The state of early literacy in Arizona
Collaboration, evidence-based solutions and funding will rewrite Arizona’s story on reading
Early literacy is the foundation of lifelong learning, and Arizona has long worked to improve reading proficiency among its youngest learners.
Yet, despite progress, six in 10 young students in Arizona still struggle to read.
They need – and deserve – our help.
Recent headlines about the learning difficulties of our children and those across the nation are alarming. Reading test scores are too low, chronic absence rates post-pandemic remain high, and many concerns about today’s education of tomorrow's workforce remain.
Fortunately, many in Arizona understand that early literacy leads to student success. We know reading impacts all aspects of academic achievement. We know literacy proficiency involves word recognition and comprehension, and direct teaching of foundational literacy skills works best.
Arizona’s literacy plan for 2030 outlines two primary goals to accelerate early literacy: ensuring that 45% of children enter school ready to learn and increasing the percentage of third graders passing the state’s English Language Arts (ELA) assessment to 72%.
The plan also outlines strategies to reach those two primary goals. One of those strategies is deploying more K-3 literacy coaches to schools needing the most help. A $2 million budget request from the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) would do just that at a time when demand for literacy coaches is three times what ADE can provide with current funding.
Why AZ students are falling behind in reading
At a recent Arizona Senate Education Committee hearing, the barriers to every Arizona child being a proficient reader and clear initiatives to break through them were discussed.
Linda Burrows, ADE’s deputy associate superintendent of academic standards, and Terri Clark, literacy director for Read On Arizona, shared critical data, an overview of early literacy progress in Arizona, and practical solutions.
Recent data from ADE shows a slight decline in third grade reading scores, with 39% of Arizona third graders passing the statewide test in 2024 (down from 41% in 2023).
Similarly, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as the nation’s report card, indicates that Arizona’s fourth grade reading scores dipped in 2024 following a national trend. Just 26% of Arizona fourth graders were proficient in reading, down from 31% in 2022. Notably, in 2022, Arizona was one of the few states that maintained steady scores while the national average declined.
These scores are further evidence of learning loss and developmental delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and which will continue to impact students for years to come.
The high rate of students who are chronically absent is another persistent challenge. Under the current state definition, chronic absence refers to students who miss at least 10%, or 18 days, of the academic school year.
A recent report Helios Education Foundation conducted in partnership with WestEd, “Still Missing Too Much School,” revealed that 29% of Arizona public school students in grades 1-8 were chronically absent during the 2022-23 school year.
While an improvement from the peak 34% of Arizona students being chronically absent in 2021-22 – the highest rate in the country that school year – it’s still more than double pre-pandemic rates.
Students who miss school miss out on critical learning and reading instruction time. Recognizing the urgency of the issue, Read On Arizona convened the Arizona Chronic Absence Task Force in 2023 – which Helios supported and I was proud to serve on – to tackle chronic absence in our state. The task force developed recommendations and published a resource guide in 2024.
How Arizona is working to improve early literacy
Despite these challenges, Arizona is recognized as having a comprehensive set of literacy policies that were first developed under the state’s original 10-year literacy plan.
Implemented from 2013 to 2023, these policies support early identification of struggling readers, funding for K-3 schools, literacy plans for local education agencies, and targeted investments in staffing, instructional materials, assessments, and professional development.
In 2013, Arizona ranked 45th in fourth grade reading scores, according to NAEP. By 2022, we moved up to 28th after implementing the original literacy plan – one of only six states to achieve gains during that period. While Arizona's strategies align with successful states like Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, we have been slower in implementation, which is crucial for achieving effective results for students.
To recharge these efforts, the State Board of Education created the K-3 Early Literacy Subcommittee that met over a number of months and its recommendations were approved by the State Board of Education in December 2024. The recommendations call for 72% reading proficiency among third graders and 45% of third graders passing the state ELA assessment.
To reach these goals, the literacy plan identifies key strategies:
- Sustain and build on K-5 Literacy Endorsement so that all K-5 teachers are trained by 2028. We’ve seen positive results already with our first test-takers scoring 20 points above the national average, demonstrating that Arizona is building a strong pipeline of highly trained reading teachers.
- Support and expand K-3 Literacy Coaches. Schools with literacy coaches are demonstrating improved outcomes for students as well as higher teacher retention. As stated previously, Arizona lawmakers should support a $2 million budget request that would enable ADE to hire and deploy additional literacy coaches and help even more children.
- Ensure 100% of Local Education Agencies (LEAs) use an evidence-based core reading curriculum by 2026. An estimated 25% of schools are not currently doing so as required by ADE’s Move On When Reading policy.
- Focus on the early grades of kindergarten and first grade, which are vital to developing foundational literacy skills. Children behind in their reading at the end of kindergarten are often further behind in third grade.
- Reduce chronic absence to pre-pandemic levels by 2030. A 1% increase in attendance rates is associated with a 1.5% increase in third graders passing Arizona’s ELA test.
By working together – teachers, families, policymakers, and community organizations – Arizona can build a future where every child is a confident and capable reader by the end of third grade. The journey ahead is challenging, but we know what it takes to be successful. With persistence and collaboration, Arizona can rewrite its literacy story for generations to come.
Early Literacy Resources:
Check out our research report, a success story and Read On Arizona's chronic absence page to continue learning about the state of early literacy in Arizona: