We do not yet know the extent of the learning loss caused by COVID. But we do know that Kentucky needed a course correction even before the pandemic. We urge the Kentucky General Assembly to support Senate Bill 115, the Read to Succeed Act, and to fund this crucial step in improving early literacy for our students. It is a small ask for a BIG return, and a step towards a big, bold future for our students and our state.

Sen. Stephen West is a Republican representing District 27 (Bourbon, Fleming, Harrison, Lewis, Mason, Nicholas, Robertson, and Rowan counties); Brigitte Blom Ramsey is President and CEO of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.