TPPF’s Cameron Abrams testifies before the Texas House Public Education Committee on improving early literacy in Texas.
Abrams outlines Texas’ ongoing early literacy crisis, noting that fourth-grade reading scores have stagnated for over a decade and that nearly half of Texas fourth graders read below the NAEP basic level. He points to Mississippi’s dramatic rise in national reading rankings as proof that meaningful reform is possible through strong policy implementation and accountability.
He argues that Texas must adopt a firm third-grade retention standard for students who are not reading at grade level, emphasizing that third grade is the critical turning point in the learning process.