State officials outline progress, challenges in Arizona early-literacy push

Terry Clark, Arizona literacy director for Read On Arizona, and Linda Burrows, Deputy Associate Superintendent of Academic Standards at the Arizona Department of Education, told the Senate Education Committee on Feb. 4, 2025, that the state has expanded evidence-based programs for children from birth through third grade but still lags in overall third-grade reading proficiency.

They said the state’s approach combines K–3 funding for evidence-based instruction, the Move On When Reading guidance, expanded dyslexia training and a K–5 literacy endorsement for teachers. "We have Arizona progress meter, a shared goal of 72 percent of our kids at the end of third grade reading proficiently," Clark said.

The briefing emphasized why the topic matters: third-grade reading proficiency predicts later academic outcomes, and pandemic-related learning losses plus high chronic-absence rates hinder recovery. Clark noted Arizona once had the nation’s highest chronic absence rate and said the state has begun reversing that trend with an 8-point decrease from its peak.

Burrows described current Department of Education implementation efforts. She said foundational (P–3) coaching moved from federal to state funding and that the program now has 34 coaches working in 46 schools. "When teachers feel that they have a voice and are given the tools that they need to be successful, they are staying and sticking around," Burrows said, citing improved teacher retention at schools with coaches.

Burrows and Clark reported large gains on local screeners where coaching was implemented: they described an average ‘‘about 92% increase in reading proficiency’’ in some kindergarten–second grade screeners and, in deeply implemented districts, reported increases described as "as high as 280%". The department also reported an initial first-time pass rate of about 81 percent on the Foundations of Reading exam for Arizona teachers, compared with a roughly 60 percent national average for first-time passers.

Staff described federal and state funding supporting the work. The department said it administers a five-year federal Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant valued at approximately $20,000,000, with an additional $2,000,000 supplemental award that extends work into 2025 and possibly into 2026. Burrows said the state budget now includes funding to sustain the coaching positions.

Committee members asked about goals and roadblocks. Senator Miranda asked why the statewide target is 72 percent rather than a higher level. Clark answered that stakeholder groups chose 72 percent as an ambitious but achievable near-term target and stressed that the sector’s “North Star” is higher. Senators raised concerns about scaling coaching, administrative buy-in, bilingual and multilingual student needs, and avoiding reliance on devices for early learners.

Committee members signaled appetite for continued oversight and possible committee-driven proposals. No committee action was taken; the session moved next to bill consideration.

The presenters supplied multiple next steps the department is pursuing: scaling coaching, sustaining the K–5 literacy endorsement with a 2028 target for full implementation, expanding access to vetted instructional materials, rolling out a new, more user-friendly portal for LEAs to submit literacy plans and data, and continuing asynchronous and in-person professional development.

Clark and Burrows framed the work as collaborative across hundreds of partners in the state and emphasized implementation as the current challenge rather than new policy creation.

Burrows closed by noting early-tutoring gains from a state-supported achievement tutoring program, saying 22–23 percent of students in the first six-week tutoring session gained at least six months of learning, with more than half making measurable gains.

Going forward, the department said it will continue deploying coaches where need is greatest, vet instructional materials for alignment with the science of reading, and support teacher preparation pathways that have shown higher pass rates on the foundations exam.