Why Third Grade?
Third grade reading matters. It is a predictor of high school graduation and career success, and literacy is uniquely
intertwined with civic engagement and democracy itself. Yet many children, especially Black and Brown children, in St.
Louis are missing this milestone.
Turn the Page STL is St. Louis’ Chapter of the National Campaign for Grade Level Reading with the goal of mobilizing our community collectively so that all St. Louis children are able to read proficiently by the end-of third grade.
Normandy
Riverview Gardens
Jennings
2019 % of ALL Students Reading Proficiently by the End of Third Grade, based on MAP test scores
Literacy Is a Social Justice Issue
From the data, we observe, in Districts where almost 100% of students are African American, their reading proficiency scores are the lowest.
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Jennings 99 %
% of Black students in the District 2019
Normandy 94.7 %
Riverview Gardens 99 %
The time is now to ensure all children, regardless of race or zip code, are able to read proficiently by the end of third grade, contributing to their long-term academic outcomes and personal well-being.​​
Partner With Us
“Illiteracy affects all areas of life and has a profound impact on the future economic growth in St. Louis. Those with low literacy skills are far more likely to live in poverty, face health problems, and grow isolated in a world increasingly dependent on computers.”
(Based on research by reading works, 2015)
Words From the Community
“The childhood experience of dreaming, growing and learning through reading is meant for all children in all zip codes, so I enthusiastically support the work of St. Louis’s first city-county wide literacy initiative, Turn the Page STL.”
