Third grade reading skills are pivotal to the future academic success of students. There are important “watersheds” in reading where the demands on students change drastically. The first and most critical watershed comes in the 4th grade when students transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”.

Overall, TTUSD 3rd grade readers outperform their California counterparts, but fall short of their cohorts across Placer County. English Learners in TTUSD fare poorly compared with their counterparts in both Placer County and California. Despite a steady rise in the proficiency rates of English Learners, there remains a distinct gap in the performance of TTUSD's English learners and its English speakers.

Closing the achievement gap for students below the proficient level in all academic areas is one of TTUSD’s top five goals. TTUSD is working to close the achievement gap through specific academic intervention strategies, staff development, and increased counseling time with students and their parents.