Current 8th-graders need close to a full academic year of additional reading instruction to catch up to their pre-pandemic peers, new research confirms. Here are four potential solutions for district leaders.
Although many districts have adopted early literacy initiatives since the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality is that many students are ill-prepared for the rigors of middle school, particularly in reading, according to a new report from NWEA, a K12 assessment and research organization.
The data is underscored by recent assessment results from the National Assessment on Educational Progress (NAEP), which found that only 30% of eighth-grade students are performing at or above NAEP proficiency.
The researchers contend that this is a result of a lack of explicit, structured reading instruction, even as students are expected to comprehend increasingly complex materials across different subjects.
“Our current middle and high schoolers were just starting their literacy journey when the pandemic hit, and we cannot lessen the urgency to support them,” said Miah Daughtery, vice president of content advocacy-literacy at NWEA.
The report calls on policymakers and district leaders to adopt a systems-level approach that supports both early learners and the unique literacy needs of middle and high school students.
Here are four ways to better support reading instruction:
- Use high-quality, grade-appropriate assessments that provide data on the literacy needs of middle schoolers.
- Create flexible schedules to promote literacy development throughout the entire school day and make more effective use of instructional time.
- Understand the unique literacy needs of middle schoolers from a district-level perspective and invest in teacher professional learning in all disciplines, including at the upper grades.
- Curate relationships with external partners who share similar goals in improving literacy outcomes and can reinforce literacy development beyond school hours.
Read the full report here.
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