Iowa State University is a part of “Collaborating for Kids,” a new partnership between the Iowa Department of Education, area education agencies and school districts aimed at getting all Iowa students reading on grade level by the end of the third grade. Four work teams met for the first time Thursday to begin working on the issue. Changes are expected to take effect this fall. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, just 33 percent of Iowa fourth-graders were proficient or advanced in reading in 2011. Two-thirds fell below the proficiency level. Jan Westerman-Beatty, a clinical professor in the ISU School of Education, is a member of one of the four work teams, according to a news release.