Education Plan Seeks To Close Achievement Gap In Mass.

Gov. Deval Patrick wants all children in Massachusetts to be proficient in reading by the third grade.

The governor announced several new initiatives by his administration on Wednesday to close what is known as the achievement gap between students of various race, ethnicity and income levels.

Patrick said studies show that most students who are not proficient in reading by the third grade will continue to struggle academically in the future.

Kindergarten Readiness Literacy pilot programs would be set up in communities with large immigrant populations. The programs would provide reading support for at-risk students during the summer between pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Another summer program would be created for students who are English language-learners to help them become more competent in English.

The governor's plan also calls for creating a Commonwealth Education Innovation public-private partnership fund to raise money for the educational initiatives around the state.

With reporting by The Associated Press and the WBUR Newsroom