The Grade Seven Academy Reading initiative, run at Holy Trinity High School in Kingston, recorded significant progress in pupils’ reading, according to a report cited by The Gleaner newspaper. The students were assessed three times over the 2026 school year.
Between the first and third assessments, 91.7% of pupils moved up a level, 7.5% stayed the same and only 0.8% went down. The median reading level rose from the equivalent of grade 2 to between grades 4 and 5.
The proportion of results at the most basic literacy level fell from 24.8% to 5.3%, while that of pupils with advanced comprehension and critical analysis rose from 2.8% to 24.7%. The report concludes that the students are better prepared for the demands of secondary education.
