Reading Timeline: Not a Moment, But a Process

Experts stress that learning to read and write is not an act, but many steps on a developmental continuum. Preschool and primary school teachers can assess individual children’s progress by setting realistic goals and allowing for individual variations. It is appropriate to expect most children to achieve "early reading" by age 7.

Children with learning disabilities, limited English proficiency, or other learning challenges also need high, but achievable goals. These goals should be established by teachers, families, and specialists working together.

Phase 1: Preschool
Awareness and Exploration
Children explore their environment, building foundations for learning to read and write.

Phase 2: Kindergarten
Experimental Reading and Writing
Children develop the basic concepts of print and begin to experiment with reading and writing.

Phase 3: First Grade
Early Reading and Writing
Children read simple stories and write about a meaningful topic.

Phase 4: Second Grade
Transitional Reading and Writing
Children begin to read more fluently and write using simple and more complex sentences.

Phase 5: Third Grade
Independent and Productive Reading and Writing
Children continue to refine reading and writing for different uses and audiences.

Phase 6: Fourth Grade and Up
Advanced Reading

Source: Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children—A Joint Position Statement of the International Reading Association and The National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1998
(800) 424-2460
Full text at: www.naeyc.org/public_affairs/ pubaff_index.htm