Quote of the Day – PLUS – On the need to get all Kentucky teachers retrained on how to teach reading
“I would like to see all our teachers be required to do the professional learning to teach them how to be better teachers.”
State Representative Tina Bojanowski during the Courier-Journal’s reading panel meeting on November 15, 2022
The PLUS
Rep. Bojanowski’s comments, which relate to really serious reading instruction problems in Kentucky, were made in regard to the need to reeducate Kentucky teachers on what scientific research shows works best to teach reading.
Presently, as dramatically shown by results from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 4 Reading Assessment, instruction of reading in the commonwealth is pretty much a mess:
Statewide, only 31% of Kentucky’s fourth graders tested Proficient or Above on NAEP Reading – that’s less than one in three students. Among Kentucky’s Black fourth graders, only 15% hit NAEP’s reading proficiency mark.
Even more shocking, 38% of the state’s fourth graders tested Below Basic on NAEP Grade 4 Reading, which means more than one in three Kentucky Grade 4 students don’t even have a partial mastery of reading. Among the state’s Black students, a truly shocking 58% tested in this lowest NAEP achievement level.
Given that school curriculum for Grades 4 and higher is built around the assumption that students can read to learn, having so many essentially weak to non-readers in Grade 4 is a major problem.
There is an effort to change this gruesome picture. Presently, professional learning on what science shows is the best way to teach reading is being conducted in Kentucky’s new Reading Academies for teachers. The Reading Academies use the same Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) program that has been notably successful in Mississippi.
But, a lot of issues remain. In the initial, “Phase 1” of the Reading Academies, which are currently voluntary for teachers, fewer than 2,000 teachers signed up although 2,400 slots had been funded. About 20,000 teachers obviously need such training, so the remaining unmet need is really substantial. Rep. Bojanowski fully understands this.
What’s more, Rep. Bojanowski is a working teacher in the Jefferson County Public School District. As a result, her call for professional development in reading instruction to be made mandatory is particularly noteworthy. It looks like a major education insider does not believe that only making Reading Academies voluntary is going to get the job done.
So, it looks like poor reading performance might be a continuing issue when the Kentucky legislature meets again in 2023.
Tech Notes: Data from the NAEP come from the NAEP Data Explorer.
The Courier-Journal’s reading panel can be viewed online here.
Rep. Bojanowski’s comments start at 21 minutes and 50 seconds into the video.
The Courier-Journal’s 5-part series, Between the Lines, on Kentucky’s reading problems is also well worth your time to check out.