Learning to read is tough, and many of Augusta's students are far behind

For children who are under-performing, reading should take place before tutoring in any other subject, according to Russell Joel Brown, program director for the after-school program Boys With A Future in Harrisburg.

"As I see it, if you have an eighth-grader reading on a kindergarten level, there's no point in doing anything other than reading and math," Brown said. "You can't do well in anything in life if you can't read."

The national organization ProLiteracy reported that between 2019 and 2020, more than 11,000 students got a new or better job as a result of increased literacy skills.

But reading levels in Richmond County have taken a fall, according to this year's Milestone data. The state evaluates students' reading levels across grades 3-8. The state average for students who are at or above the reading level ranged from 58.3% to 68.1%, or between one-half and two-thirds of students. But Richmond County's reading proficiency ranged from 38.2% to 52.4% –just one-third to half of the county's students were reading on grade level. 

Test results:Pandemic limits Milestone results in Richmond, Columbia counties, as anticipated

While education officials have said the most recent Milestone data is not the definitive measure, it is worth looking into some of the factors that play into reading proficiency. 

Are reading resources available?

The National Association of Education Progress reported that students of color and students from low-income families had much lower rates of reading proficiency than their peers. Brown said he saw this in his Boys With A Future program.

"As the children came to us, their reading levels were so far below their grade level that we really needed an intense intervention," he said.

Brown said he is having the boys tutored in reading through Sylvan Learning and that, in correlation, when their literacy starting increasing, their other academic issues lessened, too.

Augusta University Literacy Center says access to books also plays an important role in fostering reading and partners with the Books for Shay program to collect and distribute new and gently used books for K-5 schoolchildren. In 2021, Books for Shay collected and distributed more than 5,000 books.

More:Columbia County family donates books in memory of daughter

Technology

There are mixed thoughts on reading in print versus reading virtual materials. One study in the education magazine Phi Delta Kappa showed that, among a pool of more than 400 students from five countries, 92% said it was easiest to concentrate when reading print. .

That said, Rhonda Mathis, a professional learning facilitator at Richmond County schools, said devices have been helpful, in part, because they provide instant and nearly unlimited access to novels, studies and other text, which helps students with research. Also, features like voice-to-text and text-to-speech have been helpful, especially when students are trying to read above their level.

"Kids are really tech savvy," Mathis said. "They can do more things on a tablet or a computer faster than we can, and really it's preparing them to go out and work and function in the world, because everything uses technology nowadays."

Computers, WiFi on the way:Richmond County schools get update on 1:1 technology initiative

Physical and mental health

One area that people may not think about that contributes to literacy performance is living environment and access to healthcare. AU literacy expert Kim Barker explained that Health Barriers to Learning including asthma, oral health, vision problems, hearing problems and food insecurity are linked to more missed classes due to crises, difficulty paying attention, diminished language skills and other academic issues.

Richmond County schools' director of teaching and learning Yvette Foster said there is also a big problem on the mental health side when a student has a reading gap and falls behind.

"Often times, it's a confidence issue when they struggle, and they feel like they can't do it," Foster said.

Science of reading

But the literacy process begins long before formal school, according to Barker. She said there are resources outside of money and books that are important, particularly before children even get to preschool.

"Have they had access to having someone read to them? Have they experienced rich language? Heard a lot of vocabulary?" Barker said. "So, when kids come and take these assessments, a lot of things have happened prior to them coming to school."

When teaching children to read in the first place, it's not as simple as putting a book in front of their eyes, as Foster can attest.

"I am a former ELA teacher, and I taught sixth grade through 12th grade, I have an English degree. I don't know how to teach students to read," she said. "There is a science behind that."

Mathis agreed that reading is one of the hardest things to teach, saying that it is very systematic and requires a lot of direct instruction. This is why, even though most parents can read and may be able to read to their children wherever they are, teaching them to read may not be in their skill set.

Richmond County early learning coordinator Josephine Lane said the school district is working on implementing a program called "The Basics" that would provide families with an understanding of the science behind reading.

In the meantime, Mathis had several tips for parents who want to better teach their kids to read during story time:

• Go over the different parts of the physical book and what each part says.
• Look for and explain any vocabulary that appears in the book that the child may not know.
• Ask the child questions about the story to make sure they understand what is going on in the plot and with the characters.
• Once the adult has finished reading the story, read the story again, but this time, by the child.

She and Barker also encouraged letting children choose their own reading material. They explained that, whether it's something unconventional like a Minecraft book or it's the same story that's been ready 100 times, the important thing is to get them reading and excited to read.

Barker also said that, in order to figure out and fix the issues with literacy, it's time to start looking at the bigger picture and at all of the possible factors that affect a child's ability and willingness to read.