Utah Leaders Convene to Address Adolescent Literacy as National Reading Scores Reach Historic Lows

Reading Horizons® and Ken Garff for Good brought together Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox, district leaders, policymakers, and literacy advocates to discuss how schools can better support striving readers in grades 6–12

Event photos are available for media download here. Please credit photos to Reading Horizons.

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Data released this week by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows that reading achievement among 13-year-olds has fallen back to levels last seen in the early 1970s. The results underscore the depth and persistence of literacy challenges facing today's middle school students. And while much of the national conversation has focused on early grades, new research makes clear the crisis doesn't stop when students leave elementary school. On Wednesday, June 17, Reading Horizons, a Kaysville-based literacy company, and Ken Garff for Good facilitated a candid, research-led conversation on what striving readers in grades 6-12 need.

“Utah's kids are our greatest investment,” said First Lady Abby Cox. “That doesn't change when they leave elementary school. Today’s convening is proof that we have people at every level working to do right by our children. Our community is committed to every reader, at every age.”

The event offered attendees an in-depth look at the Literacy in Transition Report, original national research drawing on survey responses from 2,648 educators across 49 states. Key findings show that:

• 76.7% report more than a quarter of their students are reading below grade level
• 54% identify missing foundational skills, not motivation or comprehension, as the primary barrier
• 84.3% believe older striving readers can catch up with the right support

The report is equally clear on what's standing in the way. Secondary educators say they lack age-appropriate materials and training to teach foundational skills to older students. The good news: among educators already using evidence-based literacy, the impact is real and it compounds the longer schools stick with it.

"When we look at the data, a pattern emerges that teachers already recognize from their classrooms: older students who struggle to read are missing critical foundational skills,” said Dr. Shantell Blake, EdD, VP of Education and Outreach at Reading Horizons. “The survey data confirms this. So does the research on root causes. What changes when you understand that is how you respond: instruction has to meet students where they actually are, not where we assume they should be.”

While Utah's 2026 legislative session produced significant K-3 investment, including new individualized reading plans and a statewide goal of 80% third-grade proficiency by 2030, the Literacy in Transition Report makes the case that structured literacy investment must extend further.

About Reading Horizons® Reading Horizons® is a 40-year-old, mission-driven literacy education company dedicated to empowering educators to eradicate illiteracy. Serving more than 200,000 educators and two million students across 50 states and 35 countries, Reading Horizons provides evidence-based, structured literacy instruction through its comprehensive platform, Ascend, which unites core, supplemental, and intervention instruction for students in Pre-K through grade 12 and beyond. For more information, visit readinghorizons.com.

About Ken Garff for Good Ken Garff for Good has provided pathways to education for Utah students for more than 20 years. Through its Literacy Initiative (formerly Road to Success), the organization has worked to inspire elementary school students to read daily with incentivized reading programs in schools across the state. Since its founding, Ken Garff for Good has connected Utah students with more than $100 million in scholarships. Today, the organization’s four signature programs – focused on literacy, higher education, young women’s mentorship and leadership, and technology - are active in all 41 Utah school districts, impacting students in over 365 high schools, 100 middle schools and junior highs, and 16,000 elementary school classrooms. To learn more, visit KenGarffForGood.org or follow along on LinkedIn.