AnonymousBy Cheri Rae
“Subject: Failing Readers in our District. We are graduating kids who cannot read, or write a simple essay. They put kids in 11th grade AP Language classes who don’t know sentences start with a capital letter. It has been breaking my heart!” – Email from local high school English teacher.
From last in the class to the valedictorian, it was no small task for them to finish school in uncertain times with high expectations and exceptional stresses. The traditional ceremonies, set to the familiar strains of “Pomp and Circumstance,” offered a rite of passage in the company of their loved ones and community members, a joyful accomplishment they will remember proudly the rest of their lives.
When the Class of 2023 entered kindergarten, thirteen years ago, they were small children who could hardly contain their excitement as they walked up the school steps and into the classroom. Surely, every single one believed they would learn to read, and just couldn’t wait.
By the time they were high school graduates, however, only half of them could.
A glimpse at Pomp: Before triumphantly transferring their tassels and tossing their mortarboards into the air, the graduates, more or less patiently, listened to speeches from fellow students and educational leaders that were resonant with inspirational thoughts and replete with assurances that each graduate now is well-prepared to follow their dreams.
For the graduates, whether headed for college, technical school, straight to a career, the military, or to a gap year to figure it out, the official line is that they’re ready to step into the adult world.
The implicit message: the education establishment did its job and now is released from responsibility for the Class of ‘23. Now it’s up to each graduate to make the most of their education.
A gander at Circumstance: Half the graduates could sit through their ceremony confident and secure in the knowledge they are equipped with the essential intellectual tools to reach their full potential. The other half – who struggle to read, and always have – knew they are not.
No educational leaders acknowledged this harsh reality on commencement day, but kids on the wrong side of the 50/50 reading divide may have had a hard-earned diploma in hand, but were never taught fundamental literacy skills. In an increasingly competitive world, where comprehension of the written word is essential, their ability to enter the workforce or tackle higher education is severely curtailed, their self-esteem perhaps damaged in the process.
No matter how motivated, these unskilled readers now have few options to correct the situation: community college remedial classes have been cut back drastically, the library lacks the capacity to teach hundreds of low literacy-proficient graduates each year, and private tutoring is both expensive and difficult to manage as an adult juggling multiple responsibilities while trying to learn to read.
As a longtime literacy advocate, I have borne witness to the psychological, social and economic distress of students who find themselves in this position. For the rest of their lives, they will shoulder the blame, but in most cases, it wasn’t their fault.
How we got here. For all the years the Class of 2023 was in school, our local school districts—as districts across the nation—warmly embraced the premise of the educational theory known as “balanced literacy.” They uncritically believed in the promise that children will discover the joy of reading naturally, simply by being exposed to good literature, and employing self-teaching strategies based on finding clues from pictures or guessing at words.
Administrators persuaded school board members to allocate vast sums of taxpayer dollars investing in curriculum, teacher training, and marketing to the community based on this theory. Along the way, they’ve explained the scandalous 50 percent reading proficiency by blaming the students for their lack of motivation, their economic status, even their ethnicity. These days, Covid-19 reliably gets the blame, even though test scores were abysmal even before the pandemic.
Somehow this community—as most across the country—was lulled into the belief that 50 percent proficiency must be all that’s possible these days.
But scientists and cognitive researchers said otherwise, based on years of evidence.
The system of ideas known as the “science of reading,” in contrast with “balanced literacy,” indicates that a direct, explicit, sequential, and structured approach to reading instruction works for virtually every budding reader.
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Phonemic awareness;
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Phonics;
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Fluency;
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Vocabulary;
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Comprehension.
For years, a handful of outspoken local advocates, including this one, pointed to the 90-to-95 percent reading proficiency associated with the instructional approach based on science—but were routinely ridiculed, dismissed, or simply ignored.
Until recently.
Change is in the air: Earlier this year, a couple of reading rockstars came to town, promoting reading as a civil right.
NAACP Literacy advocate Kareem Weaver and The Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton joined filmmaker Jenny Mackenzie at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival premiere showing of her acclaimed film, “The Right to Read.”
Dozens of local educators, administrators and school board members attended the showing and the discussion afterward, which effectively indicted “balanced literacy” as the cause of so many reading woes. (You can register here for a special Juneteenth – June 19 – free streaming presentation of the film).
Not long after, Santa Barbara Unified School District officials, who in meetings of its Literacy Task Force for two years, had continued to promote, invest in, and steadfastly defend the “balanced literacy” approach, devised by the controversial Columbia University professor Lucy Calkins, unexpectedly announced a dramatic change.
SBUSD now it is switching from the discredited Calkins curriculum to the structured, science-based curriculum known as “Wit and Wisdom.” At least one other local district, Montecito Union, is studying the science of reading, and another, Goleta Union, is being heavily lobbied by a group of parents who have educated themselves on the subject.
It is no small task to make the paradigm shift from the failed, if popular, theory of “balanced literacy” to the highly researched, science-based approach, which is considerably more complex and more demanding of educators and students.
But it works for twice as many students, which makes the investment of time and money more than worthwhile.
It will take extraordinary leadership that is absolutely committed to this new approach, along with their generous support of educators to earn their buy-in, to make the significant turnaround in literacy levels that our students so desperately need.
And it will take time—an estimated three years—to get this science-based approach established in our K-6thgrade classrooms.
It’s a welcome shift, but sadly comes far too late for recent graduates and those who will follow in their footsteps over the next several years.
Some key questions – and a call to action.How does the school district navigate this interim period from one instructional approach to another?
What about remediation for current students from third grade through secondary school who haven’t learned foundational literacy skills? Will they be allowed to simply drift along, or will they receive meaningful intervention to become proficient readers before they graduate in 2024, 2025 and beyond?
And there is lingering concern about what to do for those new graduates now entering adulthood without the ability to decode or manipulate the written word.
They are curriculum casualties of an education establishment that failed them when they were young children, committed to a faulty, now-jettisoned instructional approach.
Surely, we owe them remedial services and an apology for their unnecessary struggles in school.
In the words of an exemplary administrator, now long-gone from SBUSD, “We have a moral imperative to make sure students can read before they graduate from this district.”
That’s the kind of commitment we need. It is up to us, members of the adult community responsible for their education, to determine how to right that wrong.
# # #
Cheri Rae, author of DyslexiaLand: A Field Guide for Parents of Children with Dyslexia, has been a literacy advocate since 2010, the same year the Class of 2023 started school. She is the director of The Dyslexia Project and its Literacy Is For Everyone initiative. Contact her at TheDyslexiaProject@gmail.com
Op-Ed’s are written by community members, not representatives of edhat. The views and opinions expressed in Op-Ed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of edhat. [Do you have an opinion on something local? Share it with us at info@edhat.com.]
One of the wealthiest cities in the entire world and our schools are churning out, and have been churning out, a large percentage high-school students who are completely unable to read or write. Don’t even get me started with how well they due in math or science. Such a disgrace and the progressives are happy to have so many of them end up on the public dole. One thing for sure, these kids are A-OK with government handouts in exchange for votes. Yep….sick/sad/terrible truth rolled up into one block of the uneducated. Good for the Das and Salud folks, for sure.
Baby, WTF?! HAHA!! “these kids are A-OK with government handouts in exchange for votes”
As if high school students are thinking about voting in any context, you’re hysterical.
@Baby – the vast majority of Republicans in this country are white and uneducated.
Babycakes, this is a gross generalization. Not reading or writing at grade level is a FAR cry from “completely unable to read or write.” My 70-something year old parent managed to graduate high school not being able to read much. He never reads a book, but he is still able to read a newspaper. That’s a struggling reader, not someone who is “completely unable to read and write”.
So is it 45% that can’t read Sac? Or maybe 47%? Maybe 41%? What’s YOUR number, expert? Come on man. It may be more than half for all we really know. It’s a number that’s TOO BIG. That’s the point here. Stay on the point.
And BASIC – “can’t read” is the claim. That means, they do not understand the written language. It’s not the same as scoring low in English. What “half” do you think you’re in?
“What’s YOUR number, expert?” – It’s not 50%, nor is it my job to do your work for you. Figure it out.
Who’s making things up? No one. Just asking for an honest, straightforward opinion if you’re going to be posting here every minute of the day, as opposed to nitpicking. Take a stand man. I’ve taken mine, and it’s that the author and others who’ve posted here have a valid point.
Yet here you are posting every time I do and yet to take a stand.
It’s not “my work”. You’ve worn out that same, tired response. Sup’s and their heavy admin staffs get paid very handsomely to try and get those numbers. Anyways, I get it, you have no answer for an exact number, and guess what nor do I. But it’s unacceptably high in many people’s on opinions, including the author’s – and you again seem to be nitpicking and arguing minutia just to argue with someone. Or, do really do you think kids are reading at an acceptable level?
” those numbers. ” – OK, show us ” those numbers. ”
“Or, do really do you think kids are reading at an acceptable level?” – Ummmm….. that’s not what I ever said. No, I don’t, but again….. NEVER said that. Hey, how about you stop making things up?
All I said was the claim that 50% (that’s half) of high school grads “can’t read,” as in can’t look at letters and understand what they mean. All. I. Said. Now….. show us “those numbers.”
7:31 – The big clue there is the word informal, meaning used by illiterates.
As we are discussing literacy, can you please stop saying “Anyways”?
There is no such word.
You’re welcome.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anyways
Anyways is acceptable by the standards for proficiency because it only includes one unnecessary consonant
Ridiculous statement, 7:51. Informal, colloquial speech is used by everyone.
A discussion of “anyways”: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/lets-talk-about-anyways
That claim is itself illiterate.
(Ironically, Basic actually does verge on illiteracy and this is the only time that I have ever defended him or probably ever will, but there are far more substantive and valid reasons to criticize him than his use of an informal word in an informal setting, y’all.)
Your use of illiterate is ungrammatical. How can a claim be unable to read or write or be unfamiliar with the rules of language? Illiterate is a noun, not an adjective.
If ya ain’t got educashiion, u 2 can be cooloquial.
The article of this op-ed doesn’t really understand the issue nor does she understand the context for the scores. And she’s factually wrong. Last year 70% of DPHS 11th graders met/exceeded standards on the 11th grade SBAC in English Language Arts. These exams are much more sophisticated than people assume- they are used by the Cal State System for placement in English classes – at college level. the 11th grade math exams assess math through Algebra 2 skills. Saying less than 50% of our graduates can’t read is a lie: https://www.caschooldashboard.org/reports/42767864231726/2022
DPHS does well, now do SB Unified as a whole.
Saying they can’t read is an oversimplification and hyperbole, but the truth is that most SB Unified students test below standards in 11th grade
Here is SBHS
https://caaspp-elpac.ets.org/caaspp/ViewReportSB?ps=true&lstTestYear=2022&lstTestType=B&lstGroup=1&lstGrade=13&lstSchoolType=A&lstCounty=42&lstDistrict=76786-000&lstSchool=4235727&lstSubject=m&lstFocus=m
Take out the Mexican/Hispanic kids from achievement data and it becomes an unmitigated disaster. Compare the schools who have mostly Mexican/Hispanic kids enrolled and compare them to fully integrated schools. This also is an unmitigated disaster. Data is what the data composer wants it to be!
3:44 – what do you mean? What’s a “fully integrated” school?
She very much does understand the context for scores. Please go to your dashboard website and look up ALL SB Unified. The data from Santa Barbara High and San Marcos high is MUCH worse.
This is funny because people are actually defending our schools teaching to a less than 50% of proficiency level. Link to state test website below
SBHS state test results
2021-22
33.24% of graduates tested at or above standard in English. 46% tested below standard, 21% “nearly met” standard
23.71% of graduates tested at or above standard in math
54% standard not met
22% standard nearly met
Here is what that means quoted from the report for the students who tested below standard in English
“The student has not met the achievement standard and needs substantial improvement to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in English language arts/literacy needed for likely success in entry-level, credit-bearing college coursework after high school.”
Here is what that means for the students who test below standard in math:
“The student does not yet demonstrate the ability to explain and apply mathematical concepts or the ability to interpret and carry out mathematical procedures with ease and accuracy.”
Here are your facts to read for yourself below from State of CA
https://caaspp-elpac.ets.org/caaspp/DashViewReportSB?ps=true&lstTestYear=2022&lstTestType=B&lstGroup=1&lstSubGroup=1&lstSchoolType=A&lstGrade=13&lstCounty=42&lstDistrict=76786-000&lstSchool=4235727
EDNEY – “people are actually defending our schools teaching to a less than 50% of proficiency level.”
NO ONE is doing that. Simply disputing the statement that 50% of high school grads can’t read is not defending low proficiency.
If a child scores at the 4th grade level in comprehension, he/she is considered functionally literate. Or so I told 20 years ago. Granted we want all students doing better than that but you can survive with a 4th grade reading level. My father only attended school through 4th grade and he survived.
Indeed. E.g., fourth grade level is sufficient for Trump and his supporters: https://www.newsweek.com/trump-fire-and-fury-smart-genius-obama-774169
My mom made me use “Hooked on Phonics” at a young age. Now I’m an addict.
https://www.hookedonphonics.com/
Regardless, I have available space and time; I can probably help some struggling adults achieve comprehension… for money.
I’d do it for free if we were socialists, but it is clear that Santa Barbarians prefer capitalism (despite our reliance on publicly funded schools, police, postal service, and military).
I know that’s a generalization, but it’s also hilarious.
Half of them can’t read and even less think or analyze, but they know everything there is to know about pronouns and genders.
So who would complain?
Fun. More LGBTQ+ and transphobia from Fond.
What do you care how people identify or what pronouns they use? It doesn’t affect you one bit. As much as you and your ilk want America to go back to the 1950s, we’re not. God I can’t wait for your generation to die off.
FOND – it’s an op-ed, not an “article” and certainly not a peer reviewed study. The statement that 50% of high school students can’t read is WRONG. If you have evidence to the contrary, I’d be happy to see it.
Not in the sense that it was necessarily researched or contains reliable facts, such as those FOND hinges on.
You all certainly seem to get excited about words.
I don’t necessarily agree with FONDOFSB’s assessment, but I don’t think it’s transphobic or homophobic to criticize the recent hypersensitivity toward identity-politics or name-calling.
“Phobic” implies irrational fear and FOND doesn’t seem to be afraid or malicious toward LBGT people in that particular comment.
If you call me by the wrong name, or use “it” for my pronoun, I probably wouldn’t even notice.
I think there are ongoing injustices that are far more significant than someone failing to acknowledge my preferred identity (which might change at any moment without notice :).
We should get a “trial by combat” sanctioned for BASICINFO805 vs SACJON to relieve some of the tension in our comments section.
Again, absolutely wonderful news that everything FONDODSB is totally wrong.
Sac: Just READ and have someone EXPLAIN to you the introduction article!
Everything I say is a SAD reality.
Whether you like it or not, that is the TRAGIC (for those kids) consequence of where today’s society is going, much to your applauds!
Love your last idea, Nik. 🙂
🙂 thanks
NIK – I’m being very sarcastic. Trans/homo phobia are not mental illnesses, they’re signs of ignorance and hate. Please don’t compare them with true phobias. I guess I see your point though, trans/homophobes should be called what they are, “bigots.”
NIK – yes, claustrophobia and trans/homophobia are the same thing. Bigots are actually just truly terrified of trans and gay people, right? SBSURF has it right.
@SACJON
I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not.
People fear what they don’t understand, and people learn to hate what they fear.
To be clear:
I don’t think it’s a good thing for people to hate each other based on their identity or frame of mind.
Phobia is a mental illness. Maybe we should stop conflating bigotry and phobia; or maybe we should start treating trans/homophobia as an illness.
I don’t think people with phobias are “super duper assholes”
Me: I’m claustrophobic.
SBSURF: You’re a “super duper asshole”.
Me: Thanks for helping.
Politics aren’t confined to the realm of government, there are corporate politics and social dynamics result from this hyper-focus on identity.
If you discriminate against a “protected class” there are penalties, and I can decide to become a “protected class” at any moment.
I’m an advocate of free-speech and open information, so I’m hoping that name-calling or faux pas aren’t criminalized as harassment or hate-crimes.
https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/small-business/3-who-protected-employment-discrimination
Applicants, employees and former employees are protected from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age (40 or older), disability and genetic information (including family medical history).
@SACJON I might consider bigotry to be a contagious but curable mental disease, but I appreciate your honest assessment of the point I was trying to make in that comment.
I agree that conflation of bigotry and phobia usually isn’t helpful.
@Nik – there is nothing political about one’s identity. Let’s try this.. your name on your birth certificate is Wilbur Nikolas but you go by “Nik.”
You: Hi, you can call me Nik
Me: What’s your real name?
You: It’s Wilbur but I never really liked it and I feel more like a Nik so you can call me that
Me: No, I’m going to call you Wilbur
Now.. is it the end of the world? No. But does that make me an asshole? Absolutely. So there’s nothing political about it other than some assholes are decidedly choosing not to respect other people. That’s all. Oh, and yes they are adding in homophobia and transphobia so extra super duper assholes.
“In an increasingly competitive world….” exactly why “Teaching to the test” and “No child left behind” programs are so destructive. Implement a school voucher system – and let the parents decide!
I usually think spell checks and grammar checks are petty, but when talking about literacy, we should spell names correctly?
Ding ding ding! Red herring alert! Try to focus on the issue at hand
I found it ironic that a post about literacy, containing no substance at all, did contain a mis-spelling of the persons handle. But OK, lets focus.
“Again, absolutely wonderful news that everything FONDODSB is totally wrong.”
Not totally. The data was put out by the SBUSD a few weeks ago and the numbers were that less than 50% of students will graduate reading at the high school level. So he was right on that one.
EDNEY – yeah, wow, I’m totally illiterate because I misspelled FOND. Whatever man.
Anyway, to your point – “less than 50% of students will graduate reading at the high school level” is not the same as saying what FOND said, “Half of them can’t read.” So no, FOND was not right, neither are you for implying the 2 statements are equivalent.
Not being able to read is not the same as reading below grade level. Why is this so difficult for you and others to understand…. oh wait…. yeah never mind……
It’s the 50% part consisting of comprehension that many of the posters here lack.
GDP: To fully understand how students are doing at DP or any other campus you need to look at the vulnerable students groups, not the whites and asians. When you look up the scores for students with differences you see that only 18% of them at DP are proficient and for English language learners at DP only 6.67 are proficient. Cheri Rae does understand first hand, the issues as a long time advocate and someone who has been helping the students who are curriculum casualties and who have fallen behind because our district used a deeply flawed approach to reading that does not work for most students. If interested in learning more listen to Emily Hanford… “Sold a Story” podcast. Glad some students are succeeding but everyone needs to. Many districts are going for 90% proficiency which can be done if we used evidenced based approach and make it a priority.
Rather than have a thoughtful reasoned discussion on improving students’ college and career readiness, the author uses the hyperbolic, misleading headline that kids are graduating illiterate-it’s another way to stoke anti-public school hysteria. 50% may be unable to demonstrate via one standardized test in 11th grade that they are on track for college/career, but that’s waaaaay different than saying they can’t read and she knows it. You then add to the hysteria by talking about ‘taking A-Gs’ for EMLs and students with special needs- two groups that logically wouldn’t be fully ready for UC/CSUs by graduation due to still learning the language of their new country or struggle due to learning disabilities. Show me any school or district in California where these two groups are meeting A-G eligibility and then we can talk. You won’t be able to do so. This is, again, a false narrative- the metric you want to look at for EMLs is reclassification as fluent in English rates; for students with IEPs- you should look at college AND career readiness – where students can demonstrate via different pathways than 11th grade standardized tests- that they are ready for the post-secondary options. “Taking A-Gs”? Do you even know what you are talking about? All high school courses are A-G courses but you need to complete 2 years of a world language, math through Algebra 2, etc.- and the truth is that if you are a student learning English or have a learning disability you have other priorities or other challenges in front of you. “Many districts are going for 90% proficiency?’ Again, show me a single high school in California with similar demographics to DPHS that is significantly outperforming them in these categories, and then we can have a thoughtful conversation. But nobody is saying the current data is sufficient; nobody is saying we can’t improve -and yes, early literacy intervention (and supports for those in secondary) is needed to make sure all students leave third grade ready to read to learn rather than not being able to learn to read. But rather than misleading, let’s be honest.
LOVESBALOT, thanks for yours! Which is the board member that understands the science of reading? …I’d like to know whom to vote for (and whom not to vote for.)
It is a fact that is acknowledged by the SBUSD, that over 50% of our K-12 students do not have a grasp of English and Math. It is a fact that children graduate our high schools who are functionally illiterate because of their problems with these two basic skills. They should be the bedrock of our K-12 system! Too many of our local K-12 schools have suffered white flight because some of our K-12 schools have close to a 100% Mexican/Hispanic student enrollment. This is not a racial issue; it is a concern for white parents who want their kids educated properly. California’s once great public school system is now one of the worst in our entire nation. You cannot allow 3.5 million illegal immigrants composed of far too many uneducated parents and children to come to California and who through no fault of their own are among the lowest rung in the ladder educationally, economically and health wise and expect our society to prosper. The bottom line is that we need to take care of those who are already here and stop this madness. We need to shut down our porous borders and regroup!
The bilingual program has contributed to this mess. Give kids English, they will learn it! Tired of kids being used as political pawns for more funding. The teachers have figured it out also. Never had there been a bigger rift between Administration, teachers and parents with students getting the Short end of the stick.
“The bilingual problem”? Explain. This sounds racist af.
Yes the bilingual program is a problem. I would go as far as to say racist because It holds Latino children who come from Spanish speaking homes from English proficiency.
0659: Watch the movie “Right to Read,” Look up Kareem Weaver & NAACP. What you find is that low literacy scores are because children are taught in a system based on guessing and context clues with limited phonics, rather that the science of reading approach based on phonics and 4 other important things missing from the flawed approach, comprehension, phonemic awareness, vocabulary and fluency. To prove it look at Mississippi, it is a state with high poverty rates and when they used the science approach their scores went up, in fact they are the only one that did during the pandemic. Those whose first language is not english will learn by end of third in the science of reading method. Look up “Sold a Story” by Emily Hanford for more data on that.
Ad Hominem is certainly popular in Santa Barbara.
Not worth saying this, but this community needs a remedial debate course.
It’s no wonder your kids can’t read or write.
SB: “I don’t care about your logic or rationale, I just wanna attack your character so I can feel like I won as the fabric of society collapses around me.”
yeah ok man…..
NIK – Your entire 4:25 comment is an ad hominem attack. How about, instead of accusing an entire city of being unable to debate, you directly respond to whatever ad hominem you feel was directed at you.
https://owl.excelsior.edu/argument-and-critical-thinking/logical-fallacies/logical-fallacies-ad-hominem/#:~:text=Ad%20hominem%20means%20%E2%80%9Cagainst%20the,my%20first%20year%20as%20governor!
You’re right @SACJON! I’m still learning the local dialect.
I see that Ad Hominem is the most effective way to communicate around here, so I thought I’d give it a try.
I’m really proud of you for catching that! 🙂
I don’t think that it is too much to ask to get at least a somewhat good return on our investment. In the case of educating our local students, we are getting a horrible/terrible return. Imagine if you sent your child to a violin/piano/soccer/art/etc. teacher/coach/school for 12-plus years, and at the end of it your child could barely draw stick figures, play single notes on the violin/pianuh, and/or unable to even kick a ball more than five feet. Each and every one of us would NOT be happy with that outcome. But Gawwwwwwd forbid we point out that somethings wrong when our education system fails our kid. I know, let’s give teachers and administrators a raise so they might do a good job that they should have been doing in the first place. Can’t make this stuff up!!!
The results need to be broken down to be meaningful. Local high school grads from 4 FEEDER DISTRICTS tend to be proficient in reading, most are proficient in math. The majority of those not profient by high school graduation are the product of SBUSD k-6 as assigned due to their zip code, or originated from one of two schools in the Goleta Elementary District. SAD. However, some principals will tell you what has long been communicated to parents: our tourist & oligarch economy needs a variety of workers both skilled and unskilled: waiters, cook food prep helpers, painters, housekeepers, shelf stockers, groundskeepers, laborers… a long list. Over training SBUSD k-6 is an in-house topic . 5the graders from feeder districts out performer high school graduates on SBCC Placement Tests. SBCC answered by abolishing remedial classes to local grads and changing its policy to prohibit 5th graders from enrolling until 10th without a parent. A huge game changer! Our highly proficient students require instruction, too, and are neglected along with those never taught to read, write, and calculate. Much is wrong with SBUSD starting at the top. Trustees are simpletons who support status quo.
The sad truth is the teachers know these kids are not ready to move up from Kindergarten to 2nd grade to 6th to graduation.
These teachers think they’re helping by not holding the children back or not being honest with the parents.
And/or the district tells them to lie and promote the children even though they are not ready.
This has been the way of the CA schools since as far back as the 1990s.
Lying to children & families.
GDP: Thank you SB Woman for the two examples at Cold Springs and MSU that demonstrate that if
funds, knowledge, small class sizes, evidenced approach and parent engagement come together all students can reach proficiency by end of third. Also students including those with learning differences foster youth, homeless, socioeconomic hardship and english language learners can reach proficiency if you teach them in the way they learn best, the science of reading. The culprit in low reading scores and A-G completion rates in vulnerable students is balanced literacy approach. The data is in on this and the movement is happening. Have you read the NY times. Listened to Mayor Eric Adams a dyslexic , Heard that NY and Georgia are forcing districts to change to the science of reading. No need for you to continue dismissing Cheri Rae. She knows what she is talking about as do many advocates. We have seen the pain and handed the kleenex to the curriculum casualties you seem to fail to see. Why do you have such mediocre goals for students with learning differences… Do you think they are somehow disabled… I notice you use that term. I have both learned experience and co run a non profit resource center where I meet the people who fell through the cracks. Stop making negative assumptions about people who look through a different lense. Why not be curious about Cheri or me and not have to demonize someone you never bothered to get to know. What I have said about vulnerable student groups not being reading proficient at end of third or having taken the A-G’s is information I got by joining LCAP. It is straight from the district Chief Information Officer. Rather than kill, dismiss, gaslight the messenger how about you explain why our leadership clung to a flawed system that does not teach reading… Somehow you keep missing the message by refocusing negativity on the messengers. What about Emily Hanford, Kareem Weaver, the Daily Show …. are they all drinking kool aid or isn’t it true that lack of literacy is due to a flawed approach by Lucy Calkins that we are all still trying to recover from….
I said with similar demographics- socio economically, ethnicity, percentage of eml’s . Cold Spring and Montecito are two of the most wealthy , well funded elementary districts in the entire state. Again – find one similar out performing DP and we can talk and if there are things to learn from them we will. Also the originals compliant of this piece- 50% are not graduating illiterate. It’s a lie or it’s a distortion of what the SBAC is measuring or it’s a coordinated attempt to conflate. Despicable of you ask me.
The happy truth is that literacy in the State, Country and the World continues to improve year over year, decade over decade. And so has every measure of human achievement and success. Yes, we can argue about different approaches and results, and minor downturns, but the truth is that humans continue to improve our societies no matter “who” is in charge, because that is our human nature. Let’s be honest and acknowledge and celebrate that every generation truly leaves life better for the next. Despite all of today’s doom and gloom outlook, in more than 6 decades I have witnessed increased education on all levels, increasingly higher standards of living among all classes, lowering crime rates, better medical outcomes, longer lives, better foods, toys and activities, and a society that is increasingly more accepting and inclusive. Yes, some have been left out of all that and we can do better. Others will just refuse to believe the facts. But, lighten up folks, life is better for most and that is good.
@8:56 –
Overlooking or ignoring the vast environmental damage being done.
Not ignoring the damage being done, just acknowledging the progress since the wholesale neglect annd environmental destruction prior to the 60s and 70s. Including, fines for littering, the clean water act, the clean air act, wetlands protection act, endangered species act, forest preservation, invasive species actions, moves toward cleaner energy, and the list goes on. We as a society need to, and want to do better, and we are. Our greatest minds and resources are on it. Globally, other societies are behind the curve, but they are improving also.
You asked in your post: “Show me any school or district in California where these two groups are meeting A-G eligibility and then we can talk. You won’t be able to do so.” PLEASE look at outcomes of non English speaking students enrolled at Cold Spring and Montecito Union. After a year immersed in English with active parent support including in-home study and efforts to immerse, these students are proficient in speaking English, and some exceed standards in math. I’ve observed Pre-6 student newcomers from Iran, China, Morocco who had to learn our alphabet before learning to read. The difference: small class sizes, literate parents, active support, classmate encouragement and desire to help integrate newcomers, and financial ability of these districts to hire specialists to augment classroom instruction. The advancement of these students to Ivy League, UC Berkeley, Westmont, Colorado Svhool of the Mines, Georgia Tech, and Cal Tech has convinced me District & community priorities along with determined parents can deliver exemplary outcomes. Educated, accessible, financially capable parents make a difference (not race or ethnicity). Schools can’t be parents, rather schools somehow must provide impactful opportunities for every K-6 student to succeed at reading, writing. and math. Challenging task when parents can’t read even in native language. Keep school libraries open til 7 with paid mentors and volunteer seniors.
Remediation by experienced reading interventionists is what is needed. Yes half the students are not reading at grade level. And when you look at the scores from CA Dept of Education for 21/22 you see that we have an equity issues as well. Only the whites and asians do somewhat well. 71% whites and 78% asians were proficient.. compare that to emergent multilingual students only 9%, students with differences only 13% students with socioeconomic hardship only 29% were proficient… Now if you look at who were able to graduate taking the A-G’s , required courses to be able to even apply to a UC, All Students: 61.6%
EML: 19.8% students with differences 18 %.
Cheri Rae is telling it how it is… and even being generous.. because when you look at the key milestones, one for reading by end of third as well as college readiness, our district is failing it’s most vulnerable students.
It is up to the board to set the curriculum and policies and to be sure that students are making meaningful
progress. Only one board member understands the science of reading and has consistently supported our district using it. Many of our current board has been there for years and agreed to large contracts for an approach that does not work for most students… This has been known for a decade yet our leadership clung to it… And our students are still paying the price. Many need intensive intervention now since it takes three years for the new curriculum and training to be implemented.
Thanks Jerry Roberts and Cheri for creating public awareness. The district won’t change significantly without public awareness and demand for change.
Bird: To be fair all five board members are supporting “Wit and Wisdom”, a science of reading approach for our students this year after clinging to a failed approach for far too many years. But only one board member, Escobedo talked about the science of reading in his campaign and is well informed on what implementations are successful from districts and advocates that are ahead of our district in this journey. Board member Escobedo to me seems curious, thorough in doing his own homework and open to listening to community members and advocates. I think he is a leader which is what we need. Other board members know about it but I don’t see them lead with the best practices for implementation. Many won’t even use the words science of reading or structured literacy. Kareem Weaver and others point out that successful implementation best practices include strong leadership at the top, more prep time for teachers, teacher training and one person experienced in having made these changes to be accountable and in charge of our implementation.
During a recent board meeting Board member Escobedo was the only board member to ask for one experienced person to be in charge and accountable with previous experience in this space. Sadly Superintendent Maldonado pushed for it to be the principals at each site rather than best practices of one person with prior experience. Other board members know about and have met Kareem Weaver when the “Right to Read” was shown at SB Film Festival but they do not appear to be aware of the best practices for implementation, including having one, experienced person in charge.
Changing from balanced literacy to science of reading is a whole paradigm shift from what teachers were taught and bought into. Now teachers will need to be taught a completely different approach and many teachers liked balanced literacy. Balanced literacy is what they learned in college. But that will change..by2025 colleges and university will teach the science of reading approach. Sadly Lucy Calkins is not letting go gracefully but is now repackaging her materials and even telling teachers not to go along with science of reading in one recent comment.
GDP: Asked about the 90% goal… and if anyone reached it yet…School districts nationwide have adopted this goal, and achieved it! This is how The Children’s Reading Foundation came to be, formed by a group of community stakeholders with the Kennewick School District (Washington) to ensure 90 percent of the district’s third graders read proficiently. When Kennewick School District set this goal in 1996, only 55 percent of its third graders were reading proficiently. It took 10 years to reach this goal, but they did it. It involved more than using the science of reading it also took parent & community engagement and honesty from the district in how many students are behind. There is a book out about how they did it called, “The 90% goal”. I would love to see our district adopt this plan .
Teaching children to read is not rocket science. I taught my 5 year old to read with and instructional book from the 70s, Teach Your child to Read in 100 easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelman.
It wasn’t long ago they literacy rates were +80%. Why now good back to the old lessons? The reason they won’t is because it’s the same reason they’ve been teaching the new garbage. The administrative state must continue to grow. They have to keep changing teaching “Programs” in order to maintain the grift. They need to have reasons to keep paying NGOs and educational departments. They accomplish this through changing teaching programs. The basic subjects essentially haven’t changed for 500 years. We don’t need to invent new ways to teach math, reading, or writing. We keep paying more money for education, for worse results. This isn’t an accident.