school literacy

Literacy Rates 2022-2023

Children in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) face alarmingly low levels of reading proficiency. According to the Spring 2024 Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade Assessment, the percentage of children in SCCPSS unable to read at grade level is as follows:

• 3rd Grade: 41.5%

• 4th Grade: 50.2%

• 5th Grade: 37.7%

• 6th Grade: 52.9%

• 7th Grade: 40.2%

• 8th Grade: 37.2%

With over 70% of SCCPSS students being minorities and widespread poverty affecting the district, the inability to develop foundational reading skills significantly hampers children’s academic success, high school graduation rates, access to higher education, and future career prospects. Low literacy levels are linked to increased risks of incarceration, mental health challenges, and diminished self-confidence. In essence, the failure to teach reading effectively perpetuates systemic inequalities and is a grave injustice to vulnerable children.

Long-Term Consequences of Low Literacy:

• Poor overall academic performance.

• Limited professional and economic opportunities.

• Widening socio-economic disparities.

JUST’s Campaign to Address the Reading Crisis

In the fall of 2022, JUST launched a campaign to ensure SCCPSS adopts evidence-based strategies to improve reading proficiency. The focus has been on implementing the Science of Reading, a framework supported by extensive research in education, psychology, and neuroscience that explains how individuals learn to read. Unlike a specific curriculum, the Science of Reading outlines five key components essential for effective reading instruction:

1. Phonemic Awareness

2. Phonics

3. Vocabulary

4. Comprehension

5. Fluency

This approach has proven effective across various contexts, including low-resource and predominantly minority settings.

Proposed Solution: 

JUST advocated for SCCPSS to hire a superintendent committed to championing the Science of Reading.

Outcomes

SCCPSS leadership has undergone substantial changes, including new School Board members and a superintendent hired in 2024. The new administration has demonstrated a commitment to improving literacy by:

• Hiring a Literacy Effectiveness Officer to oversee training and implementation of the Science of Reading.

• Acknowledging poor student reading performance.

• Formally adopting the Science of Reading approach.

JUST’s advocacy, which mobilized mass meetings with 23 faith communities, played a pivotal role in raising awareness and driving these changes. JUST commends SCCPSS leaders for embracing this evidence-based framework and launching the change process in Spring 2024.

Monitoring Phase

While these developments are promising, successful implementation of the Science of Reading requires vigilant monitoring to ensure meaningful outcomes. JUST will now focus its advocacy efforts on:

1. Resource Allocation: Ensuring adequate funding and resources for training, materials, and support.

2. Implementation Benchmarks: Monitoring adherence to timelines and milestones.

3. Student Proficiency Gains: Tracking improvements in reading outcomes over time.

JUST remains committed to holding SCCPSS accountable as it works to transform literacy education and address the systemic inequalities that have long hindered student success.

[1] Source: Spring 2024 Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade Assessment 

[1] See National Center on Improving Literacy (2022) The Science of Reading: The Basics, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education; and, The Reading League, The Science of Reading: A defining movement https://www.thereadingleague.org/what-is-the-science-of-reading/; 

[2] McArthur, G., Castles, A. Helping children with reading difficulties: some things we have learned so far. npj Science Learn 2, 7 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-017-0008-3