2026 OCAP State of the Child Report

THIRD GRADE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS DISPARITIES PERSIST BY RACE/ETHNICITY AND INCOME, DESPITE GAINS IN STUDENT PERFORMANCE PROGRESS DESCRIPTION OF INDICATOR This indicator draws on California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) results to show third-grade achievement in English Language Arts and Literacy. It reflects the share of students who meet or exceed standards, nearly meet them, or do not meet them.

Why is this indicator important?

Findings 1 • In 2024-2025, 40.4% of third grade students met or exceeded ELA standards, reflecting a 7.4% increase when compared to 33% in 2014 2015. • Despite overall gains, performance disparities persist across race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, indicating uneven distribution of academic progress. • Variation across reading, writing, listening, and research domains suggests differing strengths and areas for growth within foundational literacy skills.

Third grade reading proficiency is a foundational milestone. Students who do not demonstrate grade-level reading skills by third grade face increased risk of later academic challenges. Monitoring ELA outcomes helps identify progress over time and highlight disparities across student groups.

1 California Department of Education. (2025). CAASPP Smarter Balanced ELA results. DataQuest. https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/

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