Georgia aims to boost low literacy rate, in part by copying Mississippi’s successful blueprint

One in six Georgia adults have low literacy skills, according to a 2017 Deloitte report. The researchers further found that these adults cost Georgia about $1.26 billion per year, with most of that, $818 million, in paying for people in prison. One survey ranked Georgia as No. 42 in the nation with a literacy rate of 76.4%.

And the results of the spring 2023 Georgia Milestones tests suggest that some children are having difficulty reading as well. More than a third of Georgia third-graders – 34.1% – are reading below grade level.

The state department of education points to pandemic learning loss as exacerbating Georgia’s low literacy rates. According to a department presentation, 42% of third-graders were rated proficient readers or above in their 2019 Milestones test. That number dropped to 36% in 2021, but rose to 39% this year, still below the pre-pandemic level.