By Hannah Schmid | Illinois Policy Institute
There is an early literacy crisis nationally, and students’ futures are at risk when they are already behind in fourth grade.
In Illinois, only one-third of fourth-grade students met or exceeded reading proficiency standards on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.1
Every two years, fourth and eighth grade students across 50 states and District of Columbia take the national reading exam. According to the Nation’s Report Card, it is “the only assessment that allows comparison of results from one state with another, or with results for the rest of the nation.”2
Illinois is one of 35 states and the DC in which just one-in-three (or fewer) fourth grade students met or exceeded reading standards in 2022.3
Despite a smaller decline in proficiency following the pandemic compared to some other states, Illinois’ early literacy rate is the same as it was 12 years ago, meaning increases in education spending have failed to improve the literacy rate.
Research has pinpointed third grade as a critical reading milestone because students need to have learned to read by then or they will not be able to absorb the rest of their educations.4
But there’s hope: Many states, including Illinois, have passed laws aimed at aligning reading instruction with evidence-based practices to improve the literacy and academic achievement of students. Still, Illinois could and should do more.
JUST 33% OF ILLINOIS FOURTH GRADERS ARE PROFICIENT IN READING
On the most recent national exam in 2022, Illinois ranked 17th in the U.S. for the percentage of fourth graders at or above proficiency in reading. The reality of that ranking was just 33.3% of Illinois fourth graders could read at or above grade level and 34 other states and DC also have fewer than 1 in 3 students reading proficiently.5
The national percentage was 32%, with 24 states seeing proficiency above that level. Illinois barely made it onto that list.
In the Midwest, eight of the 12 states had a higher percentage of public school fourth graders at or above reading proficiency than the national percentage: Ohio, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Minnesota. Two of those had a higher percentage than Illinois: Ohio at 35% and Nebraska at 34%.
The overall highest percentage reported was in Massachusetts, where 42.6% of fourth graders were at or above proficiency in reading. Following were Florida with 39% and Wyoming at 38.3%.
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