Despite significant financial investment to improve literacy, students across California are still struggling, but a new report Wednesday highlighted how some Los Angeles County school districts are paving the way for better outcomes.
On Wednesday, Families In Schools, an organization dedicated to education for low-income, immigrant, and communities of color, released its second annual report on literacy performance, which showed that across half of L.A County’s 80 school districts, fewer than 50% of third graders are proficient in reading, and only nine districts have achieved proficiency levels higher than 70%.
Additionally, disparities exist between students from high- and low-income communities.
According to the report — titled Bright Spots in Los Angeles: School Districts Leading the Charge to Solve the Literacy Crisis — two-thirds of third graders in more affluent districts are proficient in English language arts compared to one-third of third graders in districts serving more low-income students.
State assessment data from 2022-23 showed that too few students across California and the Los Angeles Unified School District are reading proficiently at key milestones of third, eighth and 11th grade. Overall scores for third and eighth graders increased from 43% in 2022-23 to 46% in 2023-24, and increased less than 1% to 56% for 11th grade.
Looking beyond the LAUSD, L.A. County scores either remained flat or increased by 1% to 3% for all student categories from 2022-23 to 2023-24. The study highlighted that sizable gaps exist between student groups in 2023-24, with a 14-point gap between Black students and students overall in third grade, and a 28-point gap between English learners and students overall in third grade.
However, some Southland school districts are leading the way in improving literacy outcomes for their students.
The report called the Bonita Unified and Garvey Elementary school districts — serving the San Gabriel Valley communities — as “bright spots” for their strong literacy outcomes as a result of what was described as the “science of reading” or SOR, an evidence-based body of research about how students best learn to read.
The approach focuses on the different components of literacy such as phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing and oral language development.
With a student body of nearly 10,000, Bonita Unified had a third-grade reading proficiency level of 69% in the 2023-24 academic year. Black, Latino and low-income third graders all had reading proficiency levels above 60%, with English-learners were nearly at 50% proficiency.
In the same school year, Garvey Elementary School District had 90% of its third- and fifth-grade reclassified-fluent English proficient students meeting or exceeding reading standards. The district had about 4,266 students enrolled, according to data from the California Depart of Education.
Families In Schools said these two districts’ success was the result of key initiatives such as structured literacy practices, tiered interventions, data-driven instruction, ongoing professional development and creating a culture of literacy with families. Garvey Elementary also focused on biliteracy development and offered English learners more support.
Meanwhile, Long Beach Unified and LAUSD were noted as two “districts to watch.”
Long Beach Unified has shifted away from a balanced literacy approach to structured literacy in recent years, emphasizing teacher training and data-driven interventions. District officials have set a goal of reaching 85% proficiency in foundational reading skill by the end of second grade.
LAUSD is undergoing a district-wide shift toward structured literacy with 8,000 teachers having been trained in SOR, and creating a culture of reading within students’ families, according to the report.
“This is a civil rights issue. We cannot afford to let another generation of students fall behind due to ineffective literacy instruction,” Yolie Flores, president and CEO of Families In Schools, said in a statement. “We hope this report inspires districts across Los Angeles and California to pursue evidence-based literacy strategies, including those shared by districts that have led to improved literacy outcomes. Now is the time for policymakers, educators, and community leaders to unite and ensure that every child — no matter their background — has access to the fundamental right of literacy.”