Qualities of a Successful Reading Program

A recent Educational Leadership article recommended six experiences children need to have in order to become "successful, engaged readers."

1. Every Child Reads Something He/She Chooses: While there will always be teacher-assigned books, especially by upper elementary school, research is conclusive that children must have opportunities to choose some of the books they read.

2. Every Child Reads Accurately: The key here is a child needs to read primarily at the right level of difficulty. "Spending more time reading doesn't help unless students are reading at 98% or higher accuracy. When students read accurately, they solidify their word-recogntion, decoding, and word-analysis skills."

3. Every Child Reads Something He/She Understands: The authors describe that too often struggling readers get intervention that focuses on basic skills in isolation rather than on reading "connected test for meaning." To keep a child's interest, books read need to be engaging and comprehensible.

4. Every Child Writes About Something Personally Meaningful: Although the key to becoming a better writer is to read, this research also shows that writing practice also enhance reading skills.

5. Every Child Talks With Peers About Reading and Writing: Small-group, in-class student discussions improve overall comprehension and engagement with books. "Time for students to talk about their reading and writing is perhaps one of the most underused, yet easy-to-implement, elements of instruction."

6. Every Child Listens to a Fluent Adult Read Aloud: Even though this is a standard in preschool and early elementary school, it is important for students in upper elementary and middle school to hear adults read aloud.

As I read the article, I was pleased that Orchard employs all the above, including student-choice books in literature class, small-group discussions, a commitment to writing, and teachers reading aloud to students (even in middle school).

But I was also disappointed that so many other schools do not include these experiences in their reading program.

The authors conclude their article by strongly advising schools to eliminate two new realities in the high-stakes testing and standards-drive era:

1. Eliminate virtually all worksheets and workbooks and expand classroom libraries

2. Minimize and even eliminate test-prep activities and materials from school--particularly since there's no evidence these techniques improve reading or test scores.