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New Reading Laws Boost Scores, Yet Many Lag Behind

4/24/2026

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Story summary
  • States are adopting new reading textbooks and teacher-training laws, but research shows mixed reading effects.
  • Louisiana’s 2021 law and Iowa’s 2024 law raised NAEP scores, to 60 % for fourth-grade and 74 % for sixth-grade.
  • The 2024 NAEP found 34 % of fourth-graders without disabilities and 72 % with disabilities scored below basic.
  • A 2025 Tennessee study reported mixed outcomes for dyslexic students and said new textbooks can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.