ANOTHER TEACHER COMMENTS ON WORTHLESS READING CURRICULUM:

FROM ANOTHER DISENCHANTED READING TEACHER:

As a middle school reading teacher in a district that has used Guided Reading in elementary school for many years, I can agree 100% with the reading tutor's letter! If your reading program is strong, you shouldn't need a reading intervention program at the middle school level; yet the administration doesn't seem to make that connection!

Each year, the building where I teach receives about 120 incoming 6th graders who are testing from 1.5 to 3 grade levels behind in reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension! We have many other middle schools in our district, and the others receive even more students!

It's our policy to place those kids (who are testing well below grade level in reading) in a two-hour reading intervention class for two years to catch them up. During that time, they don't get to take any elective classes such as drama, band, or art since the reading class fills their schedule. Believe it or not, many parents will opt their child out of reading intervention in order to free up space in their schedule for the fun elective classes!

To make matters worse, the founders of the Guided Reading program have developed one for the middle school level! My district has  decided to adopt and use this Guided Reading middle-school reading program.

No one understands why I do not want to teach this program! I well remember when I initially attended training in Guided Reading many years ago. The authors, Fountas and Pinnell, told us that this reading approach was going to close the gap and turn kids into lifelong readers! They said it would end the need for remedial programs all together! In fact, it has only increased the need for reading intervention as the numbers of non-readers increase each year!

To this mix, add Common Core; and we have a reading crisis on our hands unlike anything I've ever seen in all my years of teaching!

Now, our school is going to use a new reading program [Guided Reading for middle school] based on the failed program [Guided Reading for the elementary grades] to intervene with students who are not making progress in the reading program!

I have no words for the sheer lack of understanding and unwillingness to actually research facts and do the right thing by our administrators!

This is the true and sad reality in which we live! I only hope I can make it the few more years until I'm eligible to retire!

  [Letter edited for clarity.]