Dive Brief:
-
Teachers in grades 3-8 reported that nearly half (44%) of their students always or nearly always have difficulty reading their written instructional materials, according to a Rand Corporation report released Thursday.
-
However, 40% of the teachers surveyed had misconceptions about how students develop word reading skills, and 46% said their primary source of knowledge about reading instruction comes from personal experiences in the classroom.
-
Only 22% cited professional development as a primary source of their reading instruction knowledge, and even fewer (10%) cited other teachers and mentors.
Dive Insight:
The nationally representative survey results are based on 1,483 teacher responses between October and November 2023. Respondents were determined to have misconceptions about foundational reading skills if they agreed with statements that most students “will learn to read on their own if given the proper books and time to read them” or “can understand written texts with unfamiliar words even if they don’t have a good grasp of phonics,” or that phonics instruction isn’t useful for those struggling to learn to read.
Most teachers said they modified their instruction to support students at least once a week, and over half said they modified their instruction three or more times per week. But most teachers also report not having enough resources to support students who are struggling to read.
However, middle school teachers are less likely than elementary school teachers to say they have access to tools and training to support struggling readers — including having enough staff, recommendations for digital materials, reading specialists, tutors and training.
This is despite middle school teachers reporting that 42% of their students — or almost as big a share as elementary students — always or nearly always have difficulty reading their learning content..
"In short, our findings suggest that late elementary and middle grade teachers who teach both ELA [English language arts] and other subjects need evidence-based support to improve students’ reading skills given the high proportion of their students who have difficulty reading," the report’s authors wrote.
According to a 2023 American Instructional Resources Survey, released by Rand, between one-third and one-half of teachers in upper elementary and middle school grades engaged their students with foundational reading skill activities.
Most state laws are not meant to target or support older readers. In fact, according to the 2023 AIRS survey, only one-quarter of states with reading laws include requirements around secondary ELA instruction.
However, researchers in the report published Wednesday said children continue to need reading support even after the early elementary grades — traditionally when foundational reading skills are targeted the most — and that "reforming reading instruction in the United States" likely requires that resources be aimed at older students, as well.
According to results from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, a national litmus test of student performance in reading and math, only 33% of 4th grade students and 31% of 8th grade students scored at or above NAEP proficient level on the reading assessment.
Declines in reading performance compared to pre-pandemic NAEP scores, while less significant than those in math, were present for both grades 4 and 8.
