At Risk Students and Reading Proficiency

"The most recent National Assessment of Education Progress reading test reports that 30% of high school seniors, 31% of eighth graders, and 42% of fourth graders couldn't reach "basic" reading levels. Those students who have spent from four to thirteen years in school, don't have even "partial mastery" of the reading skills expected at their grade level."

As the human race continues to become progressively more intelligent, countries are becoming more and more competitive in a “race to the top.” Our society, and others alike, have placed increasing demands on citizens in an effort to ensure they go on to be productive, intelligent contributors. While this is a natural progression of the human race, those who were previously struggling to succeed are now fighting to close an even larger gap. When it comes to education, this is a clear and present concern for many educators and students. Teachers are being held accountable for raising the bar and ensuring that each student performs successfully, in accordance with the national (Common Core) standards. A big concern regarding these increasing demands of an every changing society, are students who are already struggling to succeed, such as those with learning disabilities. One of the primary targets of the Common Core is reading, as reading ability is considered to strongly predict whether or not a student goes on to be successful in the education system and in society. In order to service these children, educators have experimented with many research-based interventions in an effort to get struggling students up to grade level and prevent them from being taken out of the general education classroom. The following articles discuss various aspects of a popular research-based intervention, Fountas and Pinnell, and how this interventions benefit students with learning disabilities, specifically in the area of reading comprehension.

This article discusses how research in following years has culminated to give us the insurmountable information we have today on best reading practices. The authors wrote this article in response to a presentation given on reading intervention researchers. They have all published numerous article before and worked extensively on identifying factors of reading disabilities and difficulties. The article highlights key components of effective literacy instruction, such as differentiation, and explicit instruction. A strong

One of the most valuable skills is learning how to read. Every day there is a plethora of information to be gained by reading. However, reading can often be difficult to learn, especially for children. Today, “68% of America’s fourth graders do not read at a proficient level” (Children’s Literacy Foundation). Not being able to read efficiently could affect the child later in life. Children that have reading difficulties also have other problems such as “[becoming] anxious, and struggle more” (Marieanna C. leRoux, Leslie Swartz, Estelle Swart 656). Recently, there have been programs such as R.E.A.D and Tail Waggin’ Tutors to propose a unique solution to children who struggle with reading. In these programs,

According to Kauerz (2002),More money is spent on education in the United States more than any other country in the world. However, 42 million illiterate adults and individuals reading below sixth grade level is a reported 50 million. Research has shown that if a student has a reading difficulty once reaching third grade that student will continue to have difficulties in reading throughout their time in school. Also, This population will be less likely to graduate and possibly end up in the legal system. The literacy problem signifys a need to research why reading instruction programs in schools are kiin to the “Matthey Effect”, e.g. children who do not read at their expected level are almost certain to fall further behind (Foster

Promoting reading skills to students with LD may appear to be a very difficult task. The varying needs of the students, along with learning conditions in the congested public school could leave behind LD students in the integrated classroom. To address problems, reading interventions should be in place to give students with LD equal opportunities as mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy. These interventions should be designed to address two aspects of reading skills: oral decoding and reading comprehension.

Facebook, texting, TV, sport and club activities, jobs, family obligations, schoolwork, and hanging out with friends -- these are the activities that make up a teenager’s world today. Add sleeping time into this mix, and the once popular leisure activity called reading ranks among most teenagers’ lowest priorities. In the high-tech, high-speed 21st century, reading proficiency is an essential tool to compete in today’s global marketplace. Yet numerous study results show a continual decline in students’ reading performance. The 2007 reading study by the National Endowment for the Arts noted that “reading has slipped to a mere eight minutes per day for 18-24-year-olds” (To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence, p. 10). A survey of reading by the National Assessment of Educational Progress conducted between 2005-2007 indicated more students are reading below basic benchmarks, and the number of students performing at or above the proficient level is declining (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2009). Clearly, reading intervention for students is needed.

There’s no denying that reading is the foundation for all academic achievement (paths, whether they lead you down the road of a doctoral degree or to the door of parenting). It reinforces language and communication, without it you cannot read a menu, bus schedule, recipe, street sign, bank statement or loved ones letter, not to mention phone texts or discovering a favorite book. Reading navigates us through our day-to-day life and fuels our imagination (and opens up worlds of possibilities: new countries, new cultures, and your own history). However, the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), aka “Nation’s Report Card”, revealed 34% of fourth grade students in public schools fell below the basic reading level and one in six students not reading proficiently in the third grade do not graduate high school on time. These staggering statistics along with the accountability reforms of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have led scholars and educators to look for more effective means of reading instruction and have contributed to the development of alternative, supplemental reading activities and programs to support/bolster literacy improvement. Research shows that the level of reading fluency in third grade is a predictor of future academic achievement. Third grade is when reading transitions from decoding to comprehension of text (Stevens, 2006). These key literacy skills build students’ capacity to learn independently, from all academic fields and social environments (Shanahan, 2010). It is no surprise that reading instruction is such a strong focus of curriculum in pre and early elementary education.

Practical adolescent literacy or remedial reading programs should use technology as an instructional tool (Sternberg, Borck, & Kaplan, 2007). When technology is used as an instrument, it can foster proper support for struggling readers (Silver-Pacuilla, & Fleischman, 2006). Struggling or remedial readers need instructional reinforcement and guided practice opportunities to enhance their comprehension skills (Lee, & Spratley, 2010). There are instructional technology reading programs that help remedial/struggling students improve decoding, spelling, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension deficiencies (Coyne, Kame’enui, & Carnine,

Improving Reading in the Primary Grades goes into depth on how we can increase children’s reading skills by helping children sound out certain words, which makes them understand the word more. By doing this, children understand what letter represents which sound. If literacy is neglected from primary schools, the neglect continues as the child gets older advancing into higher grades. Vocabulary plays a major role in comprehension therefore if teacher’s neglect spending time on vocabulary, the chances of the child being able to grasp comprehension diminish. Early Literacy Instruction in the Climate of No Child Left Behind encompasses the concept of children striving for greatness. Teachers work to make students comprehend the material being presented to them. In order to make sure students are at grade level reading, reading programs for kindergarten through third grade has been developed. They are running to establish the concept of all students maintaining high-level education. Teachers ensure that the time they have with students is being used to its full capacity. Upon reading these articles, upcoming teachers are able to incorporate strategies in hopes of enhancing reading comprehension skills of

Literacy is one of the most important aspects of education in the 21st century, affecting student learning, wellbeing and future opportunities. The links between the ability to read, school performance, self-esteem and life chances in adult life have been widely researched and documented (Shoghi, Willersdorf, Braganza, and McDonald. 2013 p. 4). Now more than ever, children need literacy for everyday task in our increasingly complex lives, and from a societal perspective, the success and prosperity of the nation, depends on a literate community to prosper in the global knowledge economy.

United States National Endowment for the Arts. (2004, June). Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literaty Reading in America [Research Division Report #46]. Retrieved September 22, 2004, from National Endowment for the Arts: http://www.nea.gov/news/news04/ReadingAtRisk.html

.... (Elley, p.228) To solve the problem of illiteracy in the U.S. and the world will take time and a better understanding of the many causes that create our society of readers. "The value of literacy for achieving fulfilling, productive, expanding and participating lives of freedom in modern societies is undoubted, and unquestioned. At the same time, however, literacy does not seem to be well understood." &endash;H. Graff (Ed.). (1981). Literacy and social development in the west: A reader.

Undoubtedly, reading is an invaluable asset in the development of children in current society. Hence, it is essential that there are standards, methods, and strategies, supported by research, when making attempting to facilitate adequate reading instruction. In order to address this need, the National Reading Panel was established and tasked with the duty of creating a Reading Report that would not only assist in providing a plethora or reading instruction concepts, but also develop recommendations for future research as it concerns to reading development at an early stage. Then, the Panel objectively set out to develop a methodology which would analyze the accumulated data formally, extensively, and be supported by evidence.