The Georgia Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
WINNING THE WAR
for Reading Proficiency
Increase the percentage of Georgia
children reading at or above grade level
by NAEP standards by the end of third
grade from 35 to 60 percent by 2015.
In 2010, U.S. 15-year-olds ranked 14th in the world in reading on global
assessments. In the same year, just 32 percent of all U.S. fourth graders were
reading at grade level. This is not just a crisis for poor and minority students.
It is a crisis for all students. The consequences are serious. Children who are
not proficient readers by age eight are at a severe disadvantage going forward,
because the curriculum for their remaining years in school is designed based
on the assumption that the children who use it can read well. The resulting
social and economic costs last a lifetime.
This crisis for the nation is also a crisis for our home state of Georgia, where
currently only 35 percent of children are proficient readers by the time they
get to fourth grade, according to the National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP). Despite our best efforts, we have failed to move the needle
in recent years. Why have we failed? It isn’t for lack of work or effort. We have
failed because we have not been starting early enough, we have not been
focusing on the skills and competencies that matter most, and we have not
been actively changing the behaviors of the adults most responsible for the
development of children from birth to age eight.
The Georgia Campaign marshals multiple sectors working with
children to hone in on key transactions that make a difference.
Georgia Children Can Win
Participants in the Campaign use the
Second, we must teach children the
It is unacceptable that two-thirds of
science of read­ing to decide which high-
relationship between print, sound, and
eight- and nine-year-olds in Georgia are
leverage transactions in their work are
meaning. If children understand the
not reading at grade level. Unless we do
most likely to move the needle on the
interactions between letters and sounds,
something very different, systematically,
third-grade-reading goal.
they can learn to pronounce words,
across all sectors that touch children
recognize and use print, read extended
from birth to age eight and their families,
The Science Tells Us What to Do
text fluently, and communicate ideas and
we cannot change this reality. The Georgia
The science of reading is clear. According
experiences in writing. Key transactions
Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a
to nationally recognized experts that the
in this battle are evidence-based pho-
multi-sector effort to marshal the state’s
Campaign convened in Georgia, three
nemic awareness activities and reading
ground troops to do things differently for
crucial battles can make a difference in
books out loud.
our children, starting with rallying around
the fight to ensure that children are “read­
Third, we must cultivate adult capacity
a single, common goal: Increase the
ing to learn” by the end of third grade.
to respond to the needs of each indi-
percentage of Georgia children reading at
First, we must focus on oral language and
vidual child. If adults understand and
or above grade level by NAEP standards
vocabulary acquisition, starting at birth.
consistently engage in behaviors that
by the end of third grade from 35 to 60
According to the science, if children have
promote literacy and reading success for
percent by 2015.
multiple and varied opportunities and
children, then more children will be on
Three major sectors that have contact
experiences to hear and use language,
track to read proficiently by the end of
with children are engaged in this work—
their brains will be wired to learn how to
third grade. And if adults can discern the
public agencies and elected officials;
read. Since language experience begins
strengths and deficits of each child, they
nonprofits and community organiza-
at birth, crucial transactions in this battle
can tailor their behavior to help children
tions; and schools and school districts.
include talking and reading to infants.
close their individual gaps. Important
3
transactions in this battle include teach-
get demonstrably better at doing the
to students from one per week to four per
ing parents to talk to their infants and
work that matters most. Ultimately, they
week by June 30, 2011.”
children, training community workers to
develop new organizational habits that
Over the next four years, Campaign
do developmental screenings on infants,
enable them to keep their attention on
participants will track their commitments
and providing professional development
the most effective levers for change.
and actions with data, and they will
to teachers so they can understand the
Major stakeholders explicitly agree
publish their unfolding results daily and
needs of individual students and target
to fight the same war through the three
weekly on visible scoreboards. Every
instruction accordingly.
bat­tles and assume responsibility for
week, they will hold accountability
moving key indicators that fall within
sessions with their foot soldiers, who
How the Georgia Campaign Works
their work. They use science and best
are doing the work in the trenches, and
The Georgia Campaign talks up the
practice to help them identify the
they will check in regularly with Georgia
science, rallies the three sectors around
transactions that are likely to make the
Campaign staff to report results and
the common goal, and deploys a specific
biggest difference, and they lift up two
get coaching and support to help them
method­ology to help Campaign partners
or three easily measurable activities that
execute their work more effectively. For
working on the front lines to win the war.
they can rally their ground forces around
its part, the Campaign will track and
Using FranklinCovey’s 4 Disciplines of
to move the needle. And they establish
aggregate the data and results from all
Execution, the approach enables partici-
simple, achiev­able measures in the form
participants, watching closely to make
pants to identify the right work and get it
of “We will increase X to Y by WHEN.”
sure the selected transactions are actually
done well. By keeping the focus on exe­
For example, “We will increase the
contributing to moving the needle on the
cut­ing the key transactions, organizations
number of chapter books read out loud
battles and winning the war.
Increase the percentage of Georgia children
reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade
from 35 to 60 percent by 2015.
The Science of Reading:
What Everyone Should Know
•Language experience begins
at birth. Children’s brains are
developing before they speak.
•The brain needs language to
develop well.
•Every parent should know that
one of their most important
roles is giving children words.
•Between ages one and three is
the time of most rapid language
and vocabulary acquisition.
•Reading is highly dependent
on language proficiency, so
children need to hear lots
of words and have multiple
opportunities to use and experience them.
B AT T L E # 1
Oral Language &
Vocabulary
Reading books out loud,
talking to children
PUBLIC
AGENCIES &
ELECTED
OFFICIALS
B AT T L E # 2
WINNING
THE WAR
Print, Sound, &
Meaning
SCHOOLS &
SCHOOL
Evidence-based phonemic
awareness &
writing activities
DISTRICTS
NONPROFITS &
COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS
B AT T L E # 3
Adult
Responsiveness
Teaching parents &
community workers how to
work with children
5
60% of 4th graders read
at grade level by 2015
Children who start kindergarten with undetected developmental
The Campaign is a ground game in
school year. Students received tar­geted,
on track to learn to read. DHS supported
multiple communities with multiple pub-
proven instructional interventions to help
parent engagement and summer learning
lic and not-for-profit partners, all moving
them catch up and close the gap. Teach-
interventions for some of Georgia’s high-
high-leverage transactions.
ers in the pilot got intensive coaching
est risk children—those who are in foster
and support from a team of top language
care. The Georgia Campaign is docu­
Example: Summer Learning
and literacy educators put together by
menting results and best practices
In Savannah-Chatham County, multiple
Rollins Center for Teaching and Learning,
in the summer learning pilot, and this
sectors are fighting the war by focusing
and parents were being brought into the
model will be expanded to other sites
on the summer learning front for children
work via weekly workshops.
across the state over subsequent summers.
ages four to eight. First, the public school
Both the Georgia Department of Human
system piloted an evidence-based summer
Services (DHS) and the Department of
learning program for 123 children enter-
Early Care and Learning (DECAL) have
Example: Screening for Developmental
Disabilities
ing grades 1, 2, and 3 to help them
been active partners. Statewide, DECAL
Children who arrive in kindergarten with
gain and sustain the oral language, print,
ran a parallel summer learning program
undetected developmental disabilities
and sound skills they need to be on track
for over 900 pre-kindergarteners, roughly
and undiagnosed health conditions face
to “read to learn” by third grade.
125 of whom are in Savannah. DECAL’s
a daunting uphill climb on the path to
The key transaction in the summer
program targeted children who had been
reading proficiency. Focusing its fight on
learning program was identifying and
in Pre-K but needed further inter­vention,
the school readiness front, the Georgia
help­ing teachers to close learning deficits
as well as children who had never been
Department of Public Health (DPH) has
for individual students. These gaps were
enrolled in Pre-K but who needed to
decided that the most important work
identified through rigorous assessments
catch up in vocabulary, print, and sound
it can do right now is to increase the
administered to children at the end of the
skills if they were to enter kindergarten
number of infants and toddlers who get
6
screened and referred to appropriate
out of 18 total districts across the state,
reading as part of the YMCA’s work going
early interventions.
and each district has designated a
forward. YMCA leaders rallied around
DPH is concentrating on key transac-
Campaign liaison that monitors and
the science and decided that their effort
tions in the third battle—adult respon­sive­­
reports out work on the county front lines.
on the Georgia Campaign would focus
ness to the needs of individual children.
DPH is training more than 250 adults
on the crucial transaction of reading
The foot soldiers in its fight are pediatri­
to administer the ASQ in its first year of
out loud.
cians, family physicians, commu­nity
work in the Georgia Campaign.
The YMCA touches more than 8,000
work­ers, and child care providers. Core
youngsters a day. By working to increase
Campaign activities include training
Example: Reading to Children, Every Day
these adults to administer the nationally
One of the most important things adults
chil­dren every day inside of YMCA facili-
recog­nized Ages and Stages Question-
can do to help children become proficient
ties as well as at home, and by training
naire (ASQ), referring infants and toddlers
readers is to give them words in warm,
its program leaders and parents to read
to appropriate programs, and teaching
interactive, and positive environments.
and discuss stories effectively, this major
parents how to talk and read effectively
One of the best ways to do this is to read
nonprofit community organization is
to their children. The goal is to make sure
out loud to children and talk to them
fighting all three Campaign battles through
that all children get what they need so
about the story. When the YMCA of Metro
a single activity. The goal is to make
they can enter kindergarten on track to
Atlanta recently gathered its Pre-K
pro­gress on the school readiness front
learn to read.
and afterschool program leaders together,
by reading more books out loud to 1,500
DPH’s commitment is deep. It is pilot-
the organization’s CEO galvanized
children in the first year, increasing to
ing its grade-level-reading work in four
the group with his vision for grade-level
5,000 children a year by 2015.
the number of books read out loud to
disabilities face an uphill climb on the path to reading proficiency.
The National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
Goal: all children will read at or above grade level by the end of third grade
Put the message on everyone’s lips:
funder networks, journalists, researchers,
policy analysts, political leaders
Steer investments toward
on-the-ground programs that work
on three crucial fronts:
SCHOOL
READINESS
SUMMER
LEARNING
Develop and strengthen
campaigns in selected states
SCHOOL
ATTENDANCE
Georgia Campaign
75+ foundations have joined forces to galvanize the nation.
Join the Georgia Campaign
If your work has an impact on
The National Campaign for
Grade-Level Reading
networks and coalitions around
children from birth to age eight
this urgent issue, meeting with
and their families, you, too, can
The Georgia Campaign is part of
major stakeholders and putting the
join the Campaign, amplify the
a national Campaign for Grade-
third-grade-reading goal on every-
right work, and help win the war
Level Reading. In the national
one’s lips, steering investments
for grade-level reading in Georgia.
Campaign, more than 75 foun-
toward on-the-ground programs
Visit and “like” us on Facebook:
dations have joined forces to
that work, and developing and
Georgia Campaign for Grade-
galvanize the nation around the
strengthening Campaigns in
Level Reading! Contact us at
common goal that every child
selected states, including Georgia.
[email protected].
will read at grade level by the
You can learn more about
end of third grade. It is a 10-year
the national Campaign by visiting
Photos show DECAL summer
effort to close the gap in reading
www.gradelevelreading.net.
Pre-K, Atlanta; Sheltering Arms
achievement that separates
low-income children from their
more affluent peers.
The national Campaign focuses
on three fronts: school readiness,
summer learning, and school
attendance. Its daily work includes
building national and state
ELLRC at Dunbar Elementary
T HE C A M PA IG N FO R
GRADE-LEVEL READING
3 READING
SUCCESS
RD GRADE
MATTERS
School, Atlanta; YMCA GLR
training, Atlanta; Summer
Learning Pilot, Savannah; and
DPH ASQ screenings, Savannah.
Writing & Photography: © Tory Read
Design & Production: Kathryn Shagas Design