The Scope of the Reading Problem in America

• "Overall, national longitudinal studies show that more than 17.5 percent of the nation's children--about 10 million children--will encounter reading problems in the crucial first three years of their schooling" (National Reading Panel Progress Report, 2000; see References).
• Approximately 75% of students identified with reading problems in the third grade are still reading disabled in the 9th grade. (Shaywitz, et al., 1993; Francis et al., 1996; see References)
• In a sample of 54 students, Juel (1988; see References) found the probability of being a poor reader in fourth grade given you were a poor reader in first grade was 88%.
• "...a longitudinal study of students with poor word identification skills in the third grade (Felton & Wood, 1992; see References) indicated that most of these students failed to significantly improve their skills by the end of eighth grade." (Felton & Pepper, 1995; see References)
• Students in the bottom 25% of the reading continuum have a trajectory of progress that diverges early from their peers who have learned to read successfully.