Abstract
Students consistently move throughout the education system of the United States at a basic level in fields not directly associated with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Consequently, reading skills have fallen off the wayside by over-testing and failure to address the lack of motivation in students to read following the third grade. This has created a constant flow of students reaching the end of their secondary education unable to read proficiently; therefore, many students reach college or another form of post-secondary education without the ability to comprehend the texts necessary to get through their classes. Even then, they struggle through but reach the end of their college careers only to not comprehend laws and official government documents because they were never prepared. According to this failure of the education system, I have analyzed the problem and provided a solution which may very well help drastically reduce the number students who cannot read proficiently at Western Carolina University, and should the model be as successful as predicted, it will hopefully spread to other universities, and eventually down to the third-grade level where it needs to be placed.
Introduction
“Nay, do not think I flatter;
For what advancement may I hope from thee
That no revenue hast but thy good spirits,
To feed and clothe thee? Why should the poor be flatter'd?
No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp,
And crook the pregnant hinges of the knee
Where thrift may follow fawning. Dost thou hear?
Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice
And could of men distinguish, her election
Hath seal'd thee for herself; for thou hast been
As one, in suffering all, that suffers nothing,
A man that fortune's buffets and rewards
Hast ta'en with equal thanks: and blest are those
Whose blood and judgment are so well commingled,
That they are not a pipe for fortune's finger
To sound what stop she please. Give me that man
That is not passion's slave, and I will wear him
In my heart's core, ay, in my heart of heart,
As I do thee” (Shakespeare, 1599-1602).
Congratulations are in order for an accurate interpretation of that passage from Act III, Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.” This play by Shakespeare is commonly recognized as 12th grade level reading; therefore, the ability to understand that after the first read-through places the reader at least at a 12th grade level—most likely higher (Leveled Reading Systems, Explained, 2017). That is better than approximately 63% of seniors in high school (NAEP Report Cards, retrieved March 24, 2017). Those who read at a 12th grade level would actually only be able to comprehend about 75% of the information in a 12th grade level text according to the Lexile scale (MetaMetrics, 2017). It's a worthy accomplishment to be able to comprehend that passage before 12th grade, but being a college student who can’t understand it presents a problem. Any reader beyond high school that can’t understand the passage isn’t ready for reading in college, and perhaps isn’t ready in other subjects either. Why? Because according to Sandra Stotsky, an education specialist at the University of Arkansas, our standards for “college and career ready” are actually equivalent to about the standards of high school readiness—9th or 10th grade work (Hope, 2015).
Current Situation
The issue currently is that not enough students are prepared to succeed in college or afterwards, perhaps because they fail to read effectively. According to Dr. Kelly Tracy, Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at Western Carolina University, children lose the want to read sometime around third grade, and from there on, their abilities falter (Dr. Kelly Tracy, Personal Communication, April 11, 2017). It’s common knowledge that not practicing something means you don’t improve at it, and for reading that becomes doubly important. When children don't learn how to read well, and instead fake it to get by, they hurt themselves in reading, writing, math, and science. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress’ 2015 report card, only 37% of high school seniors read at or above proficient; their own grade level. Statistically speaking, that number hasn’t changed much over the years, but the fact that it’s so low is an issue in the first place. As shown in figure 1, student reading abilities have not improved, and instead maintain a downward trend overall.
Figure 1: The percentage of 12th grade students who read at or above proficient. Proficient is defined as reading at or above a 12th grade level. Adapted from “Nation’s Report Card National Achievement Level Results,” by U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, and National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2015. (https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/report.aspx?p=3-RED-2-20153-RRPCM-B001151-NT-MN_MN,RP_RP-Y_J-0-0-5). In the Public Domain.
The Problem
The Effects of Standardized Testing
Most of the problem stems from too much standardized testing, which was mainly introduced as a penalty method towards schools on a national level by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 (Dr. Kelly Tracy, Personal Communication, April 11, 2017). Following the passing and implementation of this act, schools had to push for federal support by upping scores on standardized tests. Naturally, this can solve many problems, but it also created many. For one, standardized testing forces teachers into a corner. They must teach to the test or they risk losing funding for their school and eventually their job. This causes a loss of connection between students and teachers, which is imperative for teachers to do their job properly and encourage learning, especially in elementary education, grades K-5. Possible failures in teaching due to this disconnect include:
· Failure of the teacher to ascertain each student’s learning style
· Failure to find a student’s motivation for learning and schooling
· Failure to individually work past students’ problems to create understanding
· Failure to comprehend and deal with the emotional and mental strains of growing up
Most importantly, in this situation, is that it will cause a loss of motivation in the children to read. Because standardized tests require a specific course material to be taught, teachers, and consequently, students fail to vary from this material in any creative manner, especially in the subject of reading. By teaching to the reading tests in third grade, students become demotivated from reading because they don’t enjoy the material they are forced to read. As part of psychological development, it hasn’t yet occurred to a child at that age that there are different kinds of reading. Their brains have not developed to that extent by the age of eight; therefore, they picture a part as a whole, and no longer wish to participate in the activity. This time in a child’s life is commonly referred to as the “preoperational stage.” This stage is where imagination and memory begin to develop, allowing a child to develop better thinking skills. It does not, however, yet allow them to use logic operationally. They still think based mostly on intuition, so extremely complex concepts are difficult to grasp (Piaget Stages of Development, 2005-2017). So, really, the problem which is caused by all of this is that students don’t read, usually because they never find what type of reading they most like to do (Dr. Kelly Tracy, Personal Communication, April 11, 2017). And, because students don’t read, they don’t learn how to read better. Since they don't learn how to read better from reading, they never improve, and then when they are tested, their scores remain below average. The disconnect between students and teachers is clearly illustrated by test results by location within the United States. A larger student to teacher ratio causes lower scores in reading proficiency, as shown in figure 2. Students who attend school in city locations have lower test scores than students who attend school in the suburbs and rural areas more often than not since 2009.
Figure 2: 12th grade students at or above proficient based on location of school in three years. Adapted from "NAEP Data Explorer," by U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, and National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2015. (https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/report.aspx?p=3-RED-2-20153-RRPCM-B001151-NT-MN_MN,RP_RP-Y_J-0-0-5). In the Public Domain.
As stated before, an inability to read effectively does not only have consequences when it comes to reading tests. Reading effects every subject, and even life after schooling. It is, perhaps, the most important subject to be adept in, and failing is not an option if one wishes to live an informed life. People who read below proficient—not defined by the exact numbers of the NAEP—will find themselves struggling to interpret and compare documents of differing viewpoints. In other words, they may not be able to determine differences in two editorials. Those who read proficiently can synthesize and infer about multiple documents at one time, which is necessary for understanding laws and changes in laws, as well as many well-written government documents (Baer, Baldi, & Cook, 2006). It is also only logical that if one cannot understand a question asked, he/she cannot possibly answer the question correctly, which means that reading is integral to mathematical and scientific word problems. In a study involving those of similar backgrounds and ages, it was suggested that reading, alone, had a significant effect on math skills as well as reading and vocabulary advancements (Sullivan, 2013). The web of reading stretches over all aspects of life, and it is important to at least be competent enough in the subject to comprehend necessary information both through school and life after.
Solutions
Solutions to this problem are many, but viable solutions are few and convoluted. Most solutions require implementation at the third-grade level, or even before, which is unrealistic for college students, as foregoing a basic knowledge of reading makes it much more difficult to acquire an advanced knowledge late. It is possible to implement a solution at the college level; it only becomes more difficult to make sure the solutions stick after the students are brought up to a good standard. Note that it is imperative that a test be implemented to determine student reading levels before entering college for any of these solutions to work. Scores in reading comprehension will most likely need to be accessed via the ACT or SAT as most tests to determine reading comprehension and reading grade level must be administered in person.
Below are two solutions which may be possible to implement at Western Carolina University.
Solution 1: A remedial course which covers techniques meant to help increase reading comprehension
This solution would take place as a one credit hour course directed within the English department. The class would be comprised of students who did not reach a benchmark score on the ACT—22 (College Readiness Benchmarks, 2017)—or the SAT—480 (Benchmarks, 2016). In this class, students would read material and be asked to provide a three-page paper detailing themes and how they were presented in the material. During classes, the instructor will go over common methods to deduce main ideas and supporting details in material. Reading material will become progressively more difficult throughout the semester. The final exam will be a class-wide reading literacy exam. Students who pass will proceed from the class, but students who do not will be offered a chance to take one more remedial course after the benefits of reading effectively are explained to them thoroughly. There are a few advantages to this technique. The most prevalent is that an instructor will be either refreshing students on ways to deduce ideas from material or will be giving entirely new instruction regarding it. Techniques which are not usually provided in primary and secondary education will be given to make each student a better reader. The cons of this are that there will be little to no motivation for students in the class, and it requires following the same standardized testing process that caused much of the problem in the first place.
Solution 2: Provide competition to motivate low-achieving students and methods with which to ascertain each student’s preferred genre of reading
Dr. Kelly Tracy emphasized the necessity for finding a genre of reading which each student likes, as this technique is more likely than any other to get a student hooked on reading (Dr. Kelly Tracy, Personal Communication, April 11, 2017). As shown in figure 3, reading more is likely to boost scores in reading proficiency tests. In 2013, the National Assessment of Educational Progress polled students who took the assessment for reading proficiency, asking how much they had read in the past year, either for pleasure, or for school. The results indicate that reading in almost any form is likely to boost proficiency test scores.
Figure 3: 12th grade students' scores on the NAEP Reading Proficiency Test based on the number of pages read in the last year. Maximum score on this assessment is 500. Adapted from "NAEP Data Explorer," by U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, and National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2013. (https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/report.aspx?p=3-RED-2-20153-RRPCM-B001151-NT-MN_MN,RP_RP-Y_J-0-0-5). In the Public Domain.
In fact, according to a study involving 17,000 people born in the same week in England, Wales, and Scotland, it was suggested that reading is one of the most influential tasks in terms of test scores in reading comprehension, among other tests. Of the 17,000 participants in this study, 6,000 who had similar test scores at ages five and 10 were given the same test at the age of 16. After comparing them by demographics, researchers found that those who read often from the age of ten and on achieved higher test results than those who did not read or read less (Sullivan, 2013). So, getting students hooked on reading is a priority, and if each student is given time to discover their own interests in reading, they will be encouraged to continue reading after the course.
In order to encourage competition, students with better reading scores will be mixed into the class to act as mentors and discussion guides for the students with lower reading scores. If a student has questions, they can turn to someone else who is in the course, who will be continuously pushing the lower-achieving student to strive for success. Tests of some form must also be added in order to accurately assess improvement; however, instead of creating or buying tests, this should be done through a presentation. Mainly, each student will read a book every two weeks and present in class the summary of the book, reasons for which they liked the book, and two themes within, as well as how they identified the themes. Each presentation would need to be no more than five to 10 minutes in order to accurately assess improvement. Such a course would be best implemented through the tutoring center, where students can be more easily involved with their mentors, who would be hired as “tutors.”
The benefits of this idea are many. Firstly, it creates a sense of joy in reading that can only be established when someone finds a subject they truly enjoy reading about (fantasy, romance, mystery, biographies). It also creates a thriving community that can continuously progress throughout college life. It runs on competition, which can create a very fast-paced and enjoyable learning environment that doesn’t feel like learning.
The disadvantages of this are that it is time consuming, and it is difficult to ensure that competition will succeed as a motivator. While Americans generally thrive in a competitive environment due to our capitalistic, individualistic society, not everyone works the same way, so such competition might not work for all students. It is time consuming because part of the problem of not reading often is that students become slow, stumbling readers, so having to read a new book every two weeks and prepare a presentation on top of other classes may be difficult.
Recommendation
While both solutions may work, prior information indicates that the first method is merely a reproduction of efforts introduced by Common Core, which has so far failed to boost student achievement levels in reading since its beginning in 2009 (Development Process, 2017).
Solution 2: Provide competition to motivate low-achieving students and methods with which to ascertain each student’s preferred genre of reading
My recommendation is to implement solution 2 at Western Carolina University. The reasons for this lie mostly in its tried and true state of student benefit and access, in that every time a student finds things they enjoy to read, they will continue to read until they no longer have material that they enjoy. Not only is that verifiable nearly 100% of the time, it is suggested through many studies that pleasurable reading is the most impactful form of reading there is. Constantly, students read for school; they delve deep into large textbooks and boring biographies and spend most of their moments outside of school doing this to better themselves in school, yet there seems to be no significant improvement in their ability to read. This solution will fix that problem by giving them motivation in the form of entertainment, and student support. This is imperative in the mission to successfully reach students who need to improve. Being supported by their peers will only reinforce the want to achieve something better for themselves. And, while the competitive aspect may require extra student involvement and the time required may be heavy at first, by the end, each student will have found something enjoyable, and the two weeks of pain and effort it used to take to read a book will become one week of enjoyment and pleasure that will extend past college. The second solution has a farther and deeper reaching impact than any other probable solution.
Conclusion
The education system in the United States is amazing at preparing the future of science and math, but not so great at preparing the future creators of worlds beyond many imaginations. It neglects what is probably the most important subject to focus on careers that can advance our way of life, but not our minds. Reading is important, a necessity, in the world, yet we are failing at it. My hope is that through this we can begin a reading revolution at Western Carolina University that will spread throughout the education system in the United States of America to better prepare our students for their lives in post-secondary education and beyond.
References
Baer, J. D., Baldi, S., Cook, A. L. (2006). The National Survey of America’s College Students: The Literacy of America’s College Students. Retrieved from www.air.org
Benchmarks. (2016, December 08). Retrieved April 16, 2017, from https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/about/scores/benchmarks
College Readiness Benchmarks. (2017). Retrieved April 16, 2017, from https://www.act.org/content/act/en/education-and-career-planning/college-and-career-readiness-standards/benchmarks.html
Development Process. (2017). Retrieved April 16, 2017, from http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/development-process/
Hope, M. (2015, January 03). Expert: most US college freshmen read at 7th grade level. Retrieved from http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2015/01/03/expert-most-us-college-freshmen-read-at-7th-grade-level/
Leveled Reading Systems, Explained. (2017). Retrieved March 24, 2017, from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/leveled-reading-systems-explained/
Shakespeare, W., “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.” (1599-1602). Retrieved from http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html
MetaMetrics (2017). Lexile Measures. Retrieved April 16, 2017, from https://lexile.com/about-lexile/lexile-overview/lexile-measures-details/
NAEP Report Cards - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2017, from https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/
Piaget Stages of Development. (2005-2017). Retrieved April 16, 2017, from http://www.webmd.com/children/piaget-stages-of-development#1
Sullivan, D. A. (2013, September 16). Reading for fun improves children's brains, study confirms. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/sep/16/reading-improves-childrens-brains