Dive Brief:
- Using data from almost 10 million students using its Accelerated Reader 360 platform, Renaissance has released its ninth annual report about reading trends by state, gender and age, along with best practices for student growth.
- According to “What Kids are Reading: And How They Grow,” girls continue to read more than boys (logging 23% more words), and while classics are still commonly read, new titles like Jeff Kinney’s "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series and "The Hunger Games" have spent several years in the top 10 for middle and high schoolers, respectively.
- When it comes to best practices, the report says increasing daily reading from 15 to 30 minutes can mean seeing 8 million more words over the course of a student’s schooling, and daily high-quality reading practice — focusing on high comprehension and vocabulary exposure — can help struggling students surge ahead of their peers whose reading practice is static.
Dive Insight:
English/language arts has always been at the center of K-12 education but the era of standardized tests has put even more pressure on schools to make sure their students master literacy skills. The Common Core State Standards included literacy recommendations for history, social studies, science and technical subjects, encouraging schools to spread the responsibility for literacy instruction across more teachers and highlight discipline-specific literacy skills. Many schools are only now turning to these recommendations.
The number of students who need remediation in college because their reading comprehension and writing skills are not up to par makes clear K-12 schools need to be doing more. The commitment, in most districts, is evident. Incorporating best practices is one way schools can raise the bar.