The Read to Achieve program
is part of The Excellent
Public Schools Act of N.C
(NC House Bill 950)
which became law in July 2012.
Excellent Public Schools Act
§ 115C-83.1A. State goal.
The goal of the State is to ensure that every
student read at or above grade level by the end
of third grade and continue to progress in
reading proficiency so that he or she can read,
comprehend, integrate, and apply complex
texts needed for secondary education and
career success.
Aims of Read to Achieve
• Students having difficulty developing as
readers are identified as early as possible
•Students receive appropriate instructional
and support services to address difficulty
with reading development and to
remediate reading deficiencies
The law outlines that if a 3rd grader
is not reading at grade level by the
end of 3rd grade, they will have to
either repeat the third grade or
attend reading camp.
Key Questions To Address
• Why has the state implemented the Read to
Achieve Law? (Mr. Grant)
• What steps are being taken at school to get your
3rd grader reading at or above grade level? (Mrs.
Longo)
• What are the components of the Program and what
will happen if your child isn’t reading at grade
level? (Mr. Grant and Ms. Warwick)
• How can you help your child with his or her reading
and reduce stress? (Mrs. Longo and Mrs. Bunn)
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
Why has the state implemented the
Read to Achieve Law?
Reading Problems and Dropout
• A student who can’t read on grade level
by 3rd grade is 4 times less likely to
graduate by age 19 than a child who reads
proficiently by that time.
Add POVERTY to the mix, and a student is
13 times less likely to graduate on time.
• Students who did not read proficiently at
3rd grade constitute 88% of those who did
not earn a HS diploma.
Reading Problems and Dropout
•Low reading skills in 3rd grade are a
stronger predictor of dropping out of
school than having spent at least one year
in poverty.
Donald J. Hernandez: “Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills
and Poverty Influence High School Graduation.” Annie E. Casey Foundation,
2011
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
What Steps Are Being Taken to Get Your
Third Grader At or Above Grade Level?
Growing and Supporting Readers At Lacy
What do we currently have in place
that addresses these efforts?
Literacy Support
• Classroom teachers provided differentiated reading instruction daily
to students in grades K-5
• K-1 literacy specialist, Mrs. Blomquist, provides targeted, pull out
support
• Sally Moody, Wilson Reading specialist funded by the Lacy
Foundation, provides intensive reading instruction for students in
grades 2-4
• Beth Schetter, intervention teacher, provides literacy and math
support for grades 3-5
• Response to Intervention process identifies students struggling in
reading (as well as math) and establishes interventions and
progress monitoring
• Y Learning program provides daily after school instruction and
home work support for
What steps are being taken to get your 3rd grader reading at grade level?
We are gathering information on your child’s progress.
Your child’s teacher
will continue to
observe and monitor
their progress.
Your child, if not
exempt, can take up
to 3 passages per
week. Passages are
aligned to specific
standards your child
needs to master.
These assessments
include mCLASS and
CASE 21, along with
the EOG.
What steps are being taken to get your 3rd grader reading at grade level?
We are sharing information on your child’s progress.
Lacy staff will talk
about this specifically
during conferences,
emails, or reports
home.
3rd grade teachers will
share standards and
scores.
You will get formal
reports, including the
Home Connect letter.
What steps are being taken to get your 3rd grader reading at grade level?
We are sharing information on your child’s progress.
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
What Are the Components of the Read
to Achieve Program and What Happens
if Your Child Isn’t Reading At Grade
Level?
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
Good Cause Exemptions
Students may be exempt from mandatory retention in third grade for good cause but shall
continue to receive instructional supports and services and reading interventions appropriate for
their age and reading level .
Good cause exemptions shall be limited to the following:
• Limited English Proficient students with less than two years of instruction in an English as a Second
Language program
•Students with a BOG score 442 or higher
•Students who have a reading TRC score level P or higher
•Students with disabilities on the extended Common Core. These students are in self-contained
classrooms and not on a graduation track for a full diploma. It is possible students taking the Extend
1 assessment, a modified EOG, may be exempt from the reading passages.
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
Good Cause Exemptions
•Students who score a 3- or higher on 1st, 2nd, or 3rd quarter Case21 assessment
•. Students with disabilities who take the Extend 2 assessment
• Students who demonstrate, through a student reading portfolio, reading
proficiency appropriate for third grade students
•Students who have previously been retained more than once in kindergarten,
first, second, or third grades
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
How will the State determine that your child is reading at grade level?
Did your child pass the reading section of the End of Year
Reading EOG?
 Yes. Your child moves to
the 4th grade.
 No. Your child’s teacher
will look at:
Results of portfolio
• mCLASS
• PEP (if applicable)
• Reading passages
-or- Read to Achieve Test
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
How will the State determine that your child is reading at grade level?
Does your child have a successful portfolio
or did they pass the Read to Achieve Test?
 Yes. Your child moves to
the 4th grade.
 No. It will be determined
that your child is not
reading at grade level.
Your child will be enrolled
in a free, districtsponsored reading camp.
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
If your child is determined to be reading
below grade level, you have two choices:
 Attend Camp
 Decline Camp
• Your child be enrolled in a free,
district-sponsored reading
camp.
• Your child will repeat the 3rd
grade.
• Your child will receive
additional instruction and
support in reading.
• Reading camp is scheduled for
6 weeks during the summer
break.
• The law does not allow
us to grant exceptions.
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
When attending Camp
• Your child will be retested at the end of camp and
move into the 4th grade.
• Children who are still not reading at grade level will
have a ‘retention label’ and receive additional
support in 4th grade.
• The retention label will be removed if the child
demonstrates proficiency by mid-year of 4th grade.
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
Summer Reading Camp
•Runs for 6 weeks: June 16, June 23, July 10, July 14, July 21, July 28
•4 days a week, M-TR for up to 6 hours a day
•Only focuses on Reading Instruction and is themed based
•Students who don’t demonstrate mastery will be enrolled with fourth grade
peers. They will receive 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction
daily. Students’ progress toward evidence of mastery is tracked through the
reading portfolio.
•Sites not yet determined
TRADITIONAL CALENDAR STUDENTS
How are the passages for the Reading
Portfolio going to be administered?
• At this time, students who do not have an exemption are being
administered the reading passages during their reading class.
•Depending on the students reading class they will complete the
passage as a group or as part of their Daily Café reading center
rotation.
•The previous week’s scores will be sent home in the
Wednesday folder so parents can be informed of areas where
their child needs continued support
Score Sheet
Standard Assessed
Standard
Parent
Recommendations
RL3.1
Ask and answer questions to
demonstrate understanding of a
text, referring explicitly to the text as
the basis for the answers.
When reading fiction or watching a
movie or television show, ask your
child:

What is the story mainly
about?

What is a problem(s) that the
character has to solve? How
do they solve it?

Find the answers to questions
in the text or support thinking
with details from the show.
When reading fiction such as The
Paper Bag
Princess, Cloudy with a Chance of
Meatballs, Why Mosquitos
Buzz,
One Grain of Rice, Arrow to the
Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale, etc.,
ask
your child:

Identify the central message
(lesson or moral) of the story.

How does the author share
the central message (lesson
or theme)?

Retell the story (beginning,
middle, and end) and tell what
the author was trying to teach
us.
RL3.2
Retell stories, including fables,
folktales, and myths from diverse
cultures: determine the central
message, lesson, or moral and
explain how it is conveyed through
key details in the text.
Passage Scores
Passage 1 _______
Passage 2 _______
Passage 3 _______
Passage 1 _______
Passage 2 _______
Passage 3 _______
How can I help my child with his or her reading and
reduce stress?
Read together for at least
20 minutes each day!
• Parent/Teacher
Communication
• Home Connect Activities
• Visit the library
• Stay involved
Resources
• Wake County Website with Read to Achieve
Resources
http://www.wcpss.net/parents/guides/read-toachieve/index.html
• Websites that support Literacy:
Learnzillion
Lesson Planet
Jumpstart
• Guidance suggestions for stress
• Share “R2A Passage Parent Recommendations”
sheet with list of standards and questions to ask.