Developing and Maintaining Standards in Reading

 To promote an understanding among parents regarding how reading is taught in primary school  To look at reading standards nationally and in our school  To explore the various skills involved in reading  To develop an awareness of some factors which may be inimical to the development of a high standard of literacy  To examine how school and parents can work together to raise literacy levels in our school

 At present Finland sets the benchmark for literacy performance, in that it consistently achieves the highest standard in international assessments. Canada, Australia and New Zealand also feature consistently among the highest-performing education systems. Ireland’s students have also fared well in past international comparisons but there is also evidence of room for further improvement in the literacy skills of Irish students.  The literacy skills of Irish students in primary schools, measured by the National Assessments of English Reading, have not improved in over thirty years.  Source A Draft National Plan to Improve Literacy and Numeracy in Schools (Government of Ireland, 2010)

 In the 2009 PISA tests, Ireland’s place in the OECD literacy rankings slipped from 5 th (2001) to 19 th place, with an average score only marginally above the OECD average.  The OECD average was 493, Ireland’s score was 496, and Shanghai-China was at the top with a score of 556! The top European nation was Finland, with a score of 536.  This has led to great concern among Government, teacher unions and parents

 As most of you know, we had a Whole School Evaluation carried out by the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills during the 2010 – 11 school year. The report said:  “The quality of teaching and learning in English is good. Oral language development is addressed  at all levels through discrete lessons, paired work and class discussions, language games and  graded programmes. While the majority of pupils express their thoughts articulately, it is  recommended that further emphasis be placed on developing individual pupils’ speaking  confidence in the middle and senior classes. All teachers provide print-rich environments and  well-stocked libraries in their classrooms to encourage pupils’ interest in reading. Emergent  reading skills are supported effectively and pupils at all levels demonstrate very good  phonological awareness, word-attack skills and knowledge of sight vocabulary. Reading  standards are high and class readers and novels are generally well-matched to ability levels.  While the majority of pupils demonstrate good comprehension of reading material, further  specific differentiation in mainstream class-teaching approaches would be beneficial for those  pupils with special educational or additional language needs. Writing skills are developed  commendably at all levels and pupils write in a variety of genres and from various perspectives.  Process writing techniques are fostered effectively and there is evidence that teachers help pupils  to plan, draft, edit and present their creative writing. Collections of writing are presented in  handwritten and typed formats in class booklets. Handwriting skills are developed incrementally  and monitored conscientiously throughout the school and most pupils present their work very  legibly. Poetry is explored effectively in all classrooms and pupils enjoy reading, reciting and  writing a range of age-appropriate rhymes and poems.  Source: WSE Report 2010

 Every year, we assess pupils’ reading skills by administering the MICRA-T standardised reading test. This test assesses pupils’ ability to read and their ability to understand what they have read. The scores are given in percentiles (1-100) and in STEN scores (1- 10). We communicate the results of these tests to parents in the summer reports, using the STEN scores. An explanatory note is sent out with the reports every year.

 The STEN scores are laid out on a scale of 1- 10, indicating your child’s reading ability as measured on the MICRA-T. STEN scores between 4-6 are regarded as being in the average range. Some children will score significantly higher e.g. a child with a STEN score of 8-10 is an exceptionally good reader. On the other hand, a child with a STEN score of 1 or 2 may have reading difficulties.

 Standardised tests are a very useful tool for helping parents and children, but they are not an infallible guide. A child may have been sick, nervous, tired or upset on the day, and these are all factors which can affect test performance. Teachers use many other assessment tools to determine a child’s competency in reading.  At the senior level especially, comprehension is tested. Parents sometimes fail to realise that even though a child may read mechanically quite well, they may not understand what they are reading.

 Whereas our the majority of our students, as measured by the results of our standardised tests, score comfortably within the average range, we feel that we can do better!  In our experience, the majority of our students have no real difficulty in mastering the basic skills of reading. Many of them, however, don’t read a lot outside of school, and this can have an influence on the level of reading fluency and understanding that they can attain. Instilling confidence and a love of reading in our students is our primary focus this year

 TV viewing is frequently presented as the source of all evil when developing good reading habits is mentioned. However, the picture is not that simple.  Wright et.al(2001) found a correlation between the type of programmes watched and subsequent educational achievement. Children who watched programmes such as Sesame Street and The Electric Company scored higher in reading tests than non-viewers, whereas children who watch general entertainment programmes scored below.  Williams, Haertel, Haertel and Walberg (1982) and Neuman (1995) found that whereas watching TV for up to 10 hours a week was beneficial, but benefits declined sharply after that for each 2-3 hours extra of TV viewed.  Therefore, it is not that TV viewing is “bad for reading” but the type and duration of viewing has an effect on reading ability.

 The National Foundation for Educational Research (UK) conducted research into this area in 1992  At that stage, 20% of children had a TV in their bedrooms.  The survey indicated that 6 and 7 year old children with a TV in their bedrooms had a significantly lower reading ability than those who did not.  The main reasons relate to what other research has shown – TVs in the bedroom mean less parental control over (a) the type and (b) the duration of children’s TV viewing.

 Again, research findings are mixed. Whilst there is a large body of evidence to suggest that some types of computer games help the development of reading skills, other (Barbu, 2006) indicate that playing computer games every night hinder the development of reading skills.  The general trend of the advice is quite similar to that for TV – computer gaming is ok provided that its content and duration are controlled by parents. Many computer games require children to read instructions to progress from level to level – but if a child is experiencing more than 2 hours nightly of TV/gaming time, the effect on the child’s reading ability will, in general, be a negative one.  It is NOT my intention to be a nag….you know your own child best! If, however, your child shows little interest or ability in reading, you may want to monitor TV viewing and amount of time spent playing computer games!

 ALL research indicates that, in the absence of specific or general learning disabilities, the vital factor in predicting how children will progress in reading is parental attitudes towards reading.  If you read frequently yourself, read to and with your children, and make it clear that the love of books and reading is important to you, chances are your children will progress well in reading. Even in the case of specific or general learning difficulties, the value that parents place on the acquisition of reading skills will have a major impact on children’s attitudes to books and reading.  Likewise, the love and respect shown towards reading by teachers will have a major impact on how children regard reading