ELIZABETHTOWN — Bladen County Schools recently released its 2015-2016 Ready to Achieve Grade 3 end-of-year results.

According to the report:

— 45.1 percent of students in third grade demonstrated reading proficiency (scored level 3 or higher).

— 54.9 percent did not demonstrate reading proficiency.

— 19.2 percent, or 73 students, were exempt from mandatory retention in third grade for good cause. Students may be counted in this category only once.

— 42.6 percent took and passed an alternative assessment approved by the State Board of Education. This percentage is calculated by first subtracting the number of students exempt from the number who did not demonstrate proficiency.

— 14.4 percent of students in membership on the first day of spring testing were retained for not demonstrating reading proficiency on third-grade standards.

Per a statute requiring LEAs to post results online, the report can be found on Bladen County Schools’ web site.

Third-grade students receive extra attention in North Carolina because of the state’s Read to Achieve (RtA) legislative initiative, a part of the Excellent Public School Act. Under this state law, third-grade students who are not reading at grade level by the end of the third grade will receive special help, including summer reading camp and other interventions, to make sure that they can read well enough to be able to do fourth-grade work.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has created a repository of resources regarding RtA.

Staff report