From the ECS State Policy Database: P-3 Grades 1-3 - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

Third Grade Reading Policies PDF - This paper outlines state policies relating to 3rd-grade reading proficiency, including identification of, intervention for, and retention of struggling readers in the P-3 grades. The paper provides a state-by-state policy summary, sample statutory language, and highlights from bills enacted this year. (Stephanie Rose, ECS, August 2012) ...

2012 State of the State Addresses: Governors' Top Education Issues PDF - This analysis highlights the education issues prioritized by governors and the mayor of Washington, D.C. in their 2012 state of the state addresses. The state leaders explained that increasing the quality and availability of education, from preschool through postsecondary, was essential to recovering from the recession, spurring economic growth, remaining competitive, and to the health and well-being of each state's citizens. Top issues include Finance (K-12 & Postsecondary), Teaching Quality, Postsecondary Affordability/Access, School Choice, Workforce Development, Early Learning (P-3), and Reading and Literacy....

Turning the Page: Refocusing Massachusetts for Reading Success - Report urges state educators and education policymakers to refocus literacy efforts on improving language development skills, starting with toddlers, with the aim of closing the achievement gaps between students of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Almost half of the state's 3rd graders are not proficient readers. (Nonie Lesaux, Strategies for Children, June 2010)...