Latest news with #ArkansasTeaching
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Consistency matters when measuring students' learning
Students with learning differences can benefit from text-to-speech technology. (Maskot/Getty Images) Headphones on and intently staring at his screen, Hayden sat at his table reading about ice cream. He was totally engrossed in the test's content, his lips moving silently with the narrator's voice. Some of my 5th graders sat at single desks to better focus as they read, others wore unplugged headphones to block out noise, and still others like Hayden readied their text-to-speech (TTS) settings on their devices to begin their read-along sessions. Each student had the tools and options they needed to be successful in this most important task: reading. When I walked by to check on Hayden, he gave me a thumbs up as he began answering explicit and inferential questions, a tough skill for any 5th grader. Students like Hayden with learning differences make up about 23% of all students in Arkansas. Once they've put in the work to learn how to use tools like TTS, the results are remarkable. Texthelp tools like Read&Write and Equatio, which are provided by the Arkansas Department of Education's Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, help bridge the learning and literacy gaps for students in grades 3-12. Research shows that students with learning differences demonstrate increased comprehension scores when using text-to-speech technology on reading tests. This includes students with a range of learning differences, including dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and vision impairment. The Arkansas Teaching, Learning & Assessment System (ATLAS), which is administered each spring, was designed to assess students on state standards for math, science, reading, language, and writing. Cohorts of teachers vetted the assessment prior to its adoption in the 2023-24 academic year to ensure its alignment with Arkansas standards and rigor in the question types. However, assistive technology that is part of daily instruction in a classroom like mine is not allowed on state testing for students on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) like Hayden. As of 2023, 30 states allow for text-to-speech access on state testing for students with documented disabilities who use such resources in their daily learning. Arkansas should join these states so every student has the opportunity to consistently use the same assistive technology across their daily tasks and the state test that measures what they know and can do. Providing this crucial learning tool to Arkansas students on the ATLAS test would boost their reading confidence and reduce stress associated with high-stakes testing. For example, one of my students uses speech-to-text to capture his ideas on longer writing assignments, thereby overcoming the negative impacts of dysgraphia, a neurological condition in which someone has difficulty turning their thoughts into written language. He is able to bridge this neurological barrier and successfully express himself. Students like Hayden find success in my classroom by leveraging the tools and resources available to them, which rewards their effort and fuels their desire to succeed. By removing the barrier for Hayden to decode words, I can evaluate what he comprehends in the writing he produces and adjust my instruction accordingly. I can also support Hayden in improving his decoding skills through individualized reading interventions, so that he eventually won't need the text-to-speech tool. Having consistency in students' use of assistive technology also helps teachers like me, who rely on assessment data to adjust instruction and implement interventions and supports. I spend time using this data to understand the strengths and weaknesses of incoming students each fall. If TTS is allowed on state testing, we can ensure our instructional shifts are effective and efficient from year to year. With the support of TTS, Hayden is growing more and more confident and is able to answer complex questions at grade level. All students should have the opportunity to demonstrate their learning in a way that does not create feelings of inadequacy and failure. Giving students access to these tools on state tests would empower them and help them reach their full potential.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bridging the gap: Why Arkansas teachers need continuous literacy training to support every student
A person who has difficulty reading might interpret a page in a book as question marks. (Photo by) I handed Blakely a list of sight words — simple words that 1st graders can read with ease. His face contorted with worry. He stumbled over where, small, said, and think. I read the words aloud and asked him to repeat them back. As we worked, the rest of my 5th grade class tackled harder texts, finding main ideas in stories like 'The Importance of Bees.' For Blakely, those tasks were far out of reach. How could he read to learn when he was still learning to read? At that moment, I felt powerless. In my 17 years of building reading skills for 3rd-5th graders, I was a master at teaching literacy, but no one had equipped me to support students like Blakely, whose reading was so far behind his classmates. I felt like I was letting him down because the teaching tools I had were insufficient for the challenges he faced. Across Arkansas, countless students urgently need targeted literacy support. According to recent data from the Arkansas Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (ATLAS) platform, 64 percent of 5th graders are not proficient in reading. This literacy crisis demands immediate action. Educators like me need access to teaching toolkits of phonemic awareness activities and differentiated small-group instruction ideas so that we can support students at every stage of reading development. One-time training is not enough; teachers need ongoing support so these interventions are implemented effectively and continuously. While districts often focus on training for separate grade levels, such as K-2 and 3-5, the Arkansas Right to Read Act calls for a more integrated approach. To truly fulfill the promise of the act, districts must implement continuous, cross-grade-level training for educators that prioritizes foundational literacy skills. One solution is pairing teachers in the early grades with those in upper elementary in a mentor-mentee structure, fostering collaboration and shared expertise over the entire school year. Teachers in grades 3-5 in particular must be trained in phonics, decoding, and other early literacy strategies to support students like Blakely who still struggle with these essential skills. By using this approach, students will benefit from a cohesive, high-quality literacy education, progressing from early phonics instruction to more complex reading and comprehension tasks. Both Blakely and I could have benefited from a 1st-grade teacher's perspective on phonemic awareness, letter-sound relationships, and simple sentence structures, as these are critical building blocks for our 5th-grade standards of reading fluency and comprehension. I didn't truly understand how to help Blakely until I began working with our school's literacy coach. She helped me incorporate phonics-based strategies into our small group work, such as finger-tapping sounds, using decodable books, and reinforcing word patterns. These techniques transformed my instruction and gave me the confidence to help Blakely learn to read. With the literary coach's support, many of my struggling readers became more engaged, tackling difficult words with persistence and gaining confidence. According to Arkansas Department of Education data, the state now has more literacy coaches than before, yet 64% of our 5th graders remain below proficiency — a clear sign that more on-the-ground support is needed. Currently, a single coach often serves multiple schools, limiting their ability to provide sustained, individualized guidance. Every school needs a dedicated literacy coach to ensure that teachers receive consistent, in-the-moment support for struggling readers in need of targeted instruction. Arkansas has taken a step in the right direction to bridge the literacy gap, but it's not enough. Every school needs a dedicated literacy coach, and every teacher needs ongoing training and the right material to support struggling readers. Blakely's success shouldn't be the exception — it should be the expectation.
