A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Read Well and Independently by the End of the Third Grade

There is a national consensus, based on well-established research, that children should read well and independently by the end of third grade to ensure that they succeed in school and that they don't drop out. The President has issued the AMERICA READS CHALLENGE asking everyone to pitch in and help reach this reading goal. Nationally, 40 percent of fourth graders do not meet the basic level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Individual students will be able to take the National Reading Test at grade 4 in 1999, at the discretion of their state or district, to make sure students have mastered this most basic of skills. Centrally critical to reading are activities that parents can undertake from the moment a child is born to stimulate children's healthy brain development and help with preliteracy skills.

• Checklist: If your school needs to improve, what actions are needed?
• U.S. Department of Education Resources
• Sources of Assistance and Information
• Who's Doing It

This site last updated on November 5, 1998 by [TPC]