Pathways to Grade-Level Reading

Explore the Dashboard

At the center of the Pathways to Grade-Level Reading Measures of Success Framework is the Pathways Vision. It is surrounded by goals, including:

• Health and Development on Track Beginning at Birth

• Supported and Supportive Families and Communities

• High Quality Birth-through-Age-Eight Learning Environments with Regular Attendance

Surrounding the goals are Measures of Success (ex: Safe at Home). These measures help to quantify progress toward the goals and are tied to grade-level reading by the end of third grade. Click the Measures of Success to explore their data.

Pathways Influencers are measures that move, or influence, the Pathways Measures of Success and also have research connecting them to early literacy. Click on the goals below or the tabs at the top of the page to explore the Pathways Influencer data.

The orange circle highlights Community Conditions in which children live (ex: Economically Viable Communities). These conditions influence, and frequently drive, child outcomes. Click on orange Children's Living Conditions to explore their data.

On-track development of early language skills, being ready for kindergarten, and achieving expected reading growth in the early grades (K-3) are critical developmental milestones on the pathway to reading on grade level by the end of third grade. Click on Developmental Milestones at the bottom of the diagram to explore their data.

Data pages open in new windows and are best viewed in Google Chrome.

About Pathways to Grade-Level Reading

The majority of NC children, especially those from low-income families, are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade. Reading well in the early grades predicts a child’s academic and career success. Research shows that improving third grade reading takes a coordinated birth-through-age-eight approach that focuses on children’s health and development, families and communities, and high quality learning environments with regular attendance. It takes aligned policies and practices all working toward a common vision.

The NC Pathways to Grade-Level Reading (Pathways) initiative is bringing together diverse leaders working across disciplines—health, family and community support, and early learning and education; across sectors—government, policy, private and nonprofit; across systems—birth-through-age-five and kindergarten-through-third-grade; and across the political aisle. These leaders are asking what is possible. What would be possible if—

• We adopted shared, whole child, birth-through-age-eight measures that put children on a pathway to grade-level reading?

• We aligned policies and practices that were rooted in how children develop?

• We coordinated strategies to support children’s optimal development beginning at birth?

And people are acting. Together, Pathways stakeholders have co-created shared measures, and aligned policies and coordinated strategies that support children’s success.

The Pathways Measures of Success Framework was developed by the Pathways Data Action Team—30 experts from North Carolina’s leading universities, research institutes, government agencies, businesses and think tanks—in partnership with Pathways to Grade-Level Reading partners.

The Pathways Action Framework was developed by the Pathways Learning Team and Design Teams with input from families, communities, research, and other early childhood leaders. The Action Framework includes aligned strategies and actions that North Carolina should prioritize to move the needle on grade-level reading and child well-being. Explore the prioritized actions and initiatives that are actively working to these areas using the Pathways Action Map.