When Older Students Can't Read by Louisa C. Moats

After the first week of my reading endorsement class and VBS each night, I am just now getting back to my blog...at 1:40 am!

Article: When Older Students Can't Read by Louisa C. Moats

This article was certainly thought provoking with many confirmations of what I already know and experience as a teacher.  I was saddened to see that the adult illiteracy rate in the US is 37%, but I was encouraged to read that we can impact the reading difficulties with commitment and applying "best practices supported by reading research".  Specifically, the article cites Torgesen in saying, "Reading intervention that is grounded in research imparts to older readers the skills they missed in primary grades and can bring them to grade level in one to two years." Much of the article went on to reiterated the importance of implementing reading interventions with fidelity...the way they were researched and proven effective.  It has been my experience that teachers either do not see the importance of implementing a program with fidelity or have not been given the resources to actually follow an intervention the way it was researched.  I especially appreciated the way Moats geared the techniques and strategies to older children.  In addition,each of the categories described how good readers perform, as well as the probable cause for poor readers' difficulties.  The content in this article could easily be used to guide a teacher in making instructional decisions.