Saturday, December 12, 2015

Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties



On 10.12.2015 I received a complimentary copy of the book "Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties" from the author, Dr.David A.Kilpatrick. 

I recommend the book to anyone who wants to learn as to why some kids find it difficult to read. Don’t be surprised to see my name on the acknowledgement page. 

Chapter one starts off by talking about a race where one lane has a high hurdle while the next has a slightly lower hurdle and the other 4 lanes have no hurdle at all. When the gun sounds the runners in the first 2 lanes are left behind and as the race progresses they get further and further behind.

The author goes on to say that about one third of students are like the kids running on the 1st and 2nd lane. They are unable to read as well as the other kids. As they progress into 2nd and 3 rd grade they get further behind and finally end up as school dropouts. 

The author continues and says efforts to help the weaker readers have been geared toward teaching them how to jump more efficiently over their hurdles. Effort should instead be made in removing the hurdles from the track even before the race begins. Efforts should be made to remove hurdles still ahead of the runners once the race has begun.

This is what I have been writing in my blog since 2010. The message is clear and yet we still have the same percentage of students leaving school as illiterates year after year.