Basic Literacy Act

The 1996 Colorado Basic Literacy Act was passed by the Legislature to ensure that all children learn to read in the early elementary grades. The law requires that an Individual Literacy Plan (ILP) be developed for every student whose reading assessment indicates the student reads below grade level. It requires that every school report annually to parents concerning the progress of children who are learning to read.

In 1998, the State Board of Education began requiring that third graders take a reading comprehension test. The test, unlike the assessments under the Standards & Assessments Act, is based on a single standard: comprehension. (The fourth grade reading assessment is based on four standards: comprehension, thinking, inference, and literature.)

The third grade reading test was administered in the spring of 1998 and 1999. In 1998, 66% of third graders were Proficient or Advanced in reading comprehension. In 1999, there were 67% Proficient or Advanced.

You can learn more about the Basic Literacy Act and the third grade reading assessments on the CDE Web site.