Louisiana K-3 reading scores jump 10 percent on state's first universal literacy screener

Louisiana students in grades K-3 improved their reading scores by 10 percentage points on the state's first universal literacy screener, according to a news release from the Louisiana Department of Education.

The percentage of K-3 students reading on grade level jumped from 44.6 percent on the beginning of year screener to 54.6 percent on the end of the year screener. This data is from 2023-24 school year and sets a new baseline that can be used to measure progress in future years, the news release continued.

"I'm encouraged by this growth," State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said. "It speaks to the commitment of Louisiana teachers to provide students with the basic building blocks of a quality education. The early elementary years are critical to a student's academic success and we now have a tool to better identify where support is needed whether the student, school or system level."

Overall, Louisiana saw a 10 percent increase in students reading on grade level in grades K-3 from beginning to end of year, according to the news release. Students in grades K-1 made significant gains, with 27 percent more of kindergarten students and 14 percent more of first grade students reading on grade level from the beginning of the year.

More detailed data is available in the LDOE's K-3 Spring Reading Report. K-3 literacy screener results by school system and school are also available online for spring 2024 and fall 2023.

All Louisiana public schools in grades K-3 are required to complete literacy screeners, the news release continued. These assessments, which increase in difficulty from beginning to end of year, provides teachers with real-time data to support students during their foundational years in school.

Louisiana has made considerable progress since launching its Louisiana Comprehensive Literacy Plan in 2021. The Education Recovery Scoreboard found that Louisiana is one of only three states where average reading achievement in 2023 was above 2019 levels. Louisiana's 4th graders were No. 1 in the nation for reading growth on the Nation's Report Card and economically disadvantaged 4th graders improved from 42nd to 11th overall for reading proficiency from 2019 to 2022.

According to the news release, Louisiana has also drawn national attention for its bold literacy policies. The non-profit organization ExcelinEd recognized the state as one of only three states taking action on all 18 of the organization's early literacy fundamental principles. These include a universal screener for K-3 students and science of reading training for all K-3 teachers.

"This marked the first year of full implementation for key literacy policies," Deputy Superintendent Jenna Chiasson said. "Not only are we poised for additional reading progress, but similar math policy shifts have been made to accelerate student outcomes."

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