HISD Adds New Literacy Supports, Including ‘Kinder Bridge,’ For All Third Graders To Read on Grade Level

Houston ISD is ramping up its early literacy interventions to ensure all students entering third grade in 2028 will read on grade level.

As part of this effort, select campuses are adding additional support for Kindergarten through second grade students, including an optional extra grade level between Kindergarten and first grade called Kinder Bridge. 

The initiative reflects growing research findings that show third grade is a critical turning point in a child’s education. If students do not master essential early reading skills, Deputy Superintendent Kristen Hole said students may fall behind not only in literacy but across every subject that depends on reading comprehension. 

"We want to make sure our most struggling readers gain the literacy skills they need to move on to third grade fully prepared to be successful," Hole said. 

What’s Changing? 

The initiative will be piloted at the following elementary campuses: 

• Blackshear Elementary
• Elmore Elementary
• Hilliard Elementary
• Smith Elementary
• C. Martinez Elementary 
• Bonham Elementary 
• Shadydale Elementary

At the end of this school year, Kindergarten students at these campuses who were not reading at grade level, according to Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR), were provided the opportunity to participate in Kinder Bridge. Kinder Bridge is a one-year accelerated Kindergarten curriculum with first grade elements to ensure students are fully prepared to enter the first grade. 

Parents may also choose to opt-in their child to Kinder Bridge if they believe it would be a good developmental opportunity for their child, even if they are reading on grade level.

Hole said that at the basis of this initiative are findings that students who are older, even by a couple of months, have an advantage in reaching grade-level standards. 

In the 2024-25 school year, third grade HISD students who are born in September—typically the oldest in their class—are 11% more likely to reach grade-level reading standards on the 2025 State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) compared to their youngest peers born in August. This trend can persist until the eighth grade, Hole said. 

“Children develop at different rates and time matters a lot,” Hole said. “Kinder Bridge allows more time for development for the students who need it and increases the likelihood that students will reach grade level.” 

In addition to Kinder Bridge, select rising second graders who do not currently read on grade level will have the opportunity to attend a 22-day summer intensive reading workshop this summer and receive in-school support during their second grade school year. Hundreds of HISD students have already started to participate in this incredible support opportunity.

Why Third Grade? 

While Texas mandates that  third graders who don’t pass the STAAR receive instructional intervention, Hole said HISD is focusing on earlier support. Research published in 2010 by the University of Chicago found that third graders who were not on reading level were less likely to meet that standard in the eighth grade, graduate high school, and attend college. 

“We don’t want to wait until third grade, when students who are not reading on grade level have little time to catch up,” Hole said. “We want to intervene early to close those gaps.” 

Hole said students who reach third grade without literacy skills often struggle across all subjects because reading is essential to math, science, and social studies. 

Between 2023 and 2026, the rollout of rigorous, structured reading instruction under the New Education System (NES) has been linked to a reduction of students reading below grade level, according to middle-of-year DIBELS scores in those years. 

Over those three years, the share of third-grade students meeting grade-level expectations in reading increased by seven percentage points. Reading scores between third and eighth grade also rose by an average of 7.4 points, indicating that the additional literacy support may lead to continued gains in student achievement over time.

 

The Bigger Picture 

Hole said the goal is to remove barriers that could later limit students’ chances of graduating, going to college, or securing a high‑wage, high‑skill job by stepping in early, when support has the greatest impact. 

In a parallel effort, the district increased parent outreach to boost PreK enrollment. A 2023 study by the education nonprofit Good Reason Houston found that children who attended free PreK were nearly three times more likely to be ready for Kindergarten than those who did not, which has made early enrollment a key focus for HISD leaders.

“When we strengthen early learning, consistent support, and the resources students need from the beginning of their educational journey, we give them the opportunity to succeed during their time at HISD and beyond,” Hole said.