Improving third-grade reading skills is goal of initiative in Stanislaus County

Children need to be proficient readers by the end of third grade because reading is crucial to learning in fourth grade and beyond.

More than 60 percent of third-graders in Stanislaus County are not reading at grade level, according to a report presented Tuesday to county supervisors.

Chances are those kids will struggle to earn good marks as they continue in school, won’t attend college and could live in poverty as adults. Research has concluded that third-graders with limited reading skills are four times less likely to graduate from high school.

Stanislaus READS is an initiative to help children become good readers and to make sure they excel in school. Participating agencies have been meeting since January 2014 to study the problems and challenges and soon will begin to test solutions at five schools: Burbank, Chrysler and Sylvan elementary schools in Modesto; Las Palmas Elementary in Patterson; and Moon Elementary School in Waterford.

The Stanislaus Community Foundation, a philanthropic organization, is spearheading the effort with the county Office of Education, Head Start, Stanislaus County Library, and the Children and Families Commission.

Based on Standardized Testing and Reporting Results for 2013, only 39 percent of third-graders in the county scored proficient or higher in language skills. Slightly more than half of Asian and white children were reading at grade level, while 35 percent of African American children and 32 percent of Latinos were proficient in reading.

Among children from low-income families, 1 in 3 were reading at grade level.

“If a child misses that critical milestone at third grade, they never catch up,” said Marian Kaanon, chief executive officer of the community foundation. Getting children to read at grade level can change the trajectory of their lives, she said.

If reading skills accurately predict success or failure in academics, the social ramifications are sad. According to census data on adults 25 and older who live in poverty in Stanislaus County, 41 percent did not graduate from high school and 4 percent had college degrees.

The local agencies are considering three main challenges that affect reading levels: whether children get an early start on reading, spotty school attendance and the loss of language skills over the summer break.

Their research found that most 3- and 4-year-olds in the county don’t attend preschool, and 60 percent of children in low-income families don’t have books to read at home.

The truancy rate in Stanislaus County’s elementary schools is 21 percent, resulting in the loss of $19.7 million in average day attendance funding, the report says.

Kaanon said Stanislaus READS is not about changing teaching methods or curriculum, but will concentrate on what happens outside classroom walls. The foundation will roll out country music star Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in the ZIP code areas of pilot schools. Parents can sign up and have an age-appropriate book for newborns to 5-year-olds delivered to their home each month.

The participating elementary schools will work to increase access to books, take a harder look at chronic truancy and develop summer enrichment programs. The schools can apply for $5,000 grants from the foundation’s discretionary endowment, Kaanon said. Successful programs could be replicated at other schools.

As an example, Chrysler Elementary in Modesto opened its library last summer so children could check out books and participate in art or drama activities.

To encourage early literacy, the county Office of Education and Head Start are introducing “Parent Cafes” at school campuses. Parents delivering their kids to school can stop for refreshments and discuss school readiness ideas with trained parents.

Kaanon said the initiative will align with current programs, such as reading activities at public libraries and a county program that mentors schoolchildren.

County Supervisor Vito Chiesa said the percentage of students falling behind on reading skills is alarming. Stanislaus READS will strive for improvements so 90 percent of third-graders are reading at grade level, 50 percent fewer students are chronically absent and 80 percent of children are ready for kindergarten.

People at participating schools will enroll parents, regardless of their income, in Imagination Library. The free service is available in those schools’ ZIP codes. Donors can support the program by sending a check to Stanislaus Community Foundation, 1029 16th St., Modesto, CA 95354. Write “Imagination Library” in the check memo.

This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Improving third-grade reading skills is goal of initiative in Stanislaus County."