DT> Good question.  One I don't have an answer for.  I have heard from 
 DT> middle-school teachers that 60% of the kids 
 DT> entering 6th grade are not 
 DT> reading at grade level.  When I asked what they 
Our whole school is Title One reading. That means a significant portion of 
the students fall below the 25 percentile in their reading scores. When I 
taught Fifth, it was not unusual to have a reading spread from 1st to 12+, we 
did a lot of oral reading, outlining, vocabulary, etc. to work on their 
skills. Trouble is, these are not dumb kids, they would never qualify for 
special ed and there are no medical problems.
 
 DT> but Im sure there are many who do read below grade level.  I am also 
 DT> sure there are many who read at grade level or 
 DT> above.  What has made the 
 DT> difference?  I think home may be a factor.  
 DT> I wonder if another factor is that (some schools?  
 DT> many??) don't operate 
 DT> with exit outcomes in mind.  Isn't a good question "What should an 
 DT> exiting (grade level) look like.?"  "What are the 
 DT> necessary skill levels 
 DT> for an incoming (grade level) in math, science, reading, writing, 
 DT> speaking, listening??  
 DT> Perhaps there is a greater need for connections from grade level to 
 DT> grade level?  (As in top-down design of goals and objectives)
 DT> What are districts doing to address some of the apparent skill 
 DT> deficiencies they are seeing in some students?  
 DT> Does this problem exist 
 DT> everywhere?  Is is exaggerated?  What are the 
 DT> _accurate_ statistics that 
 DT> could help define the problem?  
I think you have hit pretty close to an answer. Home life for the vast 
majority of our students is not very good. Most are below poverty level and 
their situations are pretty desperate. Unemployment runs 12% or higher in 
this area and it is pretty constant. Many parents lack language skills and 
the knowledge that would help their children succeed.
 
Our district has not had a curriculum that was workable for years. We are 
currently having a curriculum alignment project where each level, elementary, 
mid, and HS is meeting to decide what they want for their students at the 
exit level. Then everyone will meet together to align the three and make one 
unified curriculum. There has already been some fireworks within each group, 
so the final alignment should be interesting. 
 
I think the problem is wide-spread among lower income areas, but not among 
middle to upper income areas. Schools are strapped for money to spend on 
training and curriculum work and it shows.
 
I think another BIG factor is lack of expectations among all parties 
involved. I have heard many comments about our students that are quite 
negative from both parents and teachers. 
 
Carl
--- Maximus 2.02
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