More than half of the students entering urban high schools read at or below the sixth-grade level.

More than half of the third-grade students read at a sixth-grade level.

She said many, including some of the 50 percent who are high school graduates, function at a fifth- or sixth-grade level.

He was educated only to sixth-grade level and began his career as a bank official.

Her son, who is in the third grade, reads at the sixth-grade level, she said, but had trouble completing a practice test.

When we came in, 9,700 of the previous year's 27,000 graduates were reading at sixth-grade level or below.

Some are in basic literacy classes because they read below sixth-grade level.

Translation: "Learn to read above the sixth-grade level and you just might win early parole."

For example, four years ago, eighth graders were required to read only at a sixth-grade level, or score 6.8 on the test.

More than 40 percent were from minority groups, and the average reading ability was at the sixth-grade level.