According to results from Alabama’s 2023 reading test, 11,662 second graders, or 22% of students in the state, are not able to read grade level work.

All of those students need to be on a third grade reading level by the end of the 2023-24 school year or they might not move on to the fourth grade.

A look at a breakdown by school district shows a wide range of success statewide. Mountain Brook City schools – in the wealthiest city in the state – had 12 out of 367 second graders, or 3%, test below grade level. Vestavia Hills City schools, another district with low student poverty, had 21 of 506 second graders, or 4%, test below grade level.

Poverty can pose additional challenges for students learning to read.

Not always, though. There’s Saraland City schools in south Alabama. Half of students live in poverty, yet they had only nine of the district’s 228 second graders, or 4%, test below grade level.

And in Geneva City schools, six of the district’s 82 second graders, or 7%, tested below level. Sixty-two percent of students in the district are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

But in some of Alabama’s largest school districts, hundreds of second graders tested below grade level, putting them at risk of being retained next year.

• Mobile County – 1,285, or 32% of the 3,957 second graders, tested below grade level,
• Montgomery County – 816, or 38% of 2,154 students tested below grade level,
• Jefferson County – 755, or 31% of 2,450 students tested below grade level, and
• Birmingham City – 736, or 45% of 1,618 students tested below grade level.

The student poverty level in those four districts is between 49% to 60%.

The table below shows the percentage and number of second graders who tested below grade level on the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program or ACAP in spring. Click here if you are unable to see the table.

Children not reading on grade level – including all children from kindergarten through third grade – should get extra help throughout the school year.

All students in kindergarten through third grade have their reading skills tested at the beginning, middle and end of the school year. If test results show consistent deficiencies in those skills, the school must notify parents within 15 days of the school receiving those results. The school must also provide a written plan for how that deficiency will be addressed and give monthly updates to parents on their child’s progress.

Here’s a flyer for parents created by the Alabama State Department of Education outlining what is required under the Literacy Act.

What does it mean to read on grade level in the second grade?

Expectations for what second graders should be able to read are laid out in the Alabama English Language Arts Standards. Most of us non-teachers have a tough time understanding the jargon in academic standards, though.

So AL.com found a free download of the Amplify CKLA – one of two reading programs approved by the Literacy Task Force – second grade student reader.

Take a look at the first unit of the second grade school year. Flip to the first story and read through it. That’s what second graders are expected to be able to read when they enter the second grade.

Here’s the sixth and final unit reader of the second grade school year. The first story has a bit more body to it than the previous one, right? This is what a second grader is expected to be able to read by the end of the second grade year.

Here’s a look at the details of what Alabama considers reading on grade level or not for second graders.

And here’s a look at the measures for third graders.

How do I know if my child is on track in reading skills?

If you’d like to check your child’s readiness in reading and math, Learning Heroes, a nonprofit that advocates for family engagement in a child’s education, has an online tool where your child can answer a few questions to do a quick check.

It’s important to remember that the outcome of spring testing isn’t the only measure considered when schools decide whether to promote or retain a student in third grade.

Third graders who reach grade level on an alternative test in summer reading camps can move on to the fourth grade. If a student is unable to demonstrate grade-level reading by passing a test, the student could demonstrate grade-level reading through a portfolio of work collected throughout the school year.

Students can be exempted from retention under the following circumstances, allowing the students to move on to the fourth grade, with schools providing additional support:

• Students who have received fewer than three years of instruction in an English learner program,
• Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 plan who received remediation for two years but still demonstrate a deficiency in reading or who were retained in kindergarten, first, second or third grade,
• Students who received intense intervention in reading for two or more years but have previously been retained in kindergarten, first, second or third grade for a total of two years,
• Students with disabilities who do not participate in statewide tests