Third grade is a critical checkpoint in a child's educational journey. By the end of third grade, children need literacy skills that prepare them for increasing curriculum demands in fourth grade and beyond. Students who are not reading on grade level by this point are significantly more likely to drop out of high school or fail to graduate on time. They are also less likely to be successful in postsecondary education. For these reasons, states should do everything possible to ensure that students can read proficiently before moving on from third grade. What can states do to ensure that students read proficiently by fourth grade? This report presents states' current progress on this milestone, which is crucial to a child's long-term success, and offers recommendations for states. The report examines alignment of standards, curriculum, instruction and assessment; early childhood and kindergarten; identification, intervention and retention; and teacher preparation and training for reading instruction. [This report, originally published in November 2017, has been updated with 2017 NAEP data and information about state dyslexia policies that passed during states' 2018 legislative sessions. Tables 1 and 2 have also been revised.]