Teaching Is Low Literacy Rates Across Special Needs Classrooms

Wilson, Faggella-Luby, & Wei (2013) present a cogent plan for Tier 3 Response to Intervention (RTI) for secondary students with reading disabilities, content, and pedagogy planning tools, content instruction, and instructional method implementation. Both research application lacks concerning Tier 3 RTI in high schools (Wilson et. al). RTI is curriculum that addresses the learning needs of all students that also includes screening and monitoring progress. Continuing, Wilson et. al define Tier 1 RTI, core curriculum for all students serving the needs of 80% of students, Tier 2 RTI, small group instructional intervention, serving the needs of 15% of students, and Tier 3 RTI, an intense one to one intervention for students who continue to struggle beyond Tiers 1 and 2, serving 5% of students. Wilson et al. provides information the reader needs to understand in the article without clutter, expressing their writing with economy (Zinsser, 2013). The article is unified in theme, gives enough information without giving too much, and follows a clear progression (Zinsser). “More simple, than complex” (Henson, 1999, p. 58), Wilson et. al’s article is an example of good writing.

The World Literacy Foundation released a report on illiteracy in 2012 sharing this devastating news, “Shockingly, more than 796 million people in the world cannot read or write. About 67 million children do not have access to a primary school education and another 72 million miss out on secondary school education” (Melbourne, “The Economic & Social Cost of Illiteracy”). Complete illiteracy is defined as, “a person who cannot read or write at all” (Melbourne, “The Economic & Social Cost of Illiteracy”). However, there is another kind of illiteracy. This illiteracy is commonly known as functional illiteracy. Function illiteracy, “means an individual may have basic reading, writing and numerical skills but cannot apply them to accomplish tasks that are necessary to make informed choices and participate fully in everyday life” (Melbourne, “The Economic & Social Cost of Illiteracy”). Illiteracy brings multiple negative effects to an individual and his or her family. The effects of illiteracy include: life threatening health issues, lower incomes and inability to succeed in his or her career, and it increases crime rates.

Reading is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information which is essential in being a productive member of society. If and when a student missed an opportunity to learn the skills necessary for reading, it’s has a profound impact on their lives. As educators we realize that teaching all children to read requires that every child receive excellent reading instruction. We are also aware that children, who are struggling with reading must receive

Since literacy evolves with changes in cultural communicative practices and technological developments, so too do definitions of what literacy is. There is some agreement on what literacy involves, and most definitions include reading, writing, speaking and listening, and sometimes viewing or visual literacy. The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia [EYLF] (DEEWR, 2009, p.38) defines literacy as “a students’ capacity to access, manage, interpret and reflect on written texts in order to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate effectively in society”. But why is literacy so important? Research shows that people with good literacy skills are more likely to have greater self-esteem, improved health, better jobs and higher wages than those with poor literacy skills. They are more able to take advantage of the opportunities that life may offer them. In order to acquire and share an important text, teachers need to consider a number of variables relating to students’, as according to Larson and Marsh in Making Literacy Real (2014) “literacy is grounded in social, cultural, historical and political practices”. In addition to appropriate literature, the NRP (National Reading Panel, 2000) noted that phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension are crucial for effective reading instruction. The recommendations were that all students be explicitly and systematically taught these five key components.

With the emergence of No Child Left Behind, the National Literacy Strategy of 1998, and even more recent the Ohio Third Grade Reading Guarantee test, it is not longer the norm to accept that a child may be unable to read. The Literacy Strategy of 1998 has certainly put primary schools under more pressure to teach reading (and to teach to the tests) and they have been doing so much more intensively since then. The National Literacy Strategy that was introduced in fall 1998 intended to play a major role in increasing the standards in literacy and reduce the lower expectations of the education system. (Wall, 2003)

I have been interested in a career in teaching for a number of years and the last year has allowed me to develop further the qualities needed to be a successful teacher. My experience in the classroom…. Therefore, I am applying for a Geography PGCE as I recognise education is a vital part of any child's development not just intellectually but also socially. It provides opportunities for children to develop and gain experiences and knowledge they would otherwise miss out on.

The literacy crisis is a very prevalent issue in the United States of America. Many Americans are not proficient in basic skills, such as reading and writing. Sara Gilgore, a writer for Education Week, interviews two early learning experts, Lisa Guernsey and Michael H. Levine. Guernsey states that, “more than two-thirds of American 4th graders are not reading at grade level in this country” (Gilgore). It is important for children at young ages to start building basic literacy skills because as children get older it will be harder for them to learn. This in turn will affect the child’s ability to learn and comprehend more advanced subjects in the future. Guernsey is surely right about elementary school students not being proficient in literacy because, as she may not be aware, recent studies have shown that twelfth grade students are also not adept at reading. Lynn Olson, a writer for Education Week, describes the results from a recent twelfth grade National Assessment of Educational Progress, “31 percent scored ‘below basic’ in mathematics, and 23 percent performed below basic in reading” (Olson). The percentages are already significant and if the U.S. continues not to do anything, then the amount of low performing students will continue to increase. Those unfamiliar with school systems may be interested to know that the type and quality of education a student is given, basically boils down to whether or not the school is located in an urban district and if the school

Researchers have found that 75 percent of students identified with reading problems in the third grade still struggle with reading in the ninth grade (Shaywitz, Escobar, Shaywitz, Fletcher, & Makuch, 1992). No wonder our diverse populations are not successful in school.

Reading is one of the most difficult and challenging skills to master in school. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP; 1997) reported that 40% of fourth graders, 30% of eighth graders, and 25% of twelfth graders were reading below grade level. Snow, Burns, & Griffin discovered that the percentages are even higher and the gaps even wider between grade levels in schools predominately made up of free or reduced lunch eligible student populations (as cited in Joseph, 2002). It is up to the schools and teachers to find strategies to help these struggling readers master the skills that are necessary to be better readers. Even with the growing number of programs being made available to help assist with struggling readers, most

On the negative side of things, two-thirds of the students who are not able to read adequately by the end of their fourth grade year will end up in jail or on welfare. According to the Department of Justice, there is a close relation between not being able to read or write and “delinquency, violence, and crime” (Literacy Statistics). This information is backed up by the astonishing fact that over seventy percent of the inmates in America cannot read above a fourth grade level. To put it in another way, an average fifth grader is more literate than the majority of the inmates that are in this nation’s prisons. It is also important to realize the statistics connected to juvenile delinquency and illiteracy. Being stated in the previously mentioned source, “85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate” (Literacy Statistics). This shows a direct

Students with disabilities are at a higher at-risk for dropping out of high school at a greater rate than typically developing peers (Pyle & Wexler, 2012). Students with identified disabilities are required to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) according to law, and these students have unique needs that general education curriculum cannot meet on its own. However, there is abundant research that discusses various literacy interventions and strategies that can be effective. These interventions can be used in a school setting by any certified teacher (regular education or special education). This literature review will discuss some of the various reading and writing strategies as well as best practices for literacy in order to ensure students with disabilities are given the best chance for success. By providing timely interventions, monitoring progress, and analyzing data, it can be possible to increase achievement for those students with identified disabilities.

The link between students who learnt to read latter then other has already been drawn in this thesis Literacy Review where Pat Wolfe, EdD, education consultant stated that reading disorders can have major negative effect on a student’s academic result by both limiting their English abilities but also their ability to study.

2. Reading is a lifelong skill that is used on a daily basis. “For students with mild disabilities, they to gain information from reading print is a major deficit and a continuing struggle” (Beard, Carpenter & Johnston, 2011, p. 74). It is crucial

We live in a world where we exclude people who are different and that needs to change not only in the workplace, but also school. Students with special needs have always been separated from a regular classroom. By including special needs children, this will help the student not only thrive in academics but also in life by gaining social and technical skills. Students will feel like they are part of a regular classroom and are not excluded because of their disability. By students having a regular learning environment they can start to master particular content and skills. Parents are scared because they have many questions that they don’t feel like are being answered. For example, “are there children going to be getting the attention needed in a general education classroom?” and “are there effective methods for students with disabilities to accommodate to in an inclusive setting?”. These students will not receive the support needed but with inclusion they will have the services needed in a regular classroom. General education teachers will receive the supportive resources in their classroom and will be prepared for having special needs children in their classrooms. If we keep students separated from regular classrooms we are not allowing them to thrive. Special needs students are not pushed to their full potential because they are put into a classroom that clusters all ages and teaches to all students at once. There are many issues that come with inclusion. An issue with

Many students around the United States have reading difficulties, which can be due to a variety of reason such as: low socioeconomic status, family history of learning disabilities, a neurological disorder, limited exposure, etc. Reading difficulties can lead to further problems with education and learning, therefore the struggles should be addressed and intervention techniques should be implemented promptly. The interventions need to be individualized for the student based on their needs in order to improve the student’s reading to the best of their abilities.