WAYNE-WESTLAND, Mich. – In Michigan, third-grade students are struggling with literacy, which is concerning since this grade is considered a critical year for students. Why?

It can determine just how well they do for the rest of their academic lives. According to the Michigan Department of Education, results show scores dropped in recent years among this group.

 

THIRD-GRADE STUDENTS SCORED PROFICIENCY OR ABOVE

2023-2024 39.6%

2022-2023 40.9%

2021-2022 41.6%

2020-2021 42.8%

2019-2020 N/A

2018-2019 45.1%

 

So, what’s being done to help them overcome challenges? At Wayne-Westland Community Schools, it’s finding success stories in helping students soar in reading.

...

Experts say we’re seeing the effects of the pandemic learning loss playing in real-time.

“We have people that are basically not literate or don’t have basic literacy, and it’s, and it’s a pretty large percentage of the state of Michigan who isn’t even at basic, certainly not at proficient,” said Pamela Davis-Kean, professor of psychology and director of the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan.

To be clear, experts caution reading challenges always loomed over third grade students’ performances.

In fact, Wayne-Westland Community Schools launched close to 20 literacy coaches assigned to schools about a decade ago.

Read the full article on Click on Detroit.