NC business leaders: To help kids read - follow the science, then fund it

One of the biggest challenges our state faces is improving third-grade reading proficiency. Today, in fact, the need is even more urgent than it was before the pandemic. Recent data revealed that COVID-19 learning losses have adversely impacted our youngest students the hardest –particularly our students of color and those from low-income families.

In 2019, only 36% of fourth-grade students in North Carolina performed at or above the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) proficiency level. Students of color and those from low-income families had an even lower probability of achieving proficiency. And this was before a projected COVID-19 learning loss.

When the pandemic began, experts predicted that learning loss would be greatest among low-income, Black and Hispanic students, estimating learning losses of up to 10 to 12 months. Recent data collected from this year’s early literacy assessments indicated these dire predictions were accurate.

Nationally, compared to this time last year, the percentage of students “on track” for reading proficiency decreased from 55% to only 37% for kindergarten students, and from 58% to 43% for first-grade students. These decreases were particularly pronounced for Black and Hispanic students.

North Carolina is seeing the same trends.

Unfortunately, data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released earlier this year showed that 75% of our third graders were not reading proficiently. Transitioning in the third grade from learning to read to, instead, reading to learn is a significant milestone. According to the Business Roundtable Report, Why Reading Matters And What To Do About It, a student who is proficient in reading by the end of the third grade is three times more likely to graduate from high school and enter postsecondary education or training. Conversely, a student who does not achieve proficiency by that time is four times more likely to drop out of high school.

We have a real opportunity today to help our students catch up from pandemic learning loss by following the science.

Research confirms a child must be taught five specific skills in a sequenced manner, known as the “science of reading,” to “decode” the English language. This goes far beyond just “phonics” when teaching a child to read. The five components that constitute the “science of reading” include phonemes (how different letters create different sound), phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

Today, this extensive research is not consistently applied across teacher preparation programs, elementary school curricula or professional development courses. Thankfully, our General Assembly and Gov. Roy Cooper, with support from the Department of Public Instruction and our institutions of higher education, have demonstrated their commitment to the science of reading with the passage of NC Senate Bill 387, which allows for the implementation of statewide strategies that support early literacy and revisions to our Read to Achieve legislation.

We are making progress, but there is more work to be done.

The General Assembly’s appropriation of $12 million from federal COVID-19 relief funds to train teachers, principals and literacy mentors on the science of reading is a great start. We are moving in the right direction, but this multi-year, broad and immersive approach will require more. To do this right, we need a commitment from the General Assembly and Governor Cooper to allocate significant state or federal funds to this effort, starting with this year’s biennial budget.

Along with countless others in the North Carolina business community, we fully support a multi-pronged approach, grounded in strong teacher preparation, professional development training and early literacy mentorship. Let’s support our North Carolina students and help them make great strides toward their futures by following the science to foster strong literacy.

This story was originally published July 5, 2021 at 12:00 AM.