Adolescent Literacy

As many as six million middle and high school students can't read at acceptable levels, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education. Across the Washington area, thousands of students will enter high school this fall unable to read at grade level.

Jeremy Ayers , policy and advocacy associate for the Alliance for Excellent Education, was online Thursday, July 13, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss middle and high school students' reading comprehension problems.

A transcript follows.

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Jeremy Ayers: Hello, I'm pleased to be here and look forward to our discussion about a very important topic -- adolescent literacy.

Across the nation, on average, 7 out of 10 high school students read below the proficient level, the level students need to succeed in college or the workplace.

With low literacy levels like these we shouldn't be surprised that only 70 percent of students graduate on time, and many of those lack the skills they need for college.

In order to graduate more students with better achievement, to compete in the new global economy, to make good on our promise to leave no child behind, we MUST invest in adolescent literacy programs from the classroom to the Capitol.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I hope this is the shot in the heart needed to finish off all those whole language methods of teaching reading.

It's clear that children are not mastering the mechanics in lower grades, and are unable to move onto the critical thinking needed in higher grades.

As the preface of the phonics workbook I used to help my son learned to read said - this approach works for everybody, from elementary classrooms to detention centers.

Jeremy Ayers: I would make two comments in reply to your comments.

1. When it comes to adolescent literacy -- reading and writing in grades 4 to 12 -- we seem to have no reading wars. Researchers agree on the principles and strategies needed to help students master advanced literacy skills. I note the publication, Reading Next, as an example of defining the research for adolescent literacy.

2. Most older students struggle with comprehension, not decoding. Meaning, most older students can read the words on the page, but they cannot understand it, identify the main idea, or connect ideas in the passage to other ideas in other passages. Some struggle to decode, but most struggle to comprehend.

I would face a similar situation if I were to read a dense medial brief or a manual on hydraulics. The key to addressing literacy in the upper grades is to tackle comprehension.

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Manassas Park, Va.: What is your response to teachers who say "if we use a rubic to measure reading (or writing) it will stifle creativity"?

Jeremy Ayers: Research is clear that direct, explicit comprehension instruction improves reading achievement. That does not mean that teachers should stop doing projects or encouraging students to be creative in their writing. However, for students struggling to read they should AT LEAST receive direction instruction in literacy strategies.

In fact, ALL students can benefit from learning these strategies. Literacy strategies have been shown to improve not only reading and writing skills but achievement in math, science, and other subjects.

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Washington, D.C.: Is the early age literacy success coupled with the drop off for middle and high schoolers the result of NCLB's sole focus on younger children? Or are there deeper roots to this problem?

Jeremy Ayers: According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Nation's report card, reading scores have actually RISEN at the 4th grade level, with sharper increases since the passage of No Child Left Behind.

However, scores at the 8th and 12th grade levels have remained stagnant.

Clearly, our nation's longstanding investment in early literacy programs has paid off. And our LACK of investment in adolescent literacy programs demonstrates that our investment may be lost if we don't invest at ALL levels.

While some proponents conclude that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is the cause of success, others say the law is too new to measure its impact on achievement.

What is certain is that NCLB's focus on early reading with the Reading First program only amplified what states were already doing by investing early on. That investment, begun before NCLB, appears to have paid off.

Now is the time to invest at the upper levels, and the federal government can lead the charge. In fact, the President has already created a program for adolescent literacy called Striving Readers, though it is quite small compared to Reading First.

We spend just over $1 billion per year for Reading First in grades K-3 ($72 per student). We spend a mere $29.7 million for students in grades 6-12 (13 cents per student).

This program should be increased and expanded to mirror Reading First so that our investments can yield an even greater payoff.

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Boston, Mass.: I used to live in upstate New York and a majority of the people in the city I lived in were illiterate (because the literate people had moved to the suburbs in that classic downward spiral some cities enter).

I came to realize that illiterate parents are a serious problem for their kids. I'd be interested in your comments regarding solving this problem.

Thanks very much.

Jeremy Ayers: Obviously parents have a deep and lasting impact on their children's lives, including their attitudes toward and skills for learning. Research is clear that early literacy skills are learned and nurtured by early caregivers, and by an early age serious gaps exist between low-income and upper-income children in terms of literacy.

That said, public schools do not get to choose the families of their students, and their primary charge is to educate the children that come to them. Encouragingly, research shows that the quality of a teacher makes a big impact on student learning and can compensate for challenges a students brings with her or him.

Many groups rightly focus on improving literacy skills for families -- notably the National Institute for Family Literacy. But those efforts alone will not compensate for the six hours a day students spend in schools.

Unfortunately, many middle and high school teachers are not prepared to teach literacy skills. They became teachers to teach their subjects, not reading. But their students are floundering in Reading AND in their subjects because they cannot comprehend their textbooks.

If we are to make a SERIOUS effort to improve literacy skills schools must do their job. Middle and high schools must have teachers in all subject areas trained and skilled to teach literacy strategies in their subject area so that students can better understand and remember what they learn in each class.

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Bowie, Md.: I have a rising eighth grade daughter. All throughout elementary school, she received A's and above grade level scores in reading and spelling. However, once middle school started, we realized that her reading comprehension and vocabulary skills are actually low. I'm not sure why this was not discovered sooner. We encourage her to read but she does not seem to enjoy novels. Are there any good programs/classes available outside of what's offered in the schools to increase reading comprehension and hopefully make reading a more enjoyable experience? We need to get this resolved before she begins high school.

Thanks.

Jeremy Ayers: I appreciate your determination to help your daughter very much. You prove many skeptics wrong -- parents go to EXTRAORDINARY lengths to ensure their children succeed. We should stop blaming parents for all the problems that children face.

In fact, your daughter's case shows that many schools are just not equipped to identify and diagnose reading problems, especially in the upper grades. This is generally not the school's or teacher's fault. Most middle and high school teachers and administrators are not trained to deal with literacy issues. They think the problem is solved in earlier grades and that students naturally progress.

Obviously this is not true. And every school, district, and state needs a solid literacy plan to identify struggling students, diagnose their problems, get them targeted help and support, and continue to monitor their progress. These kinds of literacy plans have been described in several recent reports, notably "Creating a Culture of Literacy" by the National Association for Secondary School Principals.

And, of course, students need supportive parents like you. I would suggest checking out two resources.

1. I READ IT BUT I DON'T GET IT. A book about literacy strategies for students in grades 6-12, by an exceptional author and renowned educator, Cris Tovani. Her basic strategies will probably complement what your daughter is (or should be) learning in school.

2. Check out the web site of the International Reading Association which has some helpful hints for parents as well as educators.

Good luck!

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Arlington, Va.: Do you think growing entertainment choices has something to do with this? When I was a kid (not that long ago) reading was popular in the summer because, well, there wasn't much else to do. Now teens have DVDs, movies, iPods, video games, Internet, text messaging and the like.

Jeremy Ayers: Your insight may be correct. Recent surveys, notably one by the National Endowment for the Arts, show that students read fewer books and less material than they did 20 years ago. Various media may be one of the culprits for this decline.

But interesting research by well-respected scholars like Elizabeth Moje (Un iversity. of MI) and Donna Alvermann (Un iversity. of GA) show that students often read MORE than we think they do, but in a different way.

For example, Alvermann points out that many media sources require reading, like Japanese anime, and writing, like instant messaging (IM). In fact, a common practice for someone IMing is to correct their spelling. Moje found that many urban teens do sophisticated literacy work in everyday speaking and writing, but it often goes unnoticed by typical educators.

So the answer to your question may not be clear, but two things are clear.

1. Schools and families should value the kinds of reading and writing students do during their everyday life. Research shows that students are more motivated to read and learn when they can incorporate some of their everyday experiences into school learning.

2. Regardless of what students do outside class, schools must focus explicitly and systematically on literacy in EVERY subject so that students who read little and struggle to read (for whatever reason) get the help they need.

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Maryland: Several years ago, our daughter read out loud to me one day. My jaw dropped to the basement floor in horror. I immediately talked to the teacher who was not really worried. Her standardized test scores were okay. Her grades were good. I got the message really clear, a child's quality of education is up to the parents. No one cares about your child like you do. I began to live in the library. Books were around everywhere at home, in the car, in my purse. She had to read and read out loud every day. Today, she is okay. But I get chills wondering what would have been the effect if I had listened to the teacher who said don't worry.

Jeremy Ayers: I commend your concerted efforts to improve your child's reading because of your extensive involvement in her education.

I would only caution you with one comment since I don't know the full story.

Literacy in the upper grades is much more than reading smoothly and quickly (fluency). Literacy is also comprehension, understanding what is read, identifying main ideas, linking ideas to other ideas in other passages, and drawing conclusions and making inferences. Those skills are more advanced literacy skills that complement decoding (sounding out words) and fluency.

Those are the literacy skills students need to succeed in college and the workplace, and they are too often the skills students don't have -- around 70 percent actually, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

I trust that with the kind of involvement and support you provide your daughter that she has or will master those literacy skills our nation so desperately needs.

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Chantilly, Va.: When we consider the literacy issue you are describing as a seemingly growing problem, can we look with pride at ESOL and No Child Left Behind as helping or aggravating the problem? If the programs are part of the problem and not part of the solution, why should local taxpayers continue to shoulder the burden?

Jeremy Ayers: I answered a similar question previously. But your question is a critical one. Basically, can we expect that a national investment will pay off? If we pony up our tax dollars to improve literacy, how do we know that the government and its schools will use them well?

I could not agree more. And that is why organizations like mine and others have been working for years to make policy recommendations that go beyond JUST asking for more money. We need policies and programs that are efficient and maximize our spending with some clear and plausible results.

The recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows that 4th grade reading scores have risen, relatively sharply over the past five years since No Child Left Behind was implemented. That gain is due to the investment states and the federal government have made in early reading programs in the last five years and before then.

We can confidently say that a similar investment in the upper grades would be a wise investment. In fact, schools and some districts and states that have ALREADY made this investment have seen results. Now is the time to learn from that success and expand our literacy efforts to the upper grades.

From the classroom to the Capitol all stakeholders have a part to play if we are to make good on the promise we have made to our children -- to educate them well enough to succeed in college and at work. Local taxpayers can hold their schools accountable for focusing on literacy and developing literacy plans. They can also hold their President and Congress accountable for investing in the federal Striving Readers program that helps schools create literacy programs.

Everyone has their part to play. And we can rest assured that the effort is worth it.

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Nassau, Bahamas: The public school system in the Bahamas is confronting a similar situation re adolescent reading. What strategies have been used most successfully to train teachers (not necessarily reading specialists/coaches) to intervene opportunely?

Jeremy Ayers: The key to improving adolescent literacy is improving teacher training -- when they are preparing to become teachers, when they are learning the ropes as new teachers, and even when they are long-time teachers who continue to face new challenges.

Essentially if we want better literacy we need better teachers.

A document called Reading Next, available at http://www.all4ed.org/publications/ReadingNext/index.html, outlines 15 key strategies to improving literacy now -- strategies for teachers, administrators, and educators and policymakers of all stripes.

A practical tool for classroom teachers is Cris Tovani's, I READ IT BUT I DON'T GET IT and DO I REALLY HAVE TO TEACH READING?. Both are superb resources for any teacher.

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Twentynine Palms, California: Our middle schools are addressing the problem of students who are not proficient by denying them access to any social studies, science, or elective courses and substituting three periods of remedial reading --I think they are using the Language! program. While I understand the desperate need to being these students up to grade level, I wonder about the effectiveness of this strategy. I worry about segregating students like this. Is this a widely growing trend, and will it work?

Jeremy Ayers: Schools can take a variety of approaches to improving literacy -- from special reading classes to using literacy strategies within each course, or both.

Research tells us that each subject has literacy skills specific to that subject. So teachers in EVERY subject need to know literacy strategies specific to that subject so that students can understand and remember what they are learning. The University of Kansas has developed a remarkable model for helping subject-area teachers do this (http://www.ku-crl.org/).

This is why the federal Striving Readers program also requires schools that receive a grant help every subject area teachers learn and use literacy strategies.

If you think about it, students who are really behind, who really struggle to read will need more than a 45-60 minute reading class each day. They will need help in each class they take, and probably even beyond the school day with tutoring and supplemental programs.

If we are to SERIOUSLY improve literacy in the upper grades we need every teacher, every program, and every caregiver to learn and use literacy strategies with our students. Their achievement and our national health depend upon it.

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Former Teacher:: Do you think anyone with authority will ever realize that if we want middle and high school students to be able to read, we have to take care of it in elementary school? Kids shouldn't be passed along just because Mom and Dad don't want a social stigma on their child. The parents would much rather have a child who can't handle the work of the next grade and continue to struggle with school. I think most people would be amazed at how difficult it is for elementary school teachers to hold a child back that is not ready for the next level.

Jeremy Ayers: Many people think that reading is like a vaccine. If we inoculate kids early they will remain healthy. If we teach them to read in the early grades their reading skills will naturally improve over time.

This is dead wrong.

The documented effect, called the 4th grade slump, proves that even students who read at acceptable levels in the early grades flounder in the upper grades if they are not CONTINUALLY SUPPORTED and challenged.

Reading is more like training for competitive ice skating! A girl of 8 can take lessons and skate without falling, but without ONGOING training she won't be ready for the Olympics ten years down the road.

To improve adolescent literacy in middle and high schools we must 1) continue to invest in early reading programs, AND 2) we must expand our investment into the upper grades.

Reading is a K-12 effort.

That is why I am so hearted by states like Alabama that have made K-12 literacy a priority for years. That is why I am heartened by other states that have made similar efforts, and by other districts and schools doing the same.

And that is why I am heartened that the federal government has started investing in Striving Readers, a program for middle and high school literacy, to complement its ongoing early reading program, Reading First.

Both are needed. Reading is K-12.

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Jeremy Ayers: Thank you very much for your questions and comments. I clearly didn't get to all of them, which I regret.

If you are interested in continuing the conversation or learning more about this topic, I invite you to do a couple of things --

1. Contact me or my organization, the Alliance for Excellent Education, at www.all4ed.org. There you can find research, case studies, and policy recommendations on the topic of adolescent literacy and high school reform. You can also sign up for a regular newsletter on these issues.

2. I encourage those of you who are advocates to become more informed, talk with your peers, and encourage your school, district, and state to act on this issue.

3. I encourage those of you who are so inclined to contact your members of Congress to encourage them to increase funding for the Striving Readers program that improves adolescent literacy.

4. And lastly I encourage you -- parents, teachers, educators, and community members -- to continue doing the good work you are doing to improve our nation's literacy skills.

Jeremy Ayers

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Waldorf, Md.: Hello Jeremy,

I have a child in elementary school who was having some difficulty with Reading, however, my child could not be placed in the Reading Recovery program, due to the fact that he/she could read some. As a advocate for my child, my husband and I enrolled him/her with a tutor (Reading Specialist). He/She is progressing a little at a time. I encourage a lot of reading at home and likewise, read to my children.

Can you offer any other avenues that I can take to help my child to grasp this important element called "Reading"?

Thank you for your time.

Jeremy Ayers: I am cautious about making explicit suggestions since I am not a reading specialist or teacher myself.

But many people have found Cris Tovani's work very helpful, and I recommended it a few times today.

Her two most notable books are I READ IT BUT DON'T GET IT and DO I REALLY HAVE TO TEACH READING? The first book is probably of most use to you as a parent.

I'd also check out the web site of the International Reading Association.

Good luck!

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