Dear Editor,
Across the country, educators continue to grapple with a literacy crisis that began before the pandemic and has only become more pronounced in its wake. Here in Arizona, just 36% of third graders met proficiency on the state’s English Language Arts assessment in 2025, according to data from the Arizona Department of Education.
While these numbers are concerning, they should also serve as a reminder that literacy outcomes aren’t inevitable. Schools have an opportunity and a responsibility to identify readers who are struggling early and respond with evidence-based instruction before students fall further behind.
Third Grade is a Critical Milestone
The most critical foundational learning period happens during kindergarten and continues through third grade. By third grade, students are expected to transition from learning to read, to reading to learn with proficiency in phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. If those skills aren’t in place, every subject becomes more difficult. A student can’t solve a math word problem or follow instructions of a science experiment without strong reading comprehension.
Third grade should not be the time schools discover a problem—it should be the checkpoint that confirms whether earlier interventions were successful or remediation is necessary.
Interventions Should Come Early
Schools should be monitoring literacy growth from the very beginning of the school year through regular assessments, classroom observations and ongoing progress monitoring. Early literacy screenings can help educators identify specific skill gaps, allowing instruction to be adjusted before those challenges become more significant.
At Arizona Virtual Academy and Insight Academy of Arizona, literacy instruction begins with understanding exactly where each student is. Students participate in regular reading assessments that identify specific areas of need, allowing teachers to personalize instruction based on individual performance. Students who need additional support can access up to 90 minutes of live tutoring each week, while those requiring more intensive intervention receive an additional 60 minutes of small-group instruction with a dedicated literacy interventionist. Students who demonstrate mastery are equally supported through opportunities for advanced learning, ensuring every child continues to grow.
While every school may approach literacy differently, these best practices can help students succeed:
* Conduct literacy screenings at the beginning of the school year and monitor progress throughout the year.
* Provide targeted interventions as soon as a skill gap is identified rather than waiting for students to fall further behind.
* Use assessment data to personalize instruction, recognizing that students learn at different rates and require different levels of support.
When instruction is timely, intentional and built around individual student needs, it becomes the foundation for success across every subject.
Literacy Requires Intentional Instruction
Instruction must also be purposeful and grounded in research. Explicit phonics instruction should start in early education, followed by strong literacy instruction, modeling of reading comprehension strategies, encouraging meaningful discussions about what students read, and providing opportunities for small-group instruction tailored to student needs.
Families Complete the Picture
Schools play a critical role in building strong readers, but literacy doesn’t begin and end in the classroom. Families can reinforce those skills by asking questions about a story, encouraging independent reading or simply making books part of everyday life. When educators and parents work together, students receive the consistent support they need to become confident, capable readers.
Arizona’s literacy challenges are significant, but they are not insurmountable, and the schools willing to act early are the ones that will move the needle.
Forrest Smith, Executive Director of Arizona Virtual Academy
