The Lead: Why Johnny Can’t Read
Reading proficiency in elementary schools is one of the biggest ticking timebombs in this country. According to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the national average for 4th-grade proficiency is a dismal 31%. Pennsylvania isn't much better at 32.9%. Yes, you read that right. Two-thirds of our kids managed to limbo under the reading proficiency bar.
I dug into the latest Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) data for our four largest local districts, and the results, to put it mildly, are grim:
Stroudsburg: 56%
Pocono Mountain: 50%
East Stroudsburg: 46%
Pleasant Valley: 42%
On the surface, roughly half of our students being proficient might not sound like a total disaster, but there’s a catch. Pennsylvania, a state that measures its students on an inflated curve, uses the PSSA test, which many experts argue has a lower bar than the national NAEP standards. If we held our local students to the national 4th-grade standard, scores would likely plummet to the low 30s. Idiocracy, here we come.
The COVID Elephant in the Room
Now, the "fair" argument is that the pandemic set everyone back. This is more than a lawnmower parent making excuses for their kid. Pennsylvania’s students are still about half a grade level behind where they were in 2019. But here is the hard truth: COVID didn't create this fire; it just added a gallon of gas to the inferno. National reading scores have been sliding down like a Camelback snowtube for nearly a decade. We can’t blame a 2020 virus for a 2010 curriculum problem.
The Root of the Problem
Most experts agree the root of the problem is "Balanced Literacy," a failed approach that teaches kids to guess words using pictures or context clues rather than decoding them. Remember when we would “sound out the words?” Instead, we’re teaching our kids to read with picture books and guessing games.
The Mississippi Miracle vs. The PA Stall
Mississippi recognized this over a decade ago. In 2013, they were ranked 49th in the nation for 4th-grade reading. They banned the guessing games and pivoted to the "Science of Reading"—evidence-based instruction rooted in explicit phonics. They also implemented the controversial "Third Grade Gate": if Johnny can’t read by the end of 3rd grade, he doesn’t move on to 4th. The result? They skyrocketed from 49th to 9th in the nation.
Act 135: A Good Start
Moving with the urgency of a teenager asked to empty the dishwasher, Pennsylvania is finally following suit with Act 135, more than a decade after Mississippi. This law finally mandates "Structured Literacy," which bans the "three-cueing" (guessing) method and requires universal screening for K-3 students.
But here’s the kicker—the law doesn't fully kick in until the 2027-2028 school year. Even worse, Pennsylvania is completely ducking the "Third Grade Gate" question. In PA, Johnny can keep skipping through elementary school without the basic reading skills necessary.
We are seeing the results of that "social promotion" right now. At a recent Pleasant Valley workshop, teachers reported middle schoolers arriving seven grade levels behind—meaning we have 8th graders who are effectively reading at a 1st-grade level. While Mississippi jumped 40 spots in the rankings to break into the Top 10, Pennsylvania is currently languishing at #26. I’d give that a C+, hardly in an honors class, particularly given all the resources in the state.
The Bottom Line
Are we really okay with waiting until 2027 for a state law to "kick in" while half of our local kids can't read their own textbooks? Our teachers are sounding the alarm now. I never thought I’d say this, but maybe it's time we see if we can be a little more like Mississippi.
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