Early Literacy Progress Stalls: New Amplify Data Shows K-2 Reading Scores Unchanged from Last Year

A new report shows how beginning-of-year screening can help schools target critical support

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Amplify, a creator of high-quality teaching and learning experiences for K–12, released a national research brief showing that early reading scores were unchanged from the prior year across grades K–2. The findings show why beginning-of-year data matter: regular screening can help schools identify students at risk for not learning to read before they fall further behind.

According to the latest data, 48% of K–2 students were on track to learn to read at the start of the 2026–2027 school year, while 35% were at risk for not learning to read. Both figures are unchanged from the 2025–2026 school year. While the share of students on track is up 7% from the post-pandemic low of 2021–2022, progress has plateaued over the past three years, leaving performance short of pre-pandemic levels.

"When early reading scores aren't improving, educators need a clear way to decide what to do next. A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) helps schools connect beginning-of-year assessment insights with instruction and interventions suited to each student, so young readers receive support that meets them where they are," said Susan Lambert, chief academic officer at Amplify.

The brief recommends that schools use beginning-of-year data as part of a coherent MTSS that includes four core components: universal dyslexia screening, regular progress monitoring, a tiered prevention system for targeted intervention, and data-based decision-making.

To help early readers at the beginning of the year, Amplify recommends that districts and schools:

• Administer a reliable universal screener to all students three times per year.
• Analyze data at the student, classroom, grade, and district levels to target resources.
• Provide all students with grade-level, evidence-based instruction grounded in the Science of Reading.
• Deliver immediate literacy support to at-risk students beyond core instruction and regularly track their progress to adapt teaching.
• Deepen educator knowledge of the Science of Reading and MTSS implementation.
• Instill a love of reading through school programs supported by caregivers and the community.

Read the complete research brief.

About Amplify: Amplify helps teachers bring delight and rigor to students every day. We have become a leader in K–12 literacy, biliteracy, math, and science by building inspiring teaching and learning experiences based on research. The Amplify Classroom platform combines curriculum, assessment, and supplemental learning into one coherent, high-quality instructional system. A pioneer in education since 2000, Amplify has developed deep relationships in states and districts by partnering with educators to drive implementation quality and improved outcomes. Today, Amplify serves more than 18 million students and teachers across all 50 states and on six continents. For more information, visit Amplify.com.

Media Contact: Kristine Frech; [email protected]

About the Data
The report highlights the positive effects of providing early literacy support by comparing Amplify mCLASS^®DIBELS^® 8th Edition benchmark data from the 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26, and 2026–27 school years. From more than 4 million students assessed with mCLASS, approximately 350,000 students in a matched set of 1,800 schools in 43 states are represented in the performance trend analysis. The schools in the source data are slightly more likely to be in large urban metropolitan areas than the nation overall, but perform comparably to the much larger mCLASS national population.

SOURCE Amplify