More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
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I teach 5th grade at a K-5 elementary school in a small, southern Oregon city. This year, I have 28 students at various levels. Each year it seems the gap between the struggling readers and the advanced readers increases. According to our diagnostic assessment, I have 3 students reading at an 8th grade level, and on the flip side, 5 students reading at a first grade level. Clearly, those lowest 5 students have not yet realized the joy that can be found from a good book! For those lower readers, it's not necessarily that they cannot read; but what the curriculum provides for them at the 5th grade level is too challenging. They are not understanding the phonics or vocabulary, nor are they reading quickly enough for the selection to hold their attention. In addition, this is their last year in elementary school. When they move onto middle school next year, their transition will include more responsibility and more rigor in all subjects.
About my class
I teach 5th grade at a K-5 elementary school in a small, southern Oregon city. This year, I have 28 students at various levels. Each year it seems the gap between the struggling readers and the advanced readers increases. According to our diagnostic assessment, I have 3 students reading at an 8th grade level, and on the flip side, 5 students reading at a first grade level. Clearly, those lowest 5 students have not yet realized the joy that can be found from a good book! For those lower readers, it's not necessarily that they cannot read; but what the curriculum provides for them at the 5th grade level is too challenging. They are not understanding the phonics or vocabulary, nor are they reading quickly enough for the selection to hold their attention. In addition, this is their last year in elementary school. When they move onto middle school next year, their transition will include more responsibility and more rigor in all subjects.