Are Children’s Reading Skills Good Enough?
This is a question that never seems to be answered fully. Many people are concerned that children aren’t reaching the desired levels fast enough. Are their concerns valid? According to statistics provided by BBC UK, they just might be: Too many children are not able to achieve the expected standard of reading by the age of 11, according to a group of MPs. The select committee report, “Teaching Children to Read” found that 17% of 11-year-olds in England do not reach the required standard for their age. Language experts believe there would be an improvement with the implication of a system – already successful in Scotland – known as synthetic phonics which breaks words down in to segments.” But are phonics the way out? InSciences: “Lead researcher Robert Slavin, director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education, and his colleagues looked at 62 previously released experimental studies evaluating the effectiveness of beginning reading programs used in kindergarten and first grade
