The root cause of children being unable to read (Part 3)

                                                                  

This is a continuation of my discussion with Ethan Lynn, PhD. LINK and LINK

I then asked Ethan the following question:

Luqman Michel Author

Ethan Lynn, PhD, without intervention, will kids who can't read in grade 4 read at grade level by the time they reach grade 9?

Ethan Lynn, PhD

Luqman Michel, it's unlikely that students who struggle with reading in grade 4 will reach grade-level proficiency by grade 9 on their own. Reading difficulties often persist and can impact their success across multiple subjects as they progress through school.

However, with the right intervention—such as structured literacy approaches, explicit instruction in phonics, and continuous support in reading fluency—students can make significant gains.

Early and consistent intervention is crucial for closing that gap and helping students reach their full potential.

NOTE: Coincidentally I saw the following comment on another unrelated post

Bonnie Alexander - Career Education Champion

Absolutely! Research shows that an early start does not necessarily mean better grades in high school. Most children catch up with each other before they leave our school system.

I then asked her:

Luqman Michel

How do they catch up without intervention?

This question is to answer Ethan Lynn.

Bonnie Alexander

Luqman Michel I'm not talking about students with complex learning challenges. That is an entirely different and multi-layered conversation.

 

Luqman Michel

Bonnie Alexander, I am not talking about kids with complex learning challenges either. I have no experience with such kids.

I was hoping you would give your personal experiences with kids who catch up before leaving the school system.

Many kids who can't read in grade 4 catch up by grade 6-9 - i.e. before leaving school. The brain is powerful enough to figure out how to read.  Otherwise the number of kids leaving school as functional illiterates will be higher.

Ethan Lynn Ph.D. asked me this question and I told him how, many kids catch up without intervention.

Let’s see if she comes up with something from her experience. I look forward to her answer.

Luqman Michel Author

Ethan Lynn, PhD Thank you. Fortunately, many kids who can't read in grade 4 learn to read at a later age by somehow figuring out how to read. The kids who leave school as illiterates (about 20%) are the kids who are predisposed to shutting down/disengaging from learning to read.

This is why many educators can't accept that kids cannot read when confused because of being taught consonants with extraneous sounds.

Please read the following post and ask yourself why the kid was keen on learning to read after being taught the correct sounds represented by letters. LINK