Decline Reading Proficiency Continues for Kids

It is estimated that 67% of fourth-grade students do not read proficiently at their grade level. Only one-third of high school seniors are considered proficient readers, and only 4% of seniors reached the highest level of advanced proficiency in reading on a recent test.

In fact, only 39% of teacher preparation programs across the nation are actually teaching the concepts and strategies of effective reading instruction. (Source)

This review is prior to the COVID19 issue.

Help Your Kids in Reading

One good thing, coming from forced stay-at-home, many parents have directly seen their kids’ abilities, involving the school teachings. This is at least one saving grace.

With this ongoing public health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, parents are concerned to send their kids back to school, while the schools wrestle with reopening.

“Obviously, this is a challenging time for everybody, with choices that we haven’t had before and ways of doing things that we haven’t done before,”

said FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand.

Personally, in my observation, all schools are struggling these uncharted waters. Their infrastructure is not setup for true online learning, coupled with teachers not prepared.

This is a grave concern considering such low proficiency before this disruption.

What Can A Parent Do?

I came across these suggestions. You may also be interested in finding out Best Way to Learn Critical Thinking.

• The parent teaches reading. Be a mentor for your child.
• Talk to your kids and use big words. Don’t be afraid to speak intelligently.
• Read to your kids and have them read to you.
• Have your kids tell you a story.
• Teach phonics and be phonemic aware.
• Promote writing.
• Ask questions after your child reads. This will ensure they are thinking about what they are reading.

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#KnowledgeShare | Matt Cole | #infobyMattCole