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57-837: First announced in November 2003, the agency was not officially launched until April 2004. The agency took over the delivery and administration of the National Curriculum Tests in England , previously undertaken by the QCA to whom they are accountable. As well as being responsible for the national curriculum tests, the agency worked work with examination bodies in further reforms of the GCSE and A-level examinations in England and Wales. The agency claimed that it would modernise

114-428: A hazard symbol and an emoji ), are not based on speech-based writing systems . The common link is the interpretation of symbols to extract the meaning from the visual notations or tactile signals (as in the case of braille ). Reading is generally an individual activity, done silently, although on occasion a person reads out loud for other listeners; or reads aloud for one's own use, for better comprehension. Before

171-640: A "rigorous and systematic phonics programme". In 2016, out of 50 countries, the United States achieved the 15th highest score in grade-four reading ability. The ten countries with the highest overall reading average are the Russian Federation, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, Ireland, Finland, Poland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Chinese Taipei and England (UK). Some others are: Australia (21st), Canada (23rd), New Zealand (33rd), France (34th), Saudi Arabia (44th), and South Africa (50th). Spoken language

228-421: A German study of 50 kindergartens compared children who, at age 5, had spent a year either "academically focused", or "play-arts focused" and found that in time the two groups became inseparable in reading skill. The authors conclude that the effects of early reading are like "watering a garden before a rainstorm; the earlier watering is rendered undetectable by the rainstorm, the watering wastes precious water, and

285-618: A child must meet all requirements to be awarded the band grade. The judgements available at Key Stage 2 differ for the subjects because of the different roles played. Writing has most available judgements as it is part of the statutory accountability judgement. Reading and mathematics have fewer judgements as the statutory focus is on the test scores. Science has only one available judgement, as at Key Stage 1. The grades available, therefore, are: The National Curriculum only extends to pupils in Years 1 to 11 of compulsory education in England. Outside of

342-438: A chore to be performed. Reading is an essential part of literacy , yet from a historical perspective literacy is about having the ability to both read and write. Since the 1990s, some organizations have defined literacy in a wide variety of ways that may go beyond the traditional ability to read and write. The following are some examples: In the academic field, some view literacy in a more philosophical manner and propose

399-564: A combination of testing and teacher assessment judgements and are used in all government-funded primary schools in England to assess the attainment of pupils against the programmes of study of the National Curriculum at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 where all pupils are aged 6 to 7 and 10 to 11 respectively. Until 2008, assessments were also required at the end of Key Stage 3 (14-year-olds) in secondary schools after which they were scrapped. The assessments were introduced following

456-447: A discussion on academic kindergartens, professor of child development David Elkind has argued that, since "there is no solid research demonstrating that early academic training is superior to (or worse than) the more traditional, hands-on model of early education", educators should defer to developmental approaches that provide young children with ample time and opportunity to explore the natural world on their own terms. Elkind emphasized

513-610: A draft position paper on DPA saying "The notion that young children are not ready for academic subject matter is a misunderstanding of developmentally appropriate practice; particularly in grades 1 through 3, almost all subject matter can be taught in ways that are meaningful and engaging for each child". And, researchers at The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential say it is a myth that early readers are bored or become trouble makers in school. Other researchers and educators favor limited amounts of literacy instruction at

570-411: A five-year span beginning in 2018, 85% of these students who graduated from high school did not pass a 12th-grade reading assessment. Between 2013 and 2024, 37 US States passed laws or implemented new policies related to evidence-based reading instruction. In 2023, New York City set about to require schools to teach reading with an emphasis on phonics . In that city, less than half of the students from

627-688: A new word can be inferred because it occurs in the same context as familiar words (e.g., lion is often seen with cowardly and king ). As British linguist John Rupert Firth says, "You shall know a word by the company it keeps". The environment in which children live may also impact their ability to acquire reading skills. Children who are regularly exposed to chronic environmental noise pollution, such as highway traffic noise, have been known to show decreased ability to discriminate between phonemes (oral language sounds) as well as lower reading scores on standardized tests. Children learn to speak naturally – by listening to other people speak. However, reading

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684-421: A particular field (e.g., computer literacy , ecological literacy , health literacy , media literacy , quantitative literacy ( numeracy ) and visual literacy ). In order to understand a text, it is usually necessary to understand the spoken language associated with that text. In this way, writing systems are distinguished from many other symbolic communication systems. Once established, writing systems on

741-462: A range of cross-curricular tasks to be delivered in the classroom, known as standardised assessment tasks - hence the common acronym 'SATs'. However, the complexity of the use of these meant they were quickly replaced by more formal tasks. The assessments in Key Stages 2 and 3 were developed using more traditional tests. In all 3 Key Stages, tests became the main form of statutory assessment, but

798-482: A selected sample of pupils to monitor national performance in science; the results of these tests are reported to their future secondary schools and parents by June. The test is taken in May. In addition to the tests, teachers are required to provide teacher assessments in the core subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics and science. As at Key Stage 1, these judgements are based on a framework of descriptors, for which

855-415: A separate strand of Teacher Assessment was also used. This allowed teachers to make judgements about pupils they taught, based on their knowledge of the pupil's learning and attainment against the attainment targets contained within the national curriculum. The results of both tests and teacher assessments were reported using a common scale of attainment levels, numbered 1 to 8 across the three key stages, with

912-486: Is enjoyable and interesting. In the US, about half of all adults read one or more books for pleasure each year. About 5% read more than 50 books per year. Americans read more if they: have more education, read fluently and easily, are female, live in cities, and have higher socioeconomic status . Children become better readers when they know more about the world in general, and when they perceive reading as fun rather than as

969-686: Is fundamentally flawed in its underlying view of education, its implementation, and its interpretation and impact on education globally. The reading levels of adults, ages 16–65, in 39 countries are reported by the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Between 2011 and 2018, PIAAC reports the percentage of adults reading at-or-below level one (the lowest of five levels). Some examples are Japan 4.9%, Finland 10.6%, Netherlands 11.7%, Australia 12.6%, Sweden 13.3%, Canada 16.4%, England (UK) 16.4%, and

1026-457: Is no test available for science. During May of Year 6 , the final year of Key Stage 2, children in state-funded schools (and independent schools if they so choose) undertake three National Curriculum Tests: Reading; Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling; and Mathematics . Writing is assessed solely based on teacher judgement against the assessment framework, following the recommendations of the 2011 Bew Review. Science tests are taken biennially by

1083-494: Is not a natural process, and many children need to learn to read through a process that involves "systematic guidance and feedback". So, "reading to children is not the same as teaching children to read". Nonetheless, reading to children is important because it socializes them to the activity of reading; it engages them; it expands their knowledge of spoken language; and it enriches their linguistic ability by hearing new and novel words and grammatical structures. However, there

1140-896: Is some evidence that "shared reading" with children does help to improve reading if the children's attention is directed to the words on the page as they are being read to. There is some debate as to the optimum age to teach children to read. The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSS) in the United States has standards for foundational reading skills in kindergarten and grade one that include instruction in print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics, word recognition, and fluency. However, some critics of CCSS say that "To achieve reading standards usually calls for long hours of drill and worksheets – and reduces other vital areas of learning such as math, science, social studies, art, music and creative play". The PISA 2007 OECD data from 54 countries demonstrates "no association between school entry age ... and reading achievement at age 15". Also,

1197-405: Is that reading proficiency is an easily understood metric of learning, reading is a student's gateway to learning in every other area, and reading proficiency can serve as a proxy for foundational learning in other subjects. They suggest five pillars to reduce learning poverty: Learning to read or reading skills acquisition is the acquisition and practice of the skills necessary to understand

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1254-442: Is the foundation of learning to read (long before children see any letters) and children's knowledge of the phonological structure of language is a good predictor of early reading ability. Spoken language is dominant for most of childhood; however, reading ultimately catches up and surpasses speech. By their first birthday most children have learned all the sounds in their spoken language. However, it takes longer for them to learn

1311-595: The Early Years Foundation Stage , where children are aged under 5, assessment takes place using a separate framework. There is also a times table test in Year 4 which was held for the first time in 2022 after COVID-19 delayed the original idea. The two main teaching unions spearheaded a boycott of the tests in 1993. In a 2008 report evaluating and analysing National Testing, the House of Commons ,

1368-560: The Select committee and the Department for Children, Schools and Families registered its concern with the current testing arrangements in state schools. It raised concerns that the "professional abilities of teachers" were under-used and that the high-stakes nature of the tests led to "phenomena such as teaching to the test , narrowing the curriculum and focusing disproportionate resources on borderline pupils." They further recommended that

1425-599: The proficient level of the Nation's Report Card . Also, in 2012, in the United Kingdom it has been reported that 15-year-old students are reading at the level expected of 12-year-old students. As a result, many governments put practices in place to ensure that students are reading at grade level by the end of grade three. An example of this is the Third Grade Reading Guarantee created by

1482-620: The NAEP Basic level, which was 3 points lower compared to 2019. According to a 2023 study in California, only 46.6% of grade three students achieved the English reading standards. Another report states that many teenagers who've spent time in California's juvenile detention facilities get high school diplomas with grade-school reading skills. "There are kids getting their high school diplomas who aren't able to even read and write." During

1539-482: The State of Ohio in 2017. This is a program to identify students from kindergarten through grade three that are behind in reading, and provide support to make sure they are on track for reading success by the end of grade three. This is also known as remedial education . Another example is the policy in England whereby any pupil who is struggling to decode words properly by year three must "urgently" receive help through

1596-560: The US, several research studies show that, in the absence of additional support, there is nearly a 90 percent chance that a poor reader in Grade 1 will remain a poor reader. In Canada, the province of Ontario reported that 27% of grade three students did not meet the provincial reading standards in 2023. Also in Ontario, 53% of grade three students with special education needs (students who have an Individual Education Plan), were not meeting

1653-711: The United States 16.9%. According to the World Bank , 53% of all children in low-and-middle-income countries suffer from 'learning poverty'. In 2019, using data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, they published a report entitled Ending Learning Poverty: What will it take? . Learning poverty is defined as being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10. Although they say that all foundational skills are important, include reading, numeracy, basic reasoning ability, socio-emotional skills, and others – they focus specifically on reading. Their reasoning

1710-471: The United States and elsewhere, it is widely believed that students who lack proficiency in reading by the end of grade three may face obstacles for the rest of their academic career. For example, it is estimated that they would not be able to read half of the material they will encounter in grade four. In 2019, among American fourth-graders in public schools, only 58% of Asian, 45% of Caucasian, 23% of Hispanic, and 18% of Black students performed at or above

1767-528: The United States failed to perform at or above the Basic reading level . There was a significant difference by race and ethnicity (e.g., black students at 52% and white students at 23%). After the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic the average basic reading score dropped by 3% in 2022. See more about the breakdown by ethnicity in 2019 and 2022 here . In 2022, 30% of grade eight students failed to perform at or above

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1824-618: The age of four and five, in addition to non-academic, intellectually stimulating activities. Reviews of the academic literature by the Education Endowment Foundation in the UK have found that starting literacy teaching in preschool has "been consistently found to have a positive effect on early learning outcomes" and that "beginning early years education at a younger age appears to have a high positive impact on learning outcomes". This supports current standard practice in

1881-774: The child has not yet met the expected standard for his/her age. Each judgement band is illustrated in the Teacher Assessment framework documentation by a number of descriptors of performance. To achieve a given standard, pupils must achieve all of the descriptors within that band. For pupils with Special Educational Needs a separate judgement may be made using a separate grading system known as P-levels. Judgements in reading, writing and mathematics are supported by test papers which are administered during May of Year 2. The reading and maths tests are statutory for schools. Schools can choose to use an optional Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test to support judgements in writing. There

1938-534: The concept of "multiliteracies". For example, they say, "this huge shift from traditional print-based literacy to 21st century multiliteracies reflects the impact of communication technologies and multimedia on the evolving nature of texts, as well as the skills and dispositions associated with the consumption, production, evaluation, and distribution of those texts (Borsheim, Meritt, & Reed, 2008, p. 87)". According to cognitive neuroscientist Mark Seidenberg these "multiple literacies" have allowed educators to change

1995-470: The end of Key Stages 1 and 2. At both key stages the process includes a combination of tests and teacher assessment judgements. The first round of assessments in the new model was undertaken in 2016. There are two elements to the statutory assessment process in Key Stage 1: tests and teacher assessment. The tests are used only to support teacher's judgement; it is the teacher assessment which is recorded as

2052-445: The end of the first or second year of school, yet in many countries 20% or more do not meet that expectation. A 2012 study in the U.S. found that 33% of grade three children had low reading scores – however, they comprised 63% of the children who did not graduate from high school. Poverty also had an additional negative impact on high school graduation rates. According to the 2019 Nation's Report card , 34% of grade four students in

2109-453: The examination system, for which it was given a remit from the government of £100m. The remit covered a two-year period from 2004 to 2006. The NAA's Managing Director was David Gee. He was forced to leave on 16 December 2008. Whilst the NAA took over the administrative task of test delivery, QCA retained their role in regulating testing standards. Prior to the launch of the NAA, Charles Clarke ,

2166-544: The government announced that testing in Key Stage 3 was to be scrapped altogether. In 2013, then Education Minister , Michael Gove announced that when the new version of the National Curriculum was introduced to schools from 2014, the system of attainment levels would be removed. As a result, since 2016, the old system has levels that are no longer used as part of statutory assessment. Instead, tests and teacher assessments now follow different models at each key stage. National Curriculum Assessments are now carried out only at

2223-401: The highest overall reading average are the Russian Federation, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, Ireland and Finland. Some others are: England 10th, United States 15th, Australia 21st, Canada 23rd, and New Zealand 33rd. The Programme for International Student Assessment ( PISA ) measures 15-year-old school pupils scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading. Critics, however, say PISA

2280-679: The idea of the SATs being scrapped due to causing too much pressure on young children. Reading (process) This is an accepted version of this page Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols , often specifically those of a written language, by means of sight or touch . For educators and researchers , reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling), alphabetics , phonics , phonemic awareness , vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and motivation. Other types of reading and writing, such as pictograms (e.g.,

2337-558: The introduction of a National Curriculum to schools in England and Wales under the Education Reform Act 1988 . As the curriculum was gradually rolled out from 1989, statutory assessments were introduced between 1991 and 1995, with those in Key Stage 1 first, following by Key Stages 2 and 3 respectively as each cohort completed a full key stage. The assessments were introduced only for the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. The first assessments in Key Stage 1 were

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2394-406: The meaning behind printed words. For a skilled reader, the act of reading feels simple, effortless, and automatic. However, the process of learning to read is complex and builds on cognitive, linguistic, and social skills developed from a very early age. As one of the four core language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), reading is vital to gaining a command of written language. In

2451-629: The multiple uses of National Curriculum assessment – for local accountability, national monitoring, and individual progress measurement – be separated into different forms of assessment. Two leading unions, the NUT and the NAHT (though not the NASUWT ), voted to boycott the tests in 2010, which resulted in a quarter of schools not administering the tests. These unions wanted to see the tests replaced by teacher assessment. Parents and children have also proposed

2508-434: The national expectation that pupils would achieve Level 2 at the age of 7; Level 4 at the age of 11; and Level 5 or 6 by the age of 14. This model continued, with minor adjustments to reflect the changing content of the National Curriculum, up to 2004. From 2005, the role of the tests was downplayed at Key Stage 1, with tests being used only internally to support teacher assessment judgements. Further changes came in 2008 when

2565-407: The phonological form of words and to begin developing a spoken vocabulary. Children acquire a spoken language in a few years. Five-to-six-year-old English learners have vocabularies of 2,500 to 5,000 words, and add 5,000 words per year for the first several years of schooling. This rapid learning rate cannot be accounted for by the instruction they receive. Instead, children learn that the meaning of

2622-468: The principle that "early education must start with the child, not with the subject matter to be taught". In response, Grover J. Whitehurst , Director, Brown Center on Education Policy, (part of Brookings Institution ) said David Elkind is relying too much on philosophies of education rather than science and research. He continues to say education practices are "doomed to cycles of fad and fancy" until they become more based on evidence-based practice . On

2679-677: The provincial standards in 2022. The province of Nova Scotia reported that 32% of grade three students did not meet the provincial reading standards in 2022. The province of New Brunswick reported that 43.4% and 30.7% did not meet the Reading Comprehension Achievement Levels for grades four and six respectively in 2023. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study ( PIRLS ) publishes reading achievement for fourth graders in 50 countries. The five countries with

2736-411: The reintroduction of separated text (spaces between words) in the late Middle Ages , the ability to read silently was considered rather remarkable. Major predictors of an individual's ability to read both alphabetic and non-alphabetic scripts are oral language skills, phonological awareness , rapid automatized naming and verbal IQ . As a leisure activity , children and adults read because it

2793-476: The senior years. Research suggests that reading books and writing are among the brain-stimulating activities that can slow down cognitive decline in seniors. Reading has been the subject of considerable research and reporting for decades. Many organizations measure and report on reading achievement for children and adults (e.g., NAEP , PIRLS , PISA PIAAC , and EQAO ). Researchers have concluded that approximately 95% of students can be taught to read by

2850-399: The statutory National Curriculum assessment in years 2 and 6, the only other centrally collected assessment data is from GCSE exams, usually taken in Year 11, and from the phonics screening check in Year 1. For pupils in other year groups there are no centralised assessments, although schools are free to use tests and examinations either of their own making, or purchased from a supplier. In

2907-512: The statutory outcome. Statutory assessment takes place in reading , writing , mathematics and science . For each subject, teachers use the available evidence to reach one of a number of judgements, based on the national assessment framework. The judgements available for reading, writing and mathematics are as follows: In science, the only judgement available is 'Working at the Expected Standard', or alternatively an indication that

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2964-528: The subject of Finland's academic results, as some researchers point out, prior to starting school Finnish children must participate in one year of compulsory free pre-primary education and most are reading before they start school. And, with respect to developmentally appropriate practice (DPA), in 2019 the National Association for the Education of Young Children , Washington, D.C., released

3021-489: The then Secretary of State for Education and Skills stated that the separation of these two roles, made possible by the creation of the new agency, would decrease what was regarded by the government as conflicting responsibilities. National Curriculum Tests The National Curriculum assessment usually refers to the statutory assessments carried out in primary schools in England, colloquially known as standard assessment tasks ( SATs ). The assessments are made up of

3078-431: The third grade to the eighth grade of school scored as proficient on state reading exams. More than 63% of Black and Hispanic test-takers did not make the grade. Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic created a substantial overall learning deficit in reading abilities and other academic areas. It arose early in the pandemic and persists over time, and is particularly large among children from low socio-economic backgrounds. In

3135-425: The topic from reading and writing to "Literacy". He goes on to say that some educators, when faced with criticisms of how reading is taught, "didn't alter their practices, they changed the subject". Also, some organizations might include numeracy skills and technology skills separately but alongside of literacy skills. In addition, since the 1940s the term literacy is often used to mean having knowledge or skill in

3192-484: The watering detracts the gardener from other important preparatory groundwork". Some scholars favor a developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in which formal instruction on reading begins when children are about six or seven years old. And to support that theory some point out that children in Finland start school at age seven (Finland ranked 5th in the 2016 PIRLS international grade four reading achievement.) In

3249-759: The whole change more slowly than their spoken counterparts, and often preserve features and expressions which are no longer current in the spoken language. The great benefit of writing systems is their ability to maintain a persistent record of information expressed in a language, which can be retrieved independently of the initial act of formulation. Reading for pleasure has been linked to increased cognitive progress in vocabulary and mathematics during adolescence. Sustained high volume lifetime reading has been associated with high levels of academic attainment. Research suggests that reading can improve stress management, memory, focus, writing skills, and imagination . The cognitive benefits of reading continue into mid-life and

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