(AP) -- The Michigan Department of Education plans a campaign to improve literacy following a report that says two-thirds of fourth graders don't read proficiently. The Annie E. Casey Foundation's "Kids Count" report released Tuesday says the nation faces high costs because of the large shareof fourth graders who aren't proficient at reading.
Countrywide figures for 2009 from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show 68 percent of fourth graders are less than proficient at reading. The figure is 70 percent for Michigan, which isn't statistically different from the U.S. figure.
The department plans meetings starting Monday on a new pre-kindergarten to adult literacy initiative, based on programs in Kentucky and Massachusetts.
Annie E. Casey Foundation: http://www.aecf.org
Michigan League for Human Services: http://www.milhs.org
Michigan Department of Education: http://www.michigan.gov/mde
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