County’s third-grade readers don’t keep pace with state

P a l m B e a c h C o u n t y ’s p u b - l i c s c hools are f al l i ng f ur t her behind the rest of the state in one of their most crucial tasks: teaching third-graders to read at grade level.

The percentage of the county’s third-graders passing the state language arts exam rose 2 points this year to 54 percent, according to state test results released Friday.

But across Florida, third-grade proficiency improved at twice that rate, bringing the passing Get more news every day about Palm Beach County schools at the Extra Credit blog. rate statewide to 58 percent and widening the gap with Palm Beach County.

County school district leaders acknowledged that third-graders’ reading performance continues to be a “soft spot,” pointing out that the school district trails nearby Broward and Miami-Dade counties