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UPDATED: Data reveal the shocking breadth and depth of Colorado’s reading crisis

Frustrated girl in red blouse with hands overface and an open book in front of her

UPDATE: Peter Huidekoper Jr., the author of this piece, has also examined what other states around the country are doing to bolster evidence-based reading instruction. You can read that summary here.

Colorado has spent roughly $300 million to fulfill the goals of the 2012 READ Act. A bill to amend the Act will come before legislators this winter, in part to address one of the unexpected outcomes of all the hard work this past decade. The READ Act’s focus is K-3, but thousands of Colorado students still struggle to read well … even in high school.

The focus on the early grades made sense, for many years. In 2019 amendments to the original bill provided K-3 teachers the training they need to address their students’ reading difficulties. That change also provided training in evidence-based reading instruction to special education teachers and reading interventionists.

But look at the other end of the K-12 system. It tells us that our K-3 focus is not enough. Upon request, the Colorado Department of Education presents data on the number of high school students still on what is called “a READ plan.” The most recent data is from 2022-23.

K-3 students who have been “identified with a significant reading deficiency” are put on a READ plan, “an individualized approach to implementing instruction for that student.” This plan remains “part of the student’s academic record until the student achieves reading competency” (From Colorado’s Legislative Council Staff).

Those K-3 students first served by the READ Act 7-10 years ago are now in high school. This may surprise you: over 10,000 students are still on a READ plan in high school.

High school students on a READ Plan, 2022-23 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12
5,152 3,676 2,524 1,411

    Equally disturbing: the total number has grown. An additional 3,600 students in two years. 

Total number of high school students on a READ Plan 2021 2022 2023
9,093 11,127 12,763

 And CDE’s data might well understate the true facts. In its report for high school students on a READ plan, data from over 140 districts is suppressed.

(A veteran teacher, a secondary reading interventionist in Aurora, adds another reason to believe these numbers do not reveal the size of the problem. “READ plans are only written up to 3rd grade,” she writes. “The numbers do not account for all of the students who fall behind after 3rd grade. There are many. Test data suggests as much as 2/3 of students.”)

Fortunately, most school districts in the metro area are willing to tally and record the number of their high school students on a READ plan, even when the figures are alarming. CDE’s reports show most of the state’s 12,763 high school students still on a READ plan in 2022-23 were enrolled in these ten districts.

10 metro districts –  

largest to smallest –

with READ Plan data available

# of high school students on READ Plan for 2022-23 # of 9th graders

on READ Plan for 2022-23

Denver County 3,909 1,423
Jefferson County 579 227
Douglas County 1 878 337
Cherry Creek 549 339
Adams-Arapahoe 1,713 674
Adams 12 Five Star Schools 334 105
Littleton 136 76
Westminster 497 185
Mapleton 266 131
Adams 14 294 121
TOTAL 9,155 3,618

The obvious question: why so many? Why, if these students were identified and received extra support all this time, were over 3,600 still unable to read well on entering high school?

To be sure, many were probably several grade levels behind in their K-3 years. They may have made real progress over time, and yet were still not proficient readers by 9th grade. And roughly half of those initially identified as struggling readers were eligible for special education services. For some, proficiency may be out of reach.

Still, recall the optimism of 2012. How the READ Act would “see all third graders reading at grade level.” We did not expect this.

The number of students at individual high schools on a READ plan is startling. We applaud districts like APS, DPS, and Westminster for presenting such eye-popping figures to the state. At the same time, who believes their high schools are prepared to meet the needs of so many struggling readers? With 419 students in Aurora Central and Westminster High who need extra support?

This list includes 26 Colorado high schools with over 100 students on a READ plan in both 2022 and 2023. Most schools—19—in Aurora and Denver. All but three in the metro area.

2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 GRADE
Grades 9-11 Grades 9-12 Grades

9-12

9 10 11 12
1 Westminster High 335 327 419 174 120 77 48
2 Aurora Central H.S. (APS) 203 290 419 135 131 95 58
3 North High (DPS) 196 271 296 114 74 66 42
4 Adams City High School 206 239 274 119 84 49 22
5 Hinkley (APS) 199 225 274 116 68 49 41
6 Gateway High (APS) 137 190 250 90 63 65 32
7 Rangeview H.S. (APS) 116 177 250 83 76 60 31
8 Montbello H.S. (DPS) 97 126 216 88 58 45 25
9 Skyline H.S. (St. Vrain) 75 130 176 72 57 29 18
10 East High (DPS) 124 153 167 52 49 45 21
11 Douglas County H.S. 96 126 156* 67 60 29 x
12 John F Kennedy (DPS) 126 149 150 53 33 27 37
13 Vista Peak 9-12 Preparatory (APS) 57 101 149* 76 57 16 x
14 Dr. MLK. Jr. Early College (DPS) 104 134 148 59 39 31 19
15 Montrose H.S. 88 131 147 50 44 36 17
16 Aurora West College Prep (APS) 65 106 147 62 40 29 16
17 South High (DPS) 120 151 146 46 38 38 24
18 RMP Prep – Smart Academy (DPS) 98 116 143 58 36 27 22
19 Abraham Lincoln (DPS) 182 224 140 40 50 33 17
20 Thomas Jefferson H.S. (DPS) 90 118 135 54 36 27 18
21 KIPP NE Denver Leadership (DPS) 86 100 132 52 31 25 24
22 Northfield H.S. (DPS) 71 114 127* 63 43 21 x
23 West High (DPS) 66 141 123 40 38 25 20
24 Loveland H.S. (Thompson R2-J) 87 104 119 37 25 34 23
25 George Washington H.S. (DPS) 110 123 112* 48 39 25 x
26 Northglenn High (Adams 12) 154 181 103* 43 60 x x
TOTAL – 2021-2023 – increase of 1,630 3,288 4,247 4,918 1,891 freshmen in 2023

* – 2022-23 – In these high schools, the numbers dropped sufficiently by 12th grade so the number was suppressed.

X – Suppressed in data collected and compiled by CDE.

  Note the increase, overall, from roughly 3,300 to nearly 5,000, between 2021 and 2023.

Seven high schools added 100 or more students on a READ plan in just those two years.

Five high schools doubled their numbers in that time.

And those 1,891 freshmen in 2023? They are this year’s juniors. The Class of 2026. We often hear that, at a bare minimum, public education should make sure our graduates can read – and read well. Who believes we are meeting that goal?

We ask why these numbers are climbing. The high schools are not to blame. We must examine what is not happening before these students reach 9th grade.

This data is not telling us the READ Act has failed. But I trust we understand that to help our students struggling to catch up, our K-3 focus is not enough.

High school data paints a bleak picture, but we won’t solve the problem at that level. We must go further upstream. Back to grades 4, 5, and 6 especially. That’s where we see so much frustration; boys and girls trying to make sense of the words on the page.

That’s where teachers feel helpless. Most have not received training in how best to meet their students’ needs. At present, the READ Act’s funds do not reach them.

This next legislative session policy makers will have a chance to expand the reach of the READ Act. It cannot come soon enough.