RALEIGH, NC (WITN) – K-3 students in North Carolina are making significant progress and closing the achievement gap in literacy skills, according to new data presented to the State Board of Education.

This comes after reading science reaches full implementation in North Carolina.

According to North Carolina Public Schools, year-to-date data from the DIBELS 8 (Dynamic Indicators of Early Basic Literacy Skills) assessment shows that North Carolina students are outperforming their peers nationally in grades 1-3, while grades K-3 continue to show improvement.

In addition, the achievement gap narrows after North Carolina public schools say the percentage of black and American Indian/Alaskan Native students in North Carolina who are on track in reading exceeded the national standard for the first time.

“In North Carolina, the achievement gap has narrowed between those groups and their white and Asian peers,” NC Public Schools says.

According to beginning-of-the-year data from the last three years, while North Carolina kindergarten students lag behind others when they start school, they rise above their peers after a year or two of being taught newly implemented methods based on the science of reading.

NC Public Schools says that as of 2021-22, more than 44,000 teachers, administrators and coaches have mastered the K-5 or Early Childhood Language Essentials professional development course for teachers of reading and spelling, or LETRS®, which equates to more than 6, 5 million hours of professional development.

“LETRS equips K-3 teachers with instructional tools based on decades of literacy research informed by the science of reading,” NC Public Schools said. “The final cohort of teachers completed their LETRS training in June.”

State Superintendent Catherine Truitt said students moving from at-risk to excellence is proof that North Carolina’s investment in reading science is paying off.

“We’re not used to seeing that kind of growth in second and third grade, especially,” Truitt said. “If you look at the cohort of students who started kindergarten in 2022-2023, only 28 percent started school on track in literacy. By this year, when I’m in second grade, the percentage of those same students prepared for grade-level work has almost doubled,” Truitt said. “It is a testament to the dedicated educators in our state who have invested hours and hours into the professional development of LETRS that we are seeing such exponential growth. I have no doubt that as they gain more experience and pedagogical tools immersed in the science of reading, student growth will continue to accelerate.”

NC Public Schools says students in grades K-3 take the DIBELS 8 assessment three times a year to measure their progress over time.

“It consists of a set of measures designed to assess the component skills involved in reading,” NC Public Schools said. “The data shows that 48,189 fewer pupils are below benchmark at the start of the 2024-25 school year than at the same time in 2021-22. Additionally, an additional 57,4498 students are at or above the benchmark.”

NC Public Schools says data shows 48,189 fewer students are below benchmark at the start of the 2024-25 school year than at the same time in 2021-22. Additionally, an additional 57,4498 students are at or above the benchmark.

“The number of students designated as ‘reserved reading’ has decreased by more than 40 percent over the same period,” NC Public Schools said. “Students are considered ‘reading retarded’ if they are not proficient in reading by the end of third grade.”

According to NC Public Schools, compared to 2021-22, 8 percent more students of color and 9 percent more American Indian/Alaska Native students are measured as “on track” in 2024-25. Gains for white and Asian students were 6 percent and 5 percent over that time frame.

However, NC public schools say black, American Indian/Alaskan Native and Hispanic students continue to lag behind their white and Asian peers.

Amy Rhyne, director of the Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Early Learning, said she expects to see more progress on those values ​​as students and their teachers become familiar with the science of reading.

“As with any new initiative, there is a learning curve for educators and students as they adapt to this new, research-supported approach to literacy,” said Rhyne. “Completing the LETRS training provided a solid foundation upon which our teachers can build better student outcomes. As with building a house, the foundation – while extremely important – is only the beginning. With solid literacy skills under their feet, our K-3 students are poised to develop more complex skills that will allow them to reach greater heights as they grow up.”

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