Discussion Begins On Reading

ADVOCATES: Children Need To Read At Grade Level By Third Grade

A statewide campaign is under way to get more students, especially from low-income families, reading on grade level by the end of third grade.

The Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has set a goal to have all Arkansas children reading at grade level by 2020.

At A Glance

Reading on Grade Level

The 2011 State Benchmark exams show the percentage of segments of third-graders reading at grade level. If a student scores at or above proficient, he is reading at or above grade level.

• White — 82 percent

• Hispanic — 71 percent

• Black — 61 percent

• Economically disadvantaged — 70 percent

Source: Arkansas Department Of Education

The campaign is backed by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Reading, according to the campaign, is fundamental for success in school, graduating from high school, and being ready for college, all of which lead to becoming a productive citizen.

A child not reading at grade level by the end of third grade is statistically unlikely to catch up through the rest of his education, said Vicki Collet, an assistant professor of education at the University of Arkansas.

A generally accepted theory is children spend kindergarten through third grade learning to read and in fourth grade they are reading to learn, said Takema Robinson-Bradberry, a senior associate for education with the foundation.

A recent report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found children who don’t read proficiently by third grade are four times as likely to drop out of school. Third grade is seen as so important for reading because other subjects begin in fourth grade.

The Casey Foundation asked the Rockefeller organization to take the philanthopic lead for a grade level reading initiative in Arkansas, Robinson-Bradberry said. A summit on the topic is scheduled next weekend in Little Rock with more than 200 policy makers and educators expected to attend, she said.

District-level educators agree that grade-level reading skills are essential in all subjects.

At A Glance

Goals

The Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading wants to close the reading gap by focusing its efforts in four areas to improve students reading success.

• Improve school readiness

• Reduce chronic absence

• Stop summer learning loss

• Strengthen parent and community engagement

Source: http://www.ar-glr.net/

Kay Jacoby, director of curriculum and instruction in the Fayetteville School District, said research shows the ability to read is important to success in science or social studies, not just tied to catching up if a student falls behind.

The ability to read also is connected to the high school dropout rate, according to research, Jacoby said.

“Common Core complicates that even further,” she said, because of the heavy emphasis on reading spread throughout the Common Core standards. Teachers in all grades in Arkansas schools will be using the standards by next school year.

Some states, including Ohio, Oklahoma and New Mexico, are requiring school districts to retain students who aren’t reading on grade level by the end of third grade.

Collet said the Arkansas campaign is targeted to helping children in low-income families in the areas of school readiness, parental involvement and summer learning programs.

Springdale School District is the only district in Northwest Arkansas eligible to apply for a Rockefeller grant to initiate reading strategies in the Marshallese community, particularly for preschool age children and their families.

If Springdale’s request is approved, several strategies will be initiated, Collet said, including one-on-one tutoring and teaching parents how to help their children.

Robinson-Bradberry said the grants will be awarded later this year and will be in the range of the average Rockefeller grant, from $75,000 to $150,000 a year for two years. Springdale is one of 12 Arkansas communities asked to submit proposals, she said.

“There is no research that says retention is effective,” said Dena Ross, executive director for instruction in the Bentonville School District. Arkansas has opted to hold school districts accountable for learning to read through its accountability system, she said.

Bentonville uses a response to intervention approach to begin identifying struggling readers in kindergarten. Interventions are matched to problems identified in those early assessments. Assessments are done frequently to monitor reading skills.

The goal is to have all readers on target by third grade, Ross said. Assessment data tells teachers the interventions are working.

“Springdale has big, audacious goals that one will read on grade level by grade three and one will be proficient in math by fifth grade,” said Kathy Morledge, assistant superintendent for instruction in the Springdale School District.

Springdale also uses a response to intervention approach where strategies to help the struggling reader are threefold. First, classroom strategies are initiated, then small group strategies and then individualized instruction in specific skills.

The Arkansas General Assembly convenes Jan. 14 and Rep. Les Carnine, R-Rogers, expects the topic could be up for discussion although he doesn’t know of any proposed legislation.

“Retention is not as effective,” Carnine said, noting some states have moved to other alternatives, such as providing extra assistance with reading fundamentals or scheduling Saturday school to focus on reading skills. Carnine is a retired educator.

“To me, it’s time on task,” he said. Many families have ample opportunities to help children improve their reading skills; other families don’t have those opportunities.

“There is no one solution that will work for all,” he said. “There still has to be customized and individualized education. We’ve been addressing this problem for years and years.”

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