Reading proficiently no later than the end of grade 3
Every Minnesota school district is required to adopt a local literacy plan to ensure a systemic approach so that every child is reading at or above grade level no later than grade three as defined by Minnesota Statute 120B.12.
Reading proficiently no later than the end of grade 3 is a key academic success milestone in Anoka-Hennepin's Building Futures strategic plan. Third grade reading proficiency is important because it sets the stage for future learning and school success. Many steps are being taken to ensure grade three reading proficiency for our students.
The School Board has committed to a major strategic investment in expanded Pre-K and kindergarten programming. "Children who participate in high-quality aligned PK-3 systems perform better on third grade reading and math test scores" (Grant Makers for Education, 2006, p. 9). This is supported by the report, Assessing the Validity of Minnesota School Readiness Indicators (2011) which concluded that kindergartners who met the benchmarks in math and reading were twice as likely to exceed standards on the MCA in reading and math.