New Jersey recently joined more than 30 states in mandating universal literacy screenings in early elementary grades. These screenings—required by law to occur at least twice a year—assess students in kindergarten through third grade for early signs of reading difficulty. These difficulties may include challenges with identifying letters, word recognition, and oral reading fluency. The mandate comes at a critical moment: less than half of New Jersey’s third graders met or exceeded expectations in Language Arts on the 2024 statewide assessment. Identifying students with reading delays early is particularly important, as struggling readers are more likely to have behavioral or truancy problems, according to research cited in the New Jersey Department of Education’s Literacy Framework guide.
The new screening requirement is intended to help educators identify students who may need additional reading support before those gaps widen. This universal literacy screening will be overseen and developed by the Working Group on Student Literacy through the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), and the new law will include establishing a professional development program for teachers under the NJDOE at no cost to the school districts. Under the law, families must be notified of their child’s screening results within 30 days. These reports will include the child’s score, a comparison to grade-level norms, and information about the type of literacy support the school will provide to help the student reach reading proficiency.
As mentioned, New Jersey is not alone in this effort. Massachusetts, which ranks above New Jersey in reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, mandated early literacy screenings in 2023 and has since seen notable progress. Among a cohort of Massachusetts third graders who scored significantly below benchmark at the start of second grade the year prior, 69 percent went on to meet or partially meet expectations in third grade after receiving targeted instruction aligned to their screening results.
Research underscores that implementation will be a determining factor in whether universal screening moves the needle in New Jersey. A recent study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Center for Improving Literacy emphasizes the importance of ensuring educators receive ongoing training to administer screeners with fidelity and deliver tailored supports to the students who need them most. The impact from this legislation remains to be seen but addressing these gaps in education early on is crucial for student success.