AV #291 - Knowing the READ Act is not enough, what is next step for Colorado?

 

               To: Policymakers who have supported the READ Act.

[You ask for one-page briefs. Here is mine. Backup information/evidence follows.]

 

   Colorado’s 2012 READ Act was an impressive first step. But our legislators did not realize what is now clear. To help students in their K-3 years was never going to be enough. Other states have expanded their focus, supporting struggling readers in grades 4 on up. It is time we do the same.

   Since 2013 we have spent over $300 million on the READ Act (of late, roughly $26 million a year) for professional development of K-3 teachers, “core reading programs,” and much more.[i]

   The bill acknowledged that it was “not a comprehensive solution,” but sought to assist districts “in setting a solid foundation for students’ academic success.” What is now clear is that a huge percentage of students in grades 4 on up do not have that “solid foundation” in reading. But the READ Act confines its work to our K-3 classrooms.[ii] Virtually nothing for grades 4-12.[iii]

   The 2024 READ Act Report to legislators went out of its way to stress where its funds do not go. “Schools do not receive per pupil funding for students who remain on a READ plan beyond 3rd grade. In 2022-2023, 51,294 students in grades 4-12 remained on a READ plan. [See Addendum A.] Schools do not receive READ Act funding for students in grades 4-12.” (p. 23)[iv]

 

   The result: only half of our K-12 students who struggle to read well are served by the READ Act. More than 50,000 students in grades 4-12 are on a READ Plan. (CDE’s explanation of who is on a READ Plan, here.[v]) And yet many of these students receive little help with their ongoing reading struggles. Most of their teachers lack the skills or time to address these challenges. 

READ Act funds: over $300 million			READ Act funds: $0	Addendum A shows that READ Plan numbers understate the challenge for our students in grades 4-12.                                     1) Evidence tells us over 55,000 are on a READ Plan. 2) CMAS/SAT literacy scores show even more students perform well below grade level.
	Grades K-3		Grades 4-12
	# eligible for SRD funding[vi]		# on a READ Plan.[vii]
2019	39,614		43,665
2020	41,003		N.A. COVID related
2021	41,003		43,164
2022	52,927		50,164
2023	50,190		51,294[viii]

 

   In short, in 2022-23 Colorado committed $26 million to serve the 50,190 K-3 students identified as Significantly Reading Deficient (SRD), but far less[ix] to support 51,294 students in grades 4-12 still struggling to read, still well behind. It makes no sense. This must change.

   No elementary or K-8 school principal would pour resources into the K-3 classrooms to help their boys and girls develop their reading skills - and then cut off additional funding for grades 4 and above. But with the READ Act, that, essentially, is what the state of Colorado is doing.

    The school says: These are still our students. How can we help? The state should do the same.

  In passing the READ Act in 2012, Colorado was a leader. Other states followed. Over 40 have plans to improve the reading skills of their students.[x] With one key difference. Many states have expanded their focus, supporting efforts in grades K-5, or K-8, even K-12. (Addendum B.)

   It is now our turn to learn from other states. And acknowledge what we did not see in 2012.

   The READ Act was never going to be enough. Our K-3 effort is only a first step.

 

Addendum A

 

 Evidence of thousands of students in grades 4-12 not proficient in reading 

 

Part 1

READ Plans – Data suggests over 55,000 students in grades 4-12 are on a READ Plan.

However, as READ Plan data is often suppressed, the actual number is likely much higher.

    In 2019 the annual READ Act reports to the legislature began to report the number of students on a READ Plan, in grades 4 and above. That year the round numbers indicated the “approximate number who remain on READ Plans beyond Third Grade.”

   In 2023 the annual reports included 9^th grade. 

   Data on grades 10-12 have been made available for years 2021 through 2023.

Grade	4	5	6	7	8	9	Subtotal  4-9	10	11	12	Subtotal 10-12**	Total
2018*	11,000	7,000	6,000	4,000	2,000		30,000					30,000
2019	13,310	10,770	7,552	5,691	4,017	2,325	43,665					43,665
2020	No data in 2021 report – COVID-19 related.
2021	N/A*	10,777	9,584	7,904	5,821	4,396	38,482	2,932	1,758	N.A.	4,690	43,172
2022	14,033	1,933*	8,395	7,914	6,762	4,813	43,850	3,324	2,252	738	6,314	50,164
2023	12,708	10,548	2,157*	6,676	6,371	5,152	43,612	3,676	2,524	1,411	7,611	51,223
								Incomplete. See below

*2021 - data on these students “unavailable due to pandemic-related suspension of the 2020 READ Act Collection.” 2022 and 2023 - limited by lack of collection of data when these students were in 3^rd grade in 2020.

Here is an estimate of what the total # of students would be with accurate figures for that class in 3^rd grade back in 2020:

another 12,000 in 2021 (grade 4) – would make total (43,172 + 12,000) = over 55,000 students

another 8,000 in 2022 (grade 5) – would make total (50,164 + 8,000) = over 58,000 students

another 5,000 in 2023 (grade 6) – would make total to (51,223 + 5,000) = over 56,000 students

 

**Data collection on high school students on a READ Plan is clearly incomplete.

Districts are not required to report READ Plan figures to the state; CDE provides data based on the information it receives. Upon my request, on Nov. 11, 2024, CDE sent me the data from its Spring READ Collection for 2022-23.

Two specific examples show why CDE’s “totals” are incomplete. It reported:

Grade	10	11	12	Total in grades 10-12
2023	3,676	2,524	1,411	7,611

 

1.     10^th grade - The 2023 data included data for 10^th grade from only 23 districts and the Charter School Institute. By my count, their total came to 3,576 students. And yet the figure CDE presents for all of the 10^th grade (as shown above) only totaled 3,676. A difference of 100 students. Data was suppressed for 10^th graders in over 150 districts.

It is obvious that if data were available from those 150-plus districts, the total number of 10^th graders on a READ Plan would far exceed 3,676.   

Data showing 11^th and 12^th graders on a READ Plan was suppressed for even more districts.

2.     12^th grade - The 2023 data for 12^th graders on a READ Plan came from a total of just 15 districts. By my count, their total came to 1,304 students. And yet the figure CDE presents for all of the 12^th grade—again, see above—only totaled 1,411. With data available from the other 160-plus districts, the total number of 12^th graders on a READ Plan would far exceed 1,411.

 

[I understand the state’s reasons for suppressing data when the student numbers are under 16. But I asked CDE why even a fairly large district would have its data suppressed. Its response:

“Districts are responsible for tracking students on READ plans through the upper grades and submitting those to the state during the collection. There is a report that districts can pull to inform them of the previous year’s 4^th-12^th graders that were marked as having a READ Plan (so that in the current year, they can update those students’ statuses); however, CDE does not require those students to [be] reported as part of that district’s current year submission because: 1. The student could have gone to a different district; or 2. The student could have left the state. This is one point at which CDE is reliant upon districts to provide accurate information.”] 

 

Part 2 

CMAS/PSAT/SAT - reading/writing – over 70,000 students well below Meets Expectations

Last year Another View presented the number of students scoring in the bottom category on our state assessments on literacy – Did Not Yet Meet Expectations - for the 2023 and 2024.

2023 - Report on Reading in Colorado – Grades 4-12, Feb. 2024

2024 - Another View #276 – “A Literacy Update,” Sept. 2024

So the 2025 data here should not be news. Presenting these three years together also shows 2025 results are not due to a sudden decline last spring. Post-Covid, the numbers are fairly consistent.

CMAS- ELA (English Language Arts) - reports student scores in five performance levels:[xi]

1.     Exceeded Expectations

2.     Met Expectations

3.     Approached Expectations

4.     Partially Met Expectations

5.     Did Not Yet Meet Expectations

PSAT/SAT – Reading and Writing - reports student scores in four categories:[xii]

Level 4 – Exceeded Expectations

Level 3 – Met Expectations

Level 2 – Approached Expectations

Level 1 – Did Not Yet Meet Expectations

 

[See below for an explanation of what “Did Not Yet Meet” means for these two assessments.]

 

 

State Assessments on Reading & Writing - 2023-2025

 

Percent and number of students, grades 4-11, scoring “Did Not Yet Meet Expectations”

 

# and % of students in grades 4-11 scoring in the lowest performance level, Did Not Yet Meet Expectations, on Colorado’s reading and writing assessments
	2023		2024		2025
CMAS ELA	%	# of students	%	# of students	%	# of students
Grade 4	14.5%	8,063	14.5%	8,078	14%	7,700
5	7.9%	4,494	8.2%	4,588	10.6%	6,012
6	10.3%	5,734	10.2%	5,565	11.2%	6,133
7	13.2%	7,126	12.8%	6,826	13.2%	7,026
8	16.5%	8,561	18.1%	9,110	17.6%	8,829
PSAT (Preliminary SAT) and SAT
9  -  PSAT	21.2%	12,391	18.2%	10,435	18.4%	10,353
10 - PSAT	22.1%	12,429	20.3%	11,562	21.8%	12,182
11 - SAT	28%	15,663	30.6%	17,326	26.9%	15,392
		74,461		73,429		73,627

 

 

What does it mean to score “Did Not Yet Meet Expectations”?

  1.     CMAS

From the Colorado Department of Education:

“CMAS - Performance levels and Policy Claims – Students who do not yet meet academic expectations for the concepts, skills, and practices embodied by the Colorado Academic Standards assessed at their grade level. They will need extensive academic support to engage successfully in further studies in this content area.” https://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/cmas_perflvl_plcclms

More details at CDE’s Performance Level Descriptors. https://coassessments.com/parentsandguardians/

2.     PSAT/SAT

From SAT Performance Levels and Cut Scores - Performance Level Descriptors

“Students performing at this level may minimally approach the academic expectations for the knowledge, skills and practices known to be most relevant for success in college and careers contained in the assessed high school Colorado Academic Standards.” https://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/sat-psat#satperfcutscore

 

 

Addendum B

Widening the lens

Other states extend efforts to improve reading – now K-5, or K-8, or even K-12

Years ago they copied us. Our turn, now, to adopt the broader plans from other states.

 

1.)    AI Overview – seven states – (August 2025) 

It appears that most states adopting the Science of Reading framework in their education policies are primarily focused on early elementary grades (K-3). However, some states extend the application of these principles…

Several states are actively implementing science of reading principles in 4th and 5th grade, with some mandating it through legislation. These states are working to ensure students in these grades receive evidence-based literacy instruction, often emphasizing phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Here's a breakdown of states and their approaches: 

States with Legislation or Policies:                                                                                    (Bold mine)

  

• Indiana:

Yes, Indiana mandates the science of reading for all grade levels, including 4th and 5th grade, starting with the 2024-2025 school year. This mandate is part of the Science of Reading Act, which requires schools to use literacy curriculums aligned with the science of reading. 

• Iowa:

Yes, Iowa applies the principles of the Science of Reading in 4th and 5th grade, particularly within the framework of its Iowa Department of Education's Early Literacy Implementation program and recent legislative changes. 

Evidence-based programming and instruction: Iowa law promotes effective evidence-based programming, instruction, and assessment practices to support students in becoming proficient readers, not only in the early grades but continuing into 4th and 5th grade as well.

• Virginia:

  Yes, the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA), which includes requirements for the science of reading, applies to 4th and 5th grade, as well as grades K-3 and 6-8. The VLA aims to ensure all students, including older students, receive effective literacy instruction based on scientific research. 

Elaboration: The VLA, enacted in 2022, focuses on improving reading skills for all students in Virginia. While it places a strong emphasis on early literacy (K-3), the act's provisions extend to older students in grades 4-8.

• Mississippi:

Yes, Mississippi applies the science of reading to 4th and 5th grade. While the state's focus on early literacy through the Literacy-Based Promotion Act primarily targets kindergarten through third grade, the broader implementation of science of reading principles extends to all grade levels, including 4th and 5th. The state's efforts to improve literacy rates, often referred to as the "Mississippi Miracle," involve comprehensive changes in teacher training, curriculum, and instructional methods, all grounded in the science of reading. 

 

• Florida:

Yes, Florida is applying the science of reading to 4th and 5th grade instruction. Florida's House Bill (HB) 7039 mandates that all reading instruction must be grounded in the science of reading, covering grades K-12. The bill also requires that credit or points for literacy/evidence-based instruction and interventions be grounded in the science of reading when renewing a professional certificate. 

·       Texas:

Yes, Texas applies the principles of the science of reading to 4th and 5th grade instruction, as part of a broader, statewide emphasis on evidence-based literacy instruction, according to the Texas Education Agency. 

Teacher Certification: All teacher candidates seeking certification to teach Pre-K through 6th grade, or in specific 4th-8th grade certifications (like English Language Arts and Reading or English Language Arts and Social Studies), must demonstrate proficiency in the science of teaching reading by passing the Science of Teaching Reading (STR) exam.

·       North Carolina:

Yes, while the Read to Achieve program initially focused heavily on ensuring reading proficiency by the end of 3rd grade, North Carolina's reading reforms based on the Science of Reading extend beyond the 3rd grade, aiming for ongoing improvement in literacy skills for older students as well. 

[Three examples]

Required Training: Legislation requires K-6 teachers to demonstrate proficiency in scientific reading instruction, and all other teachers and administrators to have "awareness" of it.

Addressing Foundational Skills: When adopting curricula for grades 4-12, schools are encouraged to choose intervention programs that address the foundational skills students need, regardless of their grade level.

Literacy at Home Resources: The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) offers resources for families and teachers to support literacy at home for students from pre-K through 5th grade.

In summary, while North Carolina's "Read to Achieve" program initially targeted third-grade proficiency, the subsequent implementation of the Science of Reading principles has broadened the focus to encompass reading instruction and support across all grade levels in the state's public schools. 

 

     2.)  Five other states - supporting schools and training teachers beyond third grade

                                                                                                                                                                (Bold mine) 

1.     Kentucky – K-5

 

“A New Story on Reading” - Passed with bipartisan support in 2022, the Read to Succeed Act represents the latest turn in Kentucky’s decades-long struggle to improve literacy. Kentucky Living, by Joel Sams and Buck Ryan, July 31, 2025.

   Kentucky’s Read to Succeed Act requires evidence-based instruction that is aligned to the science of reading, turning the tide on the discredited balanced literacy approach.

   The Department of Education opened Kentucky Reading Academies to provide training in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling for K-5 educators and administrators. Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, new teachers were required to pass a test to certify that they are proficient in the evidence-based science of reading methods before entering the classroom. 

   In Boone County, the state’s third-largest district, the changes have been stark. 

   “In our K-5, we’ve shifted instruction completely to structured literacy practices,” Tina Withorn says. [She is a reading consultant with Boone County Schools.] Instead of using leveled readers, which focus on words with similar sounds, students are using decodable readers—books with spelling patterns that have been explicitly taught. 

2.     Ohio – K-12 

“Science of reading enacted in Ohio’s new budget,” by MEGAN HENRY, Ohio Capital Journal, July 21, 2023.

  The science of reading provisions in the budget include $86 million for educator professional development, $64 million for curriculum and instructional materials and $18 million for literacy coaches. 

 Ohio students will learn how to read using the science of reading. 

 The state’s two-year, $191 billion budget that Gov. Mike DeWine signed earlier this month includes a chunk of money that goes toward implementing the science of reading, which is based on decades of research that shows how the human brain learns to read and incorporates phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

  K-5 teachers, English language teachers in grades 6-12, intervention specialists, English learner teachers, reading specialists and instructional coaches will receive $1,200 stipends. There will also be $400 stipends for middle and high schoolers teachers in other subject areas.   https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/07/21/science-of-reading-enacted-in-ohios-new-budget/Professional development

3.     Oregon – K-5

“State council proposes new literacy requirements for teacher training and licensing,” by ALEX BAUMHARDT, Oregon Capital Chronicle, July 1, 2024.

   Oregon teacher colleges and future and current teachers hoping to get hired at public elementary schools in the state could soon be required to demonstrate a much more robust understanding of how to teach reading and writing than is currently required.

   Gov. Tina Kotek’s Early Literacy Educator Preparation Council – made up of K-12 and staff from Oregon teacher colleges, as well as literacy experts, an indigenous language expert and bipartisan state legislators – shared its final recommendations last week for overhauling literacy training for elementary teachers in the state.

   The educator preparation council is focused on improving how teachers are trained. The recommendations would apply to people teaching kindergarten through fifth grade and to those pursuing a degree in elementary education and special education. https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/07/01/state-council-proposes-new-literacy-requirements-for-teacher-training-and-licensing/

4.     Tennessee – K-5 

“How This Teacher Prep Program and District Aligned on the Science of Reading,” by Sarah Schwartz, Education Week, Nov. 18, 2024.

   [From a conversation with several involved in a partnership between the local university and the Putnam County schools in Cookeville, Tenn.]

   “Amber Spears, an associate professor of literacy at Tennessee Tech, teaches literacy methods courses at undergraduate and graduate levels. 

    “‘We knew that we needed a stronger emphasis in foundational literacy, skills, pedagogy, and so, … this is the first semester we’re offering a 6-credit hour K-2 literacy methods course.

   “‘A year later in the program of study, during their senior year, the students will have a 3rd to 5th grade literacy-methods course where they’re still building on the knowledge that they gained their junior year, and then they’re starting to put all these pieces together. My hope is that within the next one to two years, we really see stronger content knowledge with our first-year teachers.”  https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/how-this-teacher-prep-program-and-district-aligned-on-the-science-of-reading/2024/11

5.     Rhode Island – K-12 

The Rhode Island Right to Read Act 2019 - https://ride.ri.gov/instruction-assessment/literacy/rhode-island-right-read-act

The Rhode Island Right to Read Act 2025 - Proficiency and Awareness Updates

https://ride.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur806/files/2025-05/Right%20to%20Read%20Act%20Proficiency%20and%20Awareness%20Updates%20April%202025.pdf 

   Per the RI Right to Read Act (R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-11.4-6(b)), by September 1, 2025, and each subsequent year, teachers employed in Rhode Island public schools must demonstrate proficiency or awareness in the knowledge and practices in the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy instruction. The distinction between the requirement for proficiency or awareness knowledge is dependent on work assignment and is outlined in the Right to Read Act Regulations (200- RICR-20-20-6) and RIDE’s Right to Read Act LEA Guidance Document. 

The Rhode Island Right to Read Act LEA Guidance Document

https://ride.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur806/files/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Instruction-and-Assessment-World-Class-Standards/Literacy/RightToReadAct/RightToReadAct-GuidanceDocument.Update.-8.2022_EDITS.pdf

Who is required to demonstrate proficiency and who is required to demonstrate awareness? 

Tables 1 & 2 delineate which teachers are required to demonstrate proficiency or awareness in accordance with The Right to Read Act expectations. Proficiency or Awareness training is determined by the educator's current role. Therefore, if an educator holds multiple teaching certificates, the requirement will be determined by their current role and the certificate in use. When an educator moves from an awareness-level work assignment to a proficiency-level assignment, they must complete an approved proficiency training upon reassignment. 

TABLE 1: Elementary Proficiency and Awareness Requirements by Current RoleK-5 Grade)
Proficiency	Awareness
Classroom Teacher	Art Teacher
Bilingual & Dual Language Teacher	Dance or Theater Teacher
Early Childhood Teacher	Health Teacher
English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Teacher	Library Media Studies Teacher
Reading Specialist/Coach	Mathematics Teacher
Special Education Teacher	Music Teacher
Physical Education Teacher
School Nurse Teacher
Technology Teacher
World Language Teacher

TABLE 2: Middle and High School Proficiency and Awareness Requirements by Current Role le)
Proficiency	Awareness
Bilingual & Dual Language Teacher	Art Teacher
English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Teacher	Business Education Teacher
Reading Specialist/Coach	Career & Technical Teacher
Special Education Teacher	Dance Teacher
	ELA/English Teacher
	Family Consumer Science Teacher
	Library Media Studies Teacher
	Mathematics Teacher
	Music Teacher
	Physical Education Teacher
	School Nurse Teacher
	Science Teacher
	Social Studies/History Teacher
	Technology Teacher
	Theater Teacher
	World Language Teacher

 

**

  

Endnotes

---

[i] Two accounts of Colorado’s annual spending on the READ Act.

1.     READ Act Data Reporting and Dashboard page – Colorado Department of Education

https://www.cde.state.co.us/code/readactdashboard

Financial Data

READ Act Intervention Funding

2019	$26,209,349
2020	$26,209,349
2021	$26,261,551
2022	$26,261,550
2023	$26,242,653

              *2023 - email from CDE – total came to $25,215,106.

2.     READ ACT PER-Pupil Funding - From Read Act reports 2018 to 2024

https://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/readactannuallegislativereports

		Per-Pupil Distribution of Funds	Total	Eligible Students
2018	For 2016-17	For the 2017-2018 school year, the total amount of funds available for distribution to districts was approximately $33 million. In the spring of 2017, districts reported 40,533 students as having a significant reading deficiency. The appropriated funds were distributed to 179 LEAs at a per-pupil amount of $813.98. (p. 14)	Approximately  $33 million	40,533
2019	For 2017-18	For the 2018-19 school year, the total amount of funds available for distribution to districts was approximately $33 million. In the spring of 2018, districts reported 39,614 students as having an SRD. … The per-pupil funding for 2018 was $834.79. (p. 16)	Approximately  33 million	39,614
2020	For 2018-19	In the 2018-19 school year, approximately $33 million of READ Act funds were available for distribution…  In the spring of 2019, districts reported 41,004 students identified as having SRDs. The per-pupil funding for the 2018-19 school year was $834.79. (p. 22)	Approximately  $33 million	41,004
	Beginning with the 2021 report, added Per Pupil Funding Distribution
			Total	Eligible Students
2021	For 2019-20	In the 2020-21 school year, the legislature allocated approximately $26 million of READ Act funds to LEPs…. [In light of] data collection [being] paused due to COVID-19… 2020-21 READ funds were calculated based on the SRD count reported during the 2018-19 school year (40,976). The per-pupil funding for the 2020-21 school year was $640.40. (pp.14-15)	26,209,350	41,003
2022	For 2020-21	In 2020-21 the legislature allocated approximately $26 million in READ Act funds to local education providers on a per-pupil basis for children identified with an SRD… the 2020-21 READ funds were calculated based on the SRD count reported during the 2018-19 school year (40,976). The per-pupil funding for the 2020-21 school year was $640.40. (p. 18)	26,209,350	41,003
2023	For 2021-22	In 2021-22 Colorado apportioned more than $22 million to support schools in implementing the READ Act. The per-pupil READ Act funding in the 2021-22 fiscal year was $496.31. (p. 22)	26,261,551	52,927
2024 -	For 2022-23	In 2022-23 the Colorado General Assembly apportioned more than $26 million to support schools in implementing the READ Act. The per-pupil READ Act funding in 2022-23 was $523.02 (p. 23)	26,261,551	50,190

 

[ii] In spite of numerous amendments to the original bill, the READ Act’s narrow focus on the K-3 years has not allowed it to evolve and serve the majority of students in the state, in grades 4-12.

Quote from 2024 Report:

   “The READ Act is the signature literacy legislation in Colorado that prioritizes early literacy by ensuring all students achieve early-grade reading proficiency for later academic success. In 2019, the Colorado General Assembly passed significant revisions to the READ Act in Senate Bill 19-199 … intended to increase teacher knowledge, support the use of scientifically and evidence-based curriculum, and ensure all READ Act funds are used in alignment with the READ Act.” (p. 6)  https://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/2024readactreport

   Alignment has meant all funds will go toward this K-3 focus. The law gave the Colorado Department of Education no flexibility on how to use of READ Act funds in ways that can serve the thousands of students in grades 4-12 who continue to struggle to read at grade level.

“No man’s land”

   The clear delineation of what the READ Act does and does not allow CDE to do was made clear to me in a conversation with the Angie Gallanos, the former director of Elementary Literacy and School Readiness at CDE. Asked about READ Plan data for grades 4-12, she said: “we don’t oversee that (4-12) world the way we do (K-3). What does it mean to be on a READ Plan in grades 4-12? It could mean anything.” After 3^rd grade, she told me, “it’s no man’s land.”

   See Addendum A – Part 1 - READ Plan data gathered and reported to the public by CDE. The comment from Gallanos, above, helps explain why data presented by CDE is incomplete.

[iii] Footnote ii, above, supports this assertion. In addition, for several years the Independent Evaluation of the Colorado READ Act has pointed to this lack of support after third grade. These evaluations have also found no change in CDE policy, which limits its READ Act work to grades K-3. 

Here are excerpts from the Independent Evaluation from 2022, 2023, and 2024.

From the Year 2 Independent Evaluation (June 2022)

From Executive Summary

LEPs [Local Education Providers] and schools report the need for additional resources to support continued interventions in grades 4-12 for students who do not exit their READ Plans by end of grade three since these students continue to require additional assistance and support in order to reach grade level proficiency. (p. 6)

From Identifying and Supporting Students with SRDs

   … if students are not exited from their READ Plans by the end of third grade, educators reported that, since READ funding is no longer provided starting in fourth grade, schools are often not able to provide the added interventions and supports needed to help the student reach proficiency and exit their plan. (p. 75) 

https://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/year2evaluationsummaryreport

From the Year 3 Independent Evaluation (June 2023)

Challenges Related to Reading Approach

Although some schools reported that the Advisory List was useful and impactful in the adoption of evidence-based materials, they also reported challenges in the lack of inclusion of 4th- and 5th-grade materials, which would foster alignment across elementary schools. (p. 18)

Funding

Alongside these funding concerns, site visit participants also discussed the need for additional staffing (e.g., reading interventionists), additional approved supplemental instructional program …  Some participants also cited difficulties in addressing the needs of 4th and 5th-grade students with reading challenges. They advocated for additional guidance to help these groups and/or for the READ Act to be extended to higher grade levels. (pp. 58-59) http://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/readactperpupilsummaryreportyear3

From the Year 4 Independent Evaluation

From the Conclusion

Schools and LEPs reported that funding was not sufficient to fully implement the READ Act and expressed a need for additional staff, instructional programs and materials, and supports for 4th-and 5th-grade students with reading challenges. Site visit and LEP inventory participants reported using additional funding streams, including general school funds, ESSER funds, and Title I funds to implement READ Act requirements.

Recommendation: Consider providing additional per-pupil funding or flexibility in per-pupil funding to support students with reading challenges in upper elementary grades. In addition to funding, the 45-hour training requirement could also be extended to 4th- and 5th-grade teachers. (p.129)   https://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/readactperpupilsummaryreportyear4

[iv] Colorado READ Act Report 2024 - https://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/2024readactreport

[v] Colorado Department of Education

Frequently Asked Questions about READ Plans for Grades 4-12

Do students in grades 4-12 need a READ plan? 

Yes, but only if the student was identified as having a significant reading deficiency (SRD) and was placed on a READ plan prior to entering fourth grade. C.R.S 22-7-1206 (6) states, "Each local education provider shall ensure that a teacher continues to revise and implement a student's READ plan until the student attains reading competency, regardless of the student's grade level and regardless of whether the student was enrolled with the local education provider when the READ plan was originally created or the student transferred enrollment to the local education provider after the READ plan was created."

https://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/frequently-asked-question-about-read-plans-for-grades-4-12

[vi] Data from annual READ Act Reports to legislature. 2019-2024 - https://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/readactannuallegislativereports 

[vii] Data of grades 4-9 from READ Act Reports to legislature. High school data from the Colorado Department of Education.

[viii] 51,294 is the state’s total in the Colorado READ Act Report 2024 (p. 23). My own total—51,223 (Addendum A), is based on my own math, adding the state’s figures in that report for grades 4-9 and the figures the state provided to me for grades 10- 12.

[ix] I have no dollar figures for CDE's training and services for schools and teachers serving grades 4 on up. I received a list of several trainings facilitated by CDE’s Office of Standards and Instructional Support.

-CAS/IB Alignment

-Integrating SS & RWC in the Elementary Classroom

-RWC Standards Literacy and Rigorous Learning Design

-Designing Standards-Based, Rigorous Learning Targets

-Content Literacy Matters: The Science of Reading in the Secondary Classroom

-Problem of Practice: Strengthening Adolescent Literacy Through Collaborative Action 

    I have also learned of the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant. CDE tells me this grant can “provide professional development in reading to grade 4-5 teachers as well as any grades that they targeted within [a] CLSD application.” This year the Colorado Department of Education allocated $835,000 for this professional development directed at elementary grades and another $835,000 to secondary grades.

     No doubt there is much more CDE does to support literacy efforts for grades 4-12.

   It does not alter my larger point. There is a huge difference between the state’s commitment in time and resources to address the struggles of roughly 50,000 K-3 students each year, as part of the READ Act, compared to what is being done to meet the needs of an even greater number of students struggling to read anywhere close to grade level in grades 4-12.

   Students take social studies, science, and math classes that assume a certain level of reading proficiency; their difficulty getting through these texts creates enormous frustration. Few middle and high teachers have the know-how or time to address the specific reading challenges of each of their students on a READ Plan. Furthermore, the limited number of reading interventionists who have these skills makes it impossible to reach all these students. 

   A student’s failure to comprehend the assigned reading can become a central reason for their academic struggles, for their lack of motivation and poor attendance, and in some cases, it seems fair to imagine, for their decision to drop out of school altogether.

[x]  “According to an Education Week analysis, 40 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws or implemented new policies related to evidence-based reading instruction since 2013.” “Which states have passed ‘Science of Reading’ Laws? What’s in them?” Education Week, July 20, 2022 - Updated, Nov. 5, 2024, https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/which-states-have-passed-science-of-reading-laws-whats-in-them/2022/07 

[xi] CDE - CMAS - Performance Levels and Policy Claims, https://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/cmas_perflvl_plcclms 

[xii] CDE - SAT Performance Levels and Cut Scores,  https://www.cde.state.co.us/assessment/sat-psat#satperfcutscore