217 Today: Over one-third of Illinois fourth graders don’t have basic reading skills. The state plans to change that

Second grader Calvin Cowen practices reading with teaching assistant Kelsey Martlage at Meade Park Elementary School in Danville on January 26, 2024.

Monday, February 12, 2024

Today’s headlines:

  • Black health advocacy groups are calling on the state to properly fund Black-led HIV and AIDS treatment providers.
  • There’s an error on the Federal Application for Free Student Aid website that does not allow undocumented parents to create an account without a social security number.
  • The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team lost on the road yesterday to the Michigan State Spartans.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about the Illinois State Board of Education’s new plan to bring up literacy rates.

Reporting today contributed by Mawa Iqbal, Stephanie Mosqueda, Colin Hislope and Emily Hays.

 

Farrah Anderson

Farrah Anderson is a 2024 graduate of the University of Illinois. At Illinois Public Media, Anderson works as a general assignment reporter focusing on police and investigative stories.