By the time a child leaves Kindergarten, they are expected to be reading.  If a child leaves Kindergarten unable to read, they are already “behind”.  Another unfortunate fact is testing doesn’t begin at 3rd grade, it begins in kindergarten where many school districts administer the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy)  assessment to determine if a child has early mastered early learning concepts.  These assessments are considered to be early indicator for a child’s educational success.  Research shows that one in six children who are not reading proficiently in third grade do not graduate from high school on time.