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ILLITERACY IS A PROBLEM WE CAN SOLVE

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Literacy data

Global Literacy Data

  • 773 million youth and adults around the world still cannot read and write
  • 250 million children worldwide are failing to acquire basic literacy skill
  • 43 million adults in United States (1 out of 5) are functionally illiterate
  • 66% of 8th-graders in the US are below proficient in reading
Research conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found a strong correlation between children who are struggling to read by 3rd-grade and those adults who fail to thrive in life. When you consider what the literacy rate means for communities, you’d be right to be concerned.

In December 2020, Dr. Kimberly Berens’ book “Blind Spots: Why Students Fail and the Science That Can Save Them” was published. In it, Dr. Berens highlights the chronic issues within our educational system as well as what we can do to effectively address those challenges.

One of the things we learned from that book was about Project Follow-Through. This was the most in-depth and conclusive educational study, which demonstrated that curriculum founded in Direct Instruction was the only teaching method that produced strong positive results.

Local Literacy Data - Alaska

After reading Dr. Berens’ book, we researched what was going on across the four school districts serving families on Prince of Wales (POW) Island: (1) Southeast Island - SISD, (2) Hydaburg City Schools, (3) Klawock City Schools, and (4) Craig City Schools. What we found motivated us to take action! You ready? Let's go!
Below is a table showing the data from the Reading test administered to students in grades 3-9 in the 2018/19 school year. Based on the data, we calculated estimates of how many students would be considered “below proficient” in reading across demographics... 611 out of 986 kids. That's about 62%!! Whoa?!?
READING PROFICIENCY
SISD
Hydaburg
Klawock
Craig
All POW
# of Students Tested 2018/19
108
43
56
198
405
# of Native Alaskan Students Tested
7
31
36
31
105
# of Economically Disadvantaged Students Tested
74
29
48
88
239
% of Students Tested Below Proficient
48% (52 kids)
81% (35 kids)
76% (43 kids)
59% (117 kids)
61% (246 kids)
% of Alaska Native Students Below Proficient
86% (6 kids)
87% (27 kids)
86% (31 kids)
71% (22 kids)
82% (86 kids)
% of Economically Disadvantaged Students Below Proficient
53% (39 kids)
93% (27 kids)
81% (39 kids)
68% (60 kids)
69% (165 kids)
Total Enrollment in 2019/20
176
112
131
567
986
# of All Students Below (estimated)
85
91
100
335
611
# of All Native Alaskan Students Below (estimated)
10
70
72
63
215
% of Economically Disadvantaged Students Below Proficient
64
70
91
171
396

Standard Celeration Chart or SCC

Commonly used by Precision Teachers.

The Standard Celeration Chart (SCC), is a tool commonly used by Precision Teachers to monitor progress and make decisions about teaching. It is also a very useful tool to visualize all sorts of data. We looked back at the reading data for the past 10 years on POW Island and charted it on the SCC.

The reading data from the most recent testing in 2018/19 showed that 246 out of 405 students tested performed below proficient in reading. The data trend, looking back over the past 10 years on the SCC, shows stagnant performance, indicating lack of progress over time.

When we consider the results of Project Follow Through and compare that to what is actually happening in our schools, it’s clear something is not right. In fact, what most people don't know is that many schools do not implement Direct Instruction based programs to address the remedial academic needs.

It’s time that families and learners understand what is really going on within our educational system. Most teachers have not been trained to implement Direct Instruction curriculum, because most of them are only trained as General Education Teachers. This is not enough! We can do better!

If we want to flip the script on this pervasive problem, we must come to a shared understanding of the underlying challenges, accept them for what they are - lessons learned, and commit to doing what needs to be done to serve the needs of our children, families, and communities. Join #OurAO Collective!
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