Dear Iowa parents,
Reading is essential to your
children’s success in school and in life. In Iowa, we are working to make sure
all children read well by the end of third grade, which is the pivotal time
when students go from learning to read to reading to learn.
Research shows that
children’s third-grade reading skills can predict their future success, and
proficient readers are more likely to graduate from high school and earn a good
living. However, nearly 1 in 4 Iowa third graders did not meet reading
expectations last year, according to state test results. We must help our
students improve their reading skills.
That’s why identifying
struggling students starting in kindergarten and providing intensive
intervention form the centerpiece of a 2012 state law to improve literacy.
Iowa’s new early warning system for literacy is helping schools across the
state screen students, monitor their progress, and provide reading
interventions in preschool through third grade.
Making sure parents or
guardians are notified when their children need help and providing resources
that families can use at home also are part of Iowa’s 2012 law. I want to be
sure you are aware of a state website where you can find those resources:
This website includes a link
to great materials provided by the Iowa Reading Research Center that will help
you understand and work with your child on specific literacy skills. You can
easily find activities based on your child’s grade level or reading skill on
the center’s Family Resources page:
It is critical for us to work
together early – especially in kindergarten, first and second grades – to make
sure students develop the skills they need to succeed in reading. Starting in
May 2017, children who are identified as substantially deficient in reading by
the end
of third grade must attend a
summer reading program, or they will be retained in third grade unless they
qualify for an exception. Prevention, not retention, is what everyone wants.
Giving Iowa students a
world-class education is critical in today’s knowledge-based economy, but
that’s not possible unless they can read. I look forward to working with you on
this historic effort to help Iowa children read by the end of third grade. Thank
you for helping us to meet this goal.
Respectfully,
Brad Buck, Ph.D.
Director, Iowa Department of
Education
