Reading is the key to your child’s success in school, and third grade is a critical year. At this stage, your child will go from learning how to read to using their reading skills to understand other subjects like math, science, and social studies. Reading and comprehending grade-level text is essential for your child’s academic growth, cognitive development, and critical thinking. Third grade will lay the foundation for future learning and success in school.

There are some cases in which a student may be promoted to fourth grade, even if they are not reading at the required level. These are called Good Cause Exemptions (GCEs). Your child may qualify for an exemption if they:

1. Have limited English proficiency (fewer than two years of English instruction).

2. Have a disability and are receiving specialized services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) with reading services for two years.

3. Have already been retained once in an earlier grade and have two years of intervention.

4. Attend Summer Reading Camp and demonstrate reading progress by scoring Approaches Expectations or higher on the end-of-camp assessment (iReady).

Please reach out to your school if you think your child may qualify for a Good Cause Exemption.

Your child will focus on developing both reading fluency (reading smoothly and accurately) and comprehension (understanding what they read). By the end of third grade, students are expected to be able to explain key details from what they’ve read, both in literary and informational texts.

Here’s how we will support your child’s reading development:

• One-on-One Instruction: Teachers will work with your child individually as needed.

• Small Group Instruction: Your child will receive targeted reading support in small groups.

• Differentiated Instruction: Lessons will be tailored to meet your child’s individual needs.

At home, you can support your child’s reading growth by:

• Encouraging them to read aloud to you or a family member.

• Asking questions about what they’ve read, such as, "What happened in the story?" or "Why do you think that character made that choice?"

• Setting aside time each day for reading.

Our goal is to help your child become a confident, independent reader and to ensure they move on to fourth grade on schedule.

Throughout the year, we will regularly assess your child’s progress and communicate the results to you. Working together, we can help your child reach grade-level reading proficiency. Please stay in close contact with your child’s teacher to monitor their progress and discuss additional ways to support your child at home.

Once SC Ready scores are available, schools will use the following flowchart to make decisions regarding promotion or retention of third graders. Certain actions are required for students scoring at or below the Does Not Meet cut point.

BCSD is dedicated to student success, and we value parent feedback and collaboration when students require improvement.

If you have any questions about your child's progress or need extra materials to help with reading at home, don’t hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher.

Should you have any questions or concerns that weren't addressed at the school level, please feel free to reach out to our Office of Curriculum and Instruction using the contact details provided below.