Rep. Jason Ortitay: Time to fix Pennsylvania’s literacy crisis now
When nearly half of Pennsylvania’s third graders can’t read at grade level, we don’t have an education gap; we have an emergency.
It doesn’t matter if a child lives in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia or a small town like Cecil or McDonald — if they can’t read by third grade, the odds of success in school, work and life begin slipping away fast.
And yet, Pennsylvania has no comprehensive, statewide plan to address this. No structured strategy. No urgent action.
That must change — now.
I’ve spent the last five years working on legislation that would bring structured literacy to classrooms across our Commonwealth. It’s built on one simple idea: teach kids how to read using methods that actually work.
This isn’t political. It’s practical. States like Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida have already shown the way — invest in evidence-based reading instruction early on and you will see big gains in test scores, graduation rates and lives changed.
This isn’t just about education. It’s about economics. Kids who can’t read by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. They’re more likely to need special education, end up in the criminal justice system or struggle to find meaningful work. That costs taxpayers a fortune in the long run.
When we teach a child to read, we’re not just opening a textbook. We’re opening up a world of opportunity. We’re giving them the tools to dream bigger, aim higher and participate more fully in our democracy.
Literacy builds confidence. It improves mental health. It helps parents read to their kids, employees understand job manuals, and people stay connected through newspapers and digital tools. It strengthens every stage of life.
More than that, it brings us together. Every community — urban, rural and suburban — wants their children to thrive. Literacy is common ground. It’s not red or blue. It’s about the kind of Commonwealth we want to be. A place where no child is written off.
The 2025–26 state budget is being negotiated right now. If there was ever a moment to act, this is it.
We have a chance to fund early literacy initiatives that will train teachers in evidence-based reading instruction and give every child in Pennsylvania a fighting chance to succeed.
This isn’t about party lines or political wins. It’s about kids. It’s about future taxpayers, workers and parents. It’s about making sure every child can walk into a classroom and not just survive but thrive.
Gov. Josh Shapiro has said he wants results, not politics. I agree. So, let’s deliver results that matter and, as he says, “get stuff done.”
The time is now. We can’t afford to wait.
Rep. Jason Ortitay represents the 46th district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, including parts of Allegheny and Washington Counties.
” States like Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida have already shown the way”
Florida is 44th in literacy
Mississippi ranks is 49th in literacy
Louisiana is 50th in literacy
Pennsylvania is 28th in literacy
This is not “showing the way”. If we should emulate a state then our tax dollars should be spent on emulating;
1. New Hampshire
2.Minnesota
3 Alaska
4 District of Columbia
5 Vermont
6 North Dakota
7 Washington
8 Utah
9 Iowa
10 Oregon
The fictitious commentator “Judah” has completely missed the points in Rep. Ortitay’s article… by focusing on rankings based on historical adult literacy rates, which do not directly address the article’s actual focus: third-grade reading proficiency or recent policy impacts.
States like New Hampshire and Minnesota have high literacy but lack evidence of recent, scalable reforms for a crisis like Pennsylvania’s. And “Judah’s” argument also ignores the socioeconomic and demographic differences between states. Mississippi’s reforms, for example, are more relevant to Pennsylvania’s diverse student population.
Rep. Ortitay’s argument is correct in highlighting Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida as models for improving early-grade reading through evidence-based reforms. His article focuses on third-grade reading proficiency and recent improvements, not overall adult literacy. Adult literacy rates reflect historical educational outcomes and socioeconomic factors, not necessarily recent interventions for young students. The states Rep. Ortitay mentions have shown measurable gains in NAEP fourth-grade reading scores, particularly for disadvantaged students, despite their low overall adult literacy rankings. The focus on structured literacy, teacher training, and early interventions aligns with research showing that third-grade reading proficiency is critical for long-term academic success. The claim that Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida have “shown the way” is supported by evidence of significant improvements in fourth-grade reading proficiency, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), following the adoption of science-based reading curricula.
” And “Judah’s” argument also ignores the socioeconomic and demographic differences between states. Mississippi’s reforms, for example, are more relevant to Pennsylvania’s diverse student population.” – So you support DEI.
If schools spent more time on academics and less on implementing DEI ideologies, the results would improve considerably.
Do you know of any specific DEI programs that are taking away time from education?
Great awareness article, but how does the average taxpayer effect change..other than voting?
The statistic that almost half of third graders not being able to read at grade level (cite your source, please) is appalling, if true; and even more so when compared to the taxes paid to support schools.
The people who write these articles don’t have valid sources. They expect you to “Google it”.
Marilyn Gural,
The 2024 PSSA results provide a clear picture of third-grade reading proficiency. The official data, extracted from the Assessment Reporting page, is presented in the following table:
Grade – 3 Number Scored – 112,752 9.1% Advanced 46.7% Proficient 28% “Basic” 16.2% Below Basic 55.8% Proficient and above
Thus, 55.8% of third graders were reading at or above grade level, combining those at advanced (9.1%) and proficient (46.7%) levels.
Not Proficient: 44.2% were below grade level, comprising those at “basic” (28.0%) and below basic (16.2%) levels.
The 44.2% figure supports the claim that “almost half” of third graders are not reading at grade level, 44% is very close to 50% – especially given the topic of children being able to read. The large number scored (112,752) ensures the sample size is representative, enhancing the reliability of these statistics. There is a Philadelphia Inquirer article from November 27, 2024, which discusses these 2024 PSSA results, noting English scores dropped despite slight improvements in math and science, with overall performance still below pre-pandemic levels. While it doesn’t specify third-grade ELA, it mentions statewide English proficiency, which aligns with the 53% figure for all grades 3-8 from an Erie Times-News article dated January 6, 2025, which is close to the 55.8% for third graders specifically.
The Erie Times-News article states, “Statewide, 53% of students scored at or above their grade level in English, 40.4% in math, and 65.8% in science,” which is consistent with the PSSA data for third graders, suggesting the 44.2% not proficient is part of a broader trend.
Michael. It is clear that you have the data and Not an opinion. That is what we need to address the problem. How about considering that the problem is not spread over the whole State, uniformly. We in Philly are handing a High School Diploma to our Young people with 3rd grade reading and math. THey are functionally Illiterate. Then, to cover their tracks, they teach CRT that tells our young people that they are prepared and the only reason they are not getting those good . well paying jobs is systemic RACISM when it is really Systemic Stupidity. So can we agree that Jobs and Housing are the symptoms that it is your fundamental education that allows you to be trained so you can get a job, rent or buy a home and have a family. My point of view as a small contr5actor is, I am SELFISH, I don’t care if your make ends in a vowel, what color or ethnic persuasion you are THE ONLY THING I CARE ABOUT IS WHAT YOU KNOW AND WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE ME A $BUCK, If you make me money I can pay you, If you don’t think I am paying you what you are worth, you take you and Your Skills down the street and sell them to someone else, When we stop allowing politicians to have us believe we need to isolate ourselves because divided we are more likely to hate and think we need them to protect our group, Well them we will have the MLK dream of a color bling society, He spoke the truth, we just need to see it and live it IMHO