You’ve been hearing them more often. Phrases like Common Core State Standards, Government Mandated Competency Requirements, Lexile Reading Scores, and Progress Monitoring are becoming part of our everyday vernacular.
Knowing these popular terms is one thing, understanding how to practically implement these mandates with limited resources is quite another.
MetaMetrics President and Co-founder Malbert Smith III, Ph.D., writes, “At no time in the history of American K-12 education have the challenges and consequences of our actions been so great. As students across the nation settle into a new school year, administrators and educators are simultaneously attempting to implement the new Common Core State Standards in an economic climate plagued by budget shortfalls—an environment many economists have dubbed the ‘New Normal.’ While no consensus exists on whether our economy will double-dip or will just recover slowly, what is certain is that educators will need to do more with less."
Additionally, Dr. Smith goes on to say, “Graduation from high school no longer guarantees that students are prepared for the postsecondary challenges that await them. This reality—combined with disheartening trends in graduation rates and an increasingly global economy— informs and underscores the current national educational reform agenda. In January 2010, President Obama announced an extension of the Race to the Top program, already the most ambitious reform effort in history. And the initiatives and programs comprising this movement continue to gain momentum. The Common Core State Standards, released this past June, have been adopted by nearly all states and the District of Columbia.”
“So how, exactly, should we define “ready?” Numerous elements comprise readiness. However, one of the most important is the ability to read and comprehend complex texts. Whether a student is applying to a community college, attending an elite four-year university, or entering the workplace or military, grappling with high-level texts is likely to be a major component of the experience. And a student’s ability to understand said texts is one of the key predictors of success in these domains.”
Read Dr. Smith’s complete article here>
Clearly, corrective reading assessments and intervention solutions must begin much earlier than high school. Some states, like Arizona, have mandated that the State Board of Education adopt specific competency requirements for the promotion of third grade pupils and establish a Task Force on Reading Assessment.
We concur with the Great State of Arizona. Mandated accountability and solid reading improvement in the classroom is more than critical, it is a pattern for our country's future success globally. We cannot wait another school year to provide students (and teachers) with proven tools and methods that effectively teach the basics of reading.
Have you asked yourself these questions recently: How will we bridge the gap between high school graduates and reading readiness at the college level? What’s happening in my school or district that addresses these challenges?