A statewide advocacy group is sounding the alarm over low teen literacy rates in New York state.
About one in three eighth graders in New York state are below a basic reading level for their grade, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress.
The organization EdTrust-New York is calling on lawmakers to expand policies focused on improving literacy rates to include teens as well as elementary students in order to change that.
“There's been a lot less attention focused on the reading needs of older students,” EdTrust-NY Deputy Director Jeff Smink said. “If you're an eighth grader struggling to read, it's going to impact your entire school experience, whether that's your math class, your English class, your social studies class, you're not going to be able to follow the work.”
There is already state policy — like Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “Back to Basics” plan that was part of the 2024 state budget — aimed at improving reading outcomes for elementary students.
That plan directs the state education department to provide public school districts with best practices guidelines for evidenced-based reading instruction for pre-K through third grade. Those schools in turn must verify that they are in alignment with those guidelines starting this September.
But Smink said special attention needs to be given to older students who are struggling.
"It can lead to feelings of isolation. It can lead to feelings of shame. It can lead to feeling that you're not smart enough for school," Smink said. “So, that has huge implications on whether or not students stay in school, whether they graduate, whether they are able to secure jobs when they finish school."
One proposed solution that the group recommends is to provide professional development for teachers.
“A lot of those educators were never trained in how to either teach reading or support struggling readers,” he said. “So we need to do a lot more to support current educators, you know, particularly in middle and high school to help struggling readers.”
However, the U.S. Department of Education recently announced that it is withholding about $500 million from public schools in New York state that already had been allocated. That includes funding for teacher training and adult literacy programming.
According to the New York State School Boards Association, the average reading score among 13-year-olds across the state is at a 40-year low.
