I stopped using the term “grade level” with my high school students because it's just straight up demoralizing. There is nothing positive about hearing that you’re reading at the 4th grade level when you’re 14 or 15 years old. It just sounds like another way to hear what you may already be thinking about yourself: dumb. I’ve been teaching reading to high school students for over ten years and, yes, I used to use the term “grade level” and I did tell them their grade level in reading. This was also the time when I was still buying into the balance literacy training I’d had years prior.
Here’s what I observed: when teens knew their grade level or were told they were far below, below, or basic it didn’t motivate them. It shocked them and depressed them. Some kids made the connection that they were reading at the same “grade level” as younger siblings, some just confirmed to themselves they were stupid, others just plain gave up because they were overwhelmed with the very idea of trying to tackle a mountain that was 5 grade levels away. When you’re in the 9th grade that’s a steep incline on a chart. Straight up ‘til morning and don’t look back. I knew it was important for me to have a general idea where they were, but also that they knew they had to actually do the work I put in front of them and be active participants in their own continuing to learn how to read (ie. the reading crisis of America). So, I began using the term “age appropriate.” It was easier for them to digest that they weren’t reading or writing at an age appropriate level, yet. The term “age appropriate” isn’t so daunting and overwhelming. It sounds like a mountain they can eventually climb with some success. And when I look at the literature that’s considered “grade level” for 9th grade we have Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and Homer’s “Odyssey”. Two of my absolute favorite storytellers. There is nothing grade level about either writer. The language in both texts is complicated and advanced, even for a voracious novel reader. That doesn’t mean these classic stories shouldn’t be taught, it just means they require a teacher’s guidance throughout the entirety of each text. Sure you may have some outliers who are sophisticated enough to read through these texts on their own and comprehend the stories, but when over half the adult population reads “at or below” a 6th grade level we can safely say that too many grown people can’t access these stories on their own. We can conclude many of our students can’t either. But does not being able to comprehend Shakespeare at 15 make you a “not age appropriate reader”? I don’t think so. What does make you an age appropriate reader means: will you be able to read the material you want and need in order to live the future life you envision for yourself. There’s a lot of interpretational nuance with this phrase, but I think it’s the one that best defines the situation of many of our secondary students. Food for thought: Teenagers who are not reading at an age appropriate level are not just behind in the actual process of reading but they’ve also missed out on much of the knowledge they were expected to acquire based on the reading they couldn’t access for years.
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Reading is a fundamental skill that every student should learn, yet many students in our district, and across the nation, struggle to become proficient readers. Despite the use of various programs and teaching methods predicated on the Balanced Literacy and Whole Language pedagogies popular in the last 30 years, the gap between “below/basic” and “proficient/advanced” readers remains at a relatively steady 40 to 60% ratio, meaning 40% never become proficient and effective readers they had a right to become, while 60% do. Balanced Literacy has failed our young students and has contributed to a high percentage of poor readers in the post-elementary grades across the nation. The 3-Cueing System, which focuses on memorizing words, using context clues, and skipping words is embedded in the Balanced Literacy model of teaching reading, and actually trains students to become poor readers. These ineffective literacy strategies show up in high school classrooms, continuing to be a disservice to students. The notion that a struggling or poor reader will “catch up” or “make up” their deficits “in time” is as erroneous as it is egregious. Poor readers have bad habits, gaps in knowledge about how language works, and are often confused about sound/symbol correlations. Year after year, I start by asking my 13-15-year-old reading students, “What are all the vowels and their long and short sounds?” Every year I am met with silence and guessing. At the freshman level, they shouldn't be confused about the vowels or their corresponding sounds. Period. The evidence of how widespread this problem is can be seen in the continual 40-60% gap between below/basic and proficient/advanced readers across our district and the nation. A glance at the 2022 National Report Card shows definitively the United States has been stagnant in reading growth since 1998. After the pandemic fiasco of the zoom-era teaching (or trying to teach), it's not surprising that literacy scores for the 4th and 8th grades decreased. The implementation of a myriad of programs too numerous to list, in the last 30 years, has yielded no literacy growth. (If any significant growth is evident, it's usually an isolated school, not a county or statewide occurrence.) Every textbook company has a “remedial program” they sell as a “companion” system along with the grade-level textbooks they peddle for billions of dollars. If any of these “programs” worked the miracles they promised, we would have solved the “literacy crisis” years ago. The truth is that we have never managed to close the gap to even 10% behind with 90% of students being proficient/advanced in any aspect of reading. The educational machine acquiesces that basic literacy levels are, well, acceptable, maybe even…normal. This exhausted sigh by the educational administration is what I find unacceptable. Basic is below proficient, and it is not enough to prepare students for college and careers. According to the Department of Education, 54% of Americans between 16 and 74 years old don't have proficient literacy skills. The National Center for Educational Statistics confirms this abysmal fact. What is that saying for the future of our nation? Is reading at a 12-year-old appropriate level good enough for a 20, 30, or 40-year-old? No one thinks that's okay, but that is exactly what's happening and has been happening. A 50-year-old who reads at a 6th-grade level didn't forget how to read after high school. The fact is they never learned to read at an advanced level in high school, and very likely, didn't go to college; and if they did, they dropped out or struggled mightily to get through. Low literacy rates are tied to low income levels. Current scientific research on brain function and reading acquisition supports the idea that some of the strategies we use are not effective. For example, memorizing words (such as vocabulary lists, Greek or Latin prefixes, or sight words) is a common approach that is based on the idea that words are visual images that sit in the brain file, kind of like a Rolodex. However, struggling readers have difficulty reading words, and simply memorizing a definition does not help them use the word in context. This approach contributes to "word calling," guessing, and poor comprehension. What is "word calling"? That's when a student recognizes a part of a word, but because they have no skill in breaking a word down (sounding it out), they start saying all the words they know that look like or sound like the first few letters. They will say what they think it is and glance up at you for confirmation. But the teacher's face isn't where they should be looking. The letters and words are on the page, and that's where the reading should be taking place. I have observed many students staring at a word or text, thinking that "staring" at a word is part of reading. Unfortunately, many struggling readers end up guessing at words without being able to use parts of the word to help them pronounce a different word. They may stare and say "I don't know" because they really do not know. The use of ineffective strategies such as these contributes to poor reading in our district, and we need to consider alternative approaches that are more evidence-based and effective for all learners. With teenagers, it becomes more difficult because their poor reading habits are ingrained and must be unlearned. Their brains must be rewired with the correct information of sounds and letter correspondence. Poor comprehension begins with poor reading. Using a KWL chart or any graphic organizer will not solve the root problem, although it is often the go-to strategy for struggling teen readers in many districts. Giving students books with predictable text, or leveled texts, rather than decodable text, is another problem. This practice leads to more word calling based on visual word recognition and reinforces guessing. Although some words must be memorized, it is important to teach students how to recognize how the sight word is put together and look at what they already know about parts of the sight word, such as recognizing the beginning or ending sound. Often, sight words have "odd vowel" sound or spelling rule exceptions. Reading is a crucial process that affects every aspect of a student's academic and personal life. Evidence-based research shows that the strategies used in my district, as well as across the nation, such as memorizing words and using predictable texts, are ineffective and perpetuate the problem of poor readers. To close the gap between below/basic and proficient/advanced readers, we must adopt research-based strategies that focus on developing phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. By providing explicit, targeted instruction, we can help struggling readers overcome their difficulties and become effective and successful readers. It is time for all schools to embrace evidence-based practices and give every student the chance to develop strong reading skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. (Part 1 of 3) |
AuthorI am a real high school reading teacher in CA. Hold a MA degree, and CLAD & CLEAR credentials. I am a seeker by nature, so researching is like breathing to me. Nerdy about neurology and how the brain learns to read. Geeky for Star Wars and LOTR <3 ArchivesCategories
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