During the April 2021 legislative session, North Carolina legislators passed an act to modify the implementation of the Read to Achieve legislation in order to attain statewide reading proficiency by the third grade. SESSION LAW 2021-8 SENATE BILL 387 identifies educators as pivotal in the role of reading instruction and requires every PreK-5 teacher to be highly equipped with the knowledge and skills to apply the science of reading. This legislation prioritizes the need for systematic and explicit reading instruction in the early grades and reinforcement of these practices in the higher grades. It also reiterates the need to provide additional support and offer intervention techniques for struggling students.

The North Carolina Read to Achieve (RtA) comprehensive plan for reading achievement states that all:

1. students entering kindergarten are required to receive a developmental screening in early language, literacy, and math skills,
2. and students in grades K-3 must be assessed with valid, reliable, formative and diagnostic reading assessments.

These assessments are to be used to identify and assist students demonstrating difficulty with reading development, including offering reading camps as an option to students in grades first through third.

Read to Achieve - Grade 3

In order to provide continuing support for North Carolina's youngest readers, The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Office of Early Learning has developed and released "Literacy at Home." This digital resource provides literacy activities at each grade level, pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Families and communities may access this resource for activities that specifically target the literacy skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and oral language. When children grow in each of these foundational areas they are well on their way to becoming proficient readers.

Literacy at Home Digital Children's Reading Initiative 

Additionally, please contact your child's school for additional information.