BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama’s third-grade reading scores were essentially unchanged this spring, with 88.3% of students meeting the state’s promotion benchmark on the ACAP reading test, according to preliminary data presented Thursday to the Alabama State Board of Education.
This year, 47,956 of about 54,300 third graders scored at or above the state’s third-grade reading benchmark, or cut score, of 444.
That leaves about 6,350 third graders who did not meet the cut score and will receive additional reading help before final promotion decisions are made.
Last spring, 88.4% of third graders met the same cut score, while just under 6,500 students fell short.
State Superintendent Eric Mackey said he was not alarmed that the percentage of students meeting the benchmark was basically the same as last year. He said the students who remain below the cut score are likely among the state’s most struggling readers and will need continued, intensive help.
As districts continue to verify their data, they are busily preparing for what comes next.
“The letters are going out to parents that their students are on or above grade level or they are not, and what that means for the summer,” Mackey said, referring to the summer reading camps districts are required to offer students who score below the cut score.
“We want to do what we need to do for those students, and then we’ll see what it looks like going forward next year,” he said.
Under the Alabama Literacy Act, students who fall short can still be promoted if they pass a retest, demonstrate grade-level reading through a portfolio or qualify for a good-cause exemption.
The number of students ultimately retained specifically because of the Literacy Act has been much smaller than the number who initially fell below the spring benchmark.
At the end of the 2024-25 school year, 3,454 third graders were promoted through good-cause exemptions, while 836 were retained specifically because of the Literacy Act, according to required legislative reports on the Alabama Reading Initiative.
At the end of the 2023-24 school year, about 4,800 third graders had initially fallen short of the benchmark. That year, the cut score was 435, lower than the current score. By the end of the school year, 2,052 third graders were promoted through good-cause exemptions and 452 were retained under the act.
Those two years of reports show that many students who fall short of the spring benchmark are later promoted through retesting, portfolio review or good-cause exemptions before final retention decisions are made.
Mackey reminded board members that the cut score is scheduled to rise from 444 to 454 for the 2026-27 school year.
“For next year, these numbers may not look this good,” Mackey said.