August 29, 2017
Read On Arizona
MEDIA ADVISORY
State of Arizona and City of Phoenix Receive National Awards at
Read On Arizona Literacy Summit August 29
Governor Ducey, Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, Community Partners Come Together to Advance Early Literacy
WHAT:
The Read On Arizona Literacy Summit 2017 on Tuesday, August 29 is a convening of community leaders and partners to discuss the status of early literacy, its long-term impact on communities and our state, and the critical steps to making third-grade reading proficiency a reality for Arizona’s children. Read On Arizona, the state’s third-grade literacy initiative, is the catalyst to the bold but achievable goal of reading success for all of Arizona’s children, birth through age eight.
WHO:
Select speakers include Governor Doug Ducey (State of Arizona); Superintendent Diane Douglas (Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction); Rep. Paul Boyer (Arizona Legislative District 20); Mayor Greg Stanton (City of Phoenix); Ralph Smith (Campaign for Grade-Level Reading); Michelle Doherty (2017 Arizona Teacher of the Year, Encanto Elementary); Karol Schmidt (Arizona State Board of Education); Terri Clark (Arizona Literacy Director). The event is open to the public; there is no cost to attend.
Members of the media: To cover and attend the event, contact Karen Leland (kleland@pipertrust.org). Post-event interviews are available.
WHEN:
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
2:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Phoenix Convention Center, North Ballroom
100 N. 3rd St. in Phoenix
WHY:
39,000—that’s right—more than 39,000 Arizona third-graders are minimally proficient in reading skills, putting many at risk for retention. Arizona’s mandatory retention policy, Move On When Reading (ARS 15-701), requires that a student not be promoted from third to fourth grade if he/she scores far below the third-grade level on the AzMERIT assessment. A student who can't read on grade level by the end of third grade is four times less likely to graduate high school by age 19. Add poverty to the mix, and a student is 13 times less likely to graduate on time than his or her proficient, financially stable peer.
Learn about Read On Arizona and Read On Phoenix as they are recognized by The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading with Pacesetter Awards, which are given for significant efforts that move the needle to improve early literacy.
Educators, families, businesses, public agencies, philanthropy, and communities all have roles to play in children’s literacy.
