East Twin Cities

A nationwide assessment found that Minnesota fourth-grade students scored above average when it comes to reading, which a high-ranking lawmaker attributes to an emphasis on early learning.

“We have been laser-focused early,” State Sen. Carla Nelson, chairwoman of the Education Committee, told East Twin Cities. “We started with the Read Well by Third Grade Initiative, which really is a focus on how our students are doing with reading by the end of third grade.”

The National Assessment of Educational Progress 2019 report found that fourth-grade students scored 222 on the standardized reading test, which ranked 12th nationwide, including the District of Columbia.

Though the assessment is based on fourth-grade performance, the senator, who is an experienced educator, linked the ranking to understanding the importance of learning to read in the earlier grades.

“We do know there is a critical time period where every student needs to have the skills to be that proficient reader,” she said.

However, Nelson said based on the data, Minnesota is in a “reading crisis.”

“The percentage of Minnesota third-graders who are proficient readers is 55 percent and I find that alarming,” she said, adding that 45 percent of students are below the proficient benchmark.

The senator outlined steps the state is taking to improve reading such as keeping parents informed about their child’s performance, providing resources to schools to help the young learners and training for educators.

One specific area, she said, was screening students to determine reasons why learners were struggling to read.

“We added screening to see if there was a particular reading concern, such as dyslexia,” Nelson said. “These students can be great learners if taught in a specific way.”

The measures taken might be working. The national assessment found that 69 percent of fourth-graders were proficient readers in 2019.

Minnesota’s ranking tied with Nebraska, South Dakota, Ohio, Vermont, Indiana and Montana. The Top five states were Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Florida.