Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Bella Vista Elementary kindergarten teacher Tamara Coombs began her 13-year education career in the library — the place "where you really plant seeds of loving to read," she told the Deseret News.
Coombs later made the switch to teaching first grade and eventually pivoted to teaching kindergartners, whom she has taught for the past two years.
Coombs, who won the "Teacher of the Year" award for the 2022-23 school year at Bella Vista, an elementary school in Canyons School District, is known for passing on her love of reading to her students. "One area of strength has been her ability to foster a deep love of reading," Bella Vista's site says of Coombs. "Mrs. Coombs had such a positive influence on my daughter and helped her develop her love of reading. Mrs. Coombs encouraged my daughter to read new and different genres. She encouraged her to push herself and read books that might otherwise have seemed above her grade level," a parent said.
Coombs is not alone in fostering a passionate reading environment in her classroom, as hundreds of kindergarten teachers have helped to boost their students' reading scores throughout Utah, which was ranked the second-best state in education, according to a 2024 report from U.S. News & World Report.
The Utah State Board of Education recently announced significant improvement in reading proficiency among Utah's kindergartners, according to data from Acadience Learning, an assessment tool utilized throughout the United States that measures basic early literacy skills and helps track student progress.
What's behind kindergartners' improved reading levels?
According to Acadience Reading, 70% of kindergartners in 93 Utah schools, spanning across 22 districts and including three charter schools, are at the "above benchmark" level in reading. "Scoring 'above benchmark' means a student has a 90-99 percent chance of meeting subsequent literacy benchmarks and may benefit from instruction on more advanced skills," per the Utah State Board of Education.
Here are some key points from Acadience Reading's data, provided by the state board of education:
- Post COVID-19, the data shows an 11% increase in kindergartners achieving at or above benchmark reading levels since the end of the pandemic.
- Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a 16% increase in kindergartners achieving above benchmark reading levels, indicating the students are reading on grade level.
- Over 70% of kindergartners have made "typical or better growth on Acadience Reading," or in other words, nearly three-fourths of kindergarten students have shown improved reading levels when analyzing and comparing their scores at the beginning of a school year, mid-school year and at the end of a school year.
The state board also requires kindergarten through third grade teachers to participate in a professional "science of reading" learning where they learn how the young mind is wired and how to implement best strategies for teaching students to read, Christine Elegante, a former elementary school teacher and a current K-3 literacy specialist with the board of education, told the Deseret News.
"These achievements demonstrate the effectiveness of Utah's educational strategies in providing our youngest students with a strong foundation in literacy. By equipping students with essential reading skills early on, Utah is supporting long-term academic success and empowering students to reach their full potential," Sydnee Dickson, state superintendent of public instruction, said in the state board's news release. "As Utah continues to prioritize early literacy development, the state is positioned to continue its upward trajectory in reading proficiency and prepare students for academic challenges in the future."
Full-day kindergarten in Utah
Kindergartners' improved reading skills, according to the Utah State Board of Education, are "likely linked to the expansion of full-day kindergarten programs statewide and initiatives focused on enhancing reading instruction."
Last year, the Utah Legislature passed HB477, a bill that expanded access to full-day kindergarten options in Utah schools. Since March of 2023, when the bill passed, the Beehive State has seen a steady, significant increase in full-day kindergarten enrollment. This past school year, Elegante said, 77% of Utah kindergartners attended full-day kindergarten.
Coombs shared that having that extra time with students has dramatically improved the quality of their learning as a whole, not just their reading scores.
Elegante credits the full-day kindergarten expansion for having a big role in the reading gains. "This wouldn't have been made possible if they hadn't invested the money," Elegante said of Utah's legislators. "Full-day kindergarten, and having that funding available for anyone who wants to attend," she told the Deseret News, "is one of the best things we've done in education."
The full-day schedule, Elegante said, offers a wide variety of student and teacher benefits, including:
- With a longer school day, teachers are given more opportunities to spend time with students who may need additional help, and also provide extra enrichment for students who are already excelling. "Time is the most precious commodity that a teacher could ever have with students," she said.
- Children who have learning disabilities may thrive under the routine of being exposed to a structured, full-day schedule early on in their education.
- If a student's parent(s) work, the full-day kindergarten option offers a more flexible schedule that may work better for families.
- The state board is hoping to see kindergarten absenteeism improve with the full-day schedule. "Kindergarten has been one of those grades that, historically, we see higher rates of absenteeism," Elegante said, mainly due to half-day schedules only being roughly 2½ hours long.
When quantifying it, Elegante said that full-day kindergartners receive roughly an entire additional month of learning compared to their half-day peers, on average. Although kindergarten is an optional grade in the state of Utah, the earlier we invest in students, the better, Elegante said.
"Don't underestimate our youngest learners. They are just so eager and they are so capable," she said.
