A statement by Oklahoma Speaker of the House of Representatives Kyle Hilbert last week during an Oklahoma Press Association gathering at the state capitol was cause for The Purcell Register to investigate.

Hilbert, R-Bristow, said, “30 percent of Oklahoma fourth graders are reading at the first grade level.”

He was using last year’s Oklahoma State Test results.

Hilbert went on to say students in grades one through three learn to read so from then on they can read to learn.

The Register reached out to elementary and intermediate principals at Purcell, Lexington, Wayne and Washington to see how they are addressing reading at each district.

None of the school districts in the Heart of Oklahoma had anywhere close to a 30 percent rate of fourth graders reading at the first grade level.

Purcell Elementary Principal Cindy Stone said since the COVID year in 2020 there has been a gap, but more intervention – especially early on, is closing that gap.

“Last year we only sent (to the intermediate school) 22 students to third grade out of 100 that were not reading on grade level,” Stone said.

“A few years ago 65 percent were reading on grade level every year. We are slowly closing that gap from COVID. If students are having to sound out words they are not able to read and learn from what they are reading,” Stone said.

At Purcell Intermediate, where fourth grade students attend, principal Tina Swayze said, “Purcell School District uses NWEA/MAP, a state-approved benchmark assessment to progress monitor students.

“At the mid-year benchmark, 80 percent of all fourth graders scored above, at or approaching fourth grade reading competencies, while 19 percent were in need of receiving additional reading intervention,” she continued.

“Students needing reading support are served in Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, special services and tutoring outside the school day. All reading instructional teachers are grounded in the Science of Reading and trained in evidence-based focus on fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and the essential components of strong literacy development,” Swayze concluded.

At Lexington Elementary, principal Kathy Keeler said, “Lexington Elementary fourth graders averaged a 4.5 grade equivalency score (fifth month of fourth grade year) on our state approved, Benchmark Assessment in January.  With nine percent of our students scoring at a level requiring intense intervention provided through additional services.

“Lexington Public Schools has emphasized teachers being trained in the Science of Reading. We teach explicit phonemic awareness and phonics at an early age to assist our students in the reading process,” Keeler concluded.

Washington Elementary Principal Heather Barton and Intervention Specialist Mackenzie Johnson both addressed the issue.

“The kind of data schools rely on to understand how students are actually reading comes from state-approved benchmarking and diagnostic assessments,” Barton said. “ Those tools provide educators with detailed insight into student progress, specific skill gaps, and both mastered and missing skills—information that directly guides instruction and intervention.

“At the local level, what we are seeing in our classrooms does not align with the bleak narrative suggested by a single, high-level statistic. Our students are making meaningful progress, particularly in early literacy, and that progress is the result of very intentional instructional practices paired with strong intervention systems,” Barton continued.

“A large part of this success story is our people. We are fortunate to have an incredible teaching staff, dedicated support staff, and a highly effective intervention program working together to meet students where they are and help fill in gaps.

“My hope is that readers will understand that while statewide data can highlight areas of need, it does not fully capture what is happening inside individual schools or communities. There is important work happening here, and our educators and students deserve to have that fuller context included in the conversation,” Barton reported.

“The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) provided professional development training a couple of years ago through a company called Lexia. This training, called LETRS, was made available to Oklahoma teachers at no cost, and several teachers at Washington Elementary participated. LETRS focuses on the Science of Reading, and research has shown that through explicit and systematic instruction of foundational skills, students actively build neural pathways that strengthen their understanding of reading and writing.

“This curriculum strongly aligns with the Science of Reading by providing explicit and systematic phonics instruction for students in kindergarten through second grade, as well as for elementary reading interventions,” Johnson said. “At Washington Elementary, we have seen significant progress among our students since adopting this program and aligning our instruction with the Science of Reading.

“Regarding the information you received from the State Capitol about reading proficiency, I would like to provide insight into how our students are currently performing at Washington Elementary,” Johnson said.

“In third grade, the average reading level of our students as of February 2026 was 3.7. This indicates that, on average, students are reading at the seventh month of their third-grade year, which aligns with our current point in the school year.

“For our fourth-grade students, as of February 2026, the average reading level is 4.6. A further breakdown shows that four percent of students are reading at a first-grade level, six percent at a second-grade level, 18 percent at a third-grade level, 36 percent at a fourth-grade level, 20 percent at a fifth-grade level, 10 percent at a sixth-grade level and six percent at a seventh-grade level. Again, students reading significantly below grade level have supports in place, such as interventions and potentially IEPs,” she concluded.

Wayne Elementary Principal Julie Malone said no one on her fourth grade roster is below grade level.

“We use Benchmark testing which is much more accurate of child’s ability,” Malone said. “It’s all about growth through the year.

“I have two groups of fourth graders, one group is at 4.8 and one group is at 5.4. That averages out at 5.1 for the total fourth grade,” Malone said.