Students taking a reading assessment.Photo provided by: National Center for Educational Statistics
The changes address issues raised by education authorities.
The changes address issues raised by education officials who say the bill's language is too restrictive and will cause problems for schools that need to implement the bill.
“I think the reason for that was that they wanted this bill to catch all the students who have some sort of learning deficit or who are just struggling with reading,” said Sen. Martine Gulick, D-Chittenden Central. said.
Jay Nichols, executive director of the Vermont Principals Association, told committee members on Jan. 10 that he agrees with S.204's goals but takes issue with some of its language.
Committee members at their Feb. 9 meeting included removing specific language regarding follow-up on literacy tests, removing language requiring the Department of Education to approve literacy testers, and changing the state's definition of unsuitable students. , some possible changes were considered. Literacy test.
Child advocacy groups Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance VT, Let's Grow Kids', and Voices for VT Kids' declined requests for comment from Community News Service.
If screening reveals potential deficiencies in a student's reading comprehension, S.204 would require all public and approved independent schools to provide literacy screening and intervention approved by the Department of Education. Masu. The bill is an attempt to help readers who are struggling in the early stages of their education, Gulick said.
“We really focus on kindergarten through third grade,” she said. “Why kindergarten through third grade is important is because that’s when you learn to read, and from third grade onwards you start actually learning by reading. If you don't, you're really going to start to fail.”
Nichols said the bill's language is too restrictive and that some literacy teachers could be considered ineligible under the language, especially when referring to “reading specialists” who teach students. Stated.
Mr. Nichols also pointed out that the language in S.204 regarding literacy testers themselves could lead to programs that are ineffective and/or corrupt under the bill's guidelines.
“Let's be very careful about prescribing what counts as a curriculum or requiring the use of specific programs,” he told committee members, adding: “There are a ton of commercial organizations out there selling screening programs and curricula that they claim can produce better reading results and often develop their own paid research to support their products. .”
Other education experts representing the Vermont School Superintendents Association, the Vermont Agency of Education, and the Vermont Federation of Educators proposed changes to the bill's language, arguing that it was too strict.
Most of the concerns center around how the new guidelines could negatively impact schools that currently use their own testing and intervention methods. That's because if schools don't comply with the bill's language, they will be forced to reinvent their systems, said Commissioner Gwen Carmoly. The Vermont Curriculum Leaders Association told committee members on January 5th.
Cynthia Gardner Morse, a private literacy tutor in Vermont, announced her support for the bill at the January 5 meeting. Gardner-Morss cited her work on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which measured the reading levels of Vermont students on a numerical scale. Only 9% of Vermont legislators are classified as advanced, and 66% are below proficiency.
The study's numerical scale ranges from 0 to 500, and students are divided into three groups based on their scores: less proficient, basic, and advanced. Each level provides an overview of what a student's reading level should be to meet the standard.
“This reading crisis is not the fault of teachers,” Gardner-Morss told the committee. “It's the whole system's fault.”
Champlain Elementary School Principal Dorin Dorfman wants the state to take action and thinks S.204 is a solid first step.
Dorfman told commissioners at the same meeting that reading struggles are more prevalent than ever. Literacy tests are accurate and their implementation will bring about positive change, she said.
“I wish I could go into any school and experience what most teachers endure every day. I would love to go inside and watch the kids try to write complete sentences and write multi-syllable words. Look at what I’m trying to spell,” Dorfman told the committee. I added it later. “You'll feel the urgency of the changes I'm talking about.”
Most students with reading deficiencies have been struggling since preschool or kindergarten, Dorfman said, and some don't receive appropriate literacy tests until their senior year of high school. She praised the bill's efforts to help students of all ages improve their reading comprehension.
“You can't ignore the (older) children,” she says. “You should never say, 'I'm sorry, but you're too old and I can't help you.' Instead, S.204 should say, 'We see your struggle. ”. We teach reading and writing at grade level and invest in the future you deserve. ”
S.204 continues to be discussed and amended in committee. If passed, the bill would go into effect on July 1, 2024. Gulick made the level of urgency clear when he introduced the bill to members of the Senate Education Committee on January 5th.
“There was a time when our literacy rate was second in the nation, and now we're in the middle,” she said.
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