• English 15 and 16 year olds have an average reading age of about 11 (maybe)
    126 replies, posted
[quote] [B]Thousands of UK teenagers cannot read well enough to understand their GCSE exam papers, a large-scale analysis of pupils' reading ability suggests. [/B] Data on 29,000 teenagers in 1,100 schools in England suggests they have an average reading age of 10 or 11. But GCSE materials and papers were found to be pitched at the correct levels. The tests were based on results of both struggling and bright pupils using Renaissance Learning software. Children's literacy levels were checked by asking them 25 questions which required them to put words into a particular context. The results were then combined with teacher assessments. The researchers also checked six randomly selected GCSE exam papers to determine the average reading age required to comprehend the texts. [B]Alarmed[/B] The IT firm admits the data on the group is not nationally representative, but says it was alarmed by the results. Head teachers were also surprised by the stark nature of the results. Its findings, based on the 29,000 children using its software, suggest 15 and 16-year-olds in England have an average reading age five years lower than their actual age. This is surprising because both primary school and secondary school results have been rising year on year. Nearly nine out of 10 children in England are deemed to have met the required levels in reading at age 11. And nearly seven out of 10 GCSE grades are awarded an A* to C. But James Bell, director of professional services at Renaissance Learning, said he did not believe the data was highlighting the literacy levels of poorer readers. He said: "There may be a little bit of skewing, but there is no indication that schools are buying it as an intervention programme." He said schools tended to use the software as a whole school reading programme. [B]'Practise or regress'[/B] He suggested that although children may learn to read well using phonics in primary school, many did not practise the skill in a formal way once they reached secondary school. He said: "Other research that we have done has shown that if children are reading and understanding on a daily basis for 19 to 24 minutes a day there's substantial growth. "If they are reading and understanding for less than three minutes a day, they regress." Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust, said: "Pupils studying for GCSEs need to be strong enough readers to understand their course textbooks and comprehend exam questions. "By failing to ensure all young people have the literacy skills they need to access their education, we could be depriving them of the opportunity to succeed both academically and in life. "Children's reading must be supported throughout their time at school to help them succeed across the curriculum." But Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said he recognised the critical importance of literacy but disagreed with the suggestion that pupils do not practise reading in secondary schools. "We are surprised at these figures which do not match national statistics about pupil progress in English from the end of primary school through to the age of 16. "Literacy is a key priority for secondary schools with a vast range of strategies in place including libraries, monitoring of pupils' reading, screening of reading ages for all each year in KS3, paired reading with sixth formers and other interventions with pupils who are not making progress in line with chronological expectations."[/quote] [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20346204[/url]
Sounds about right.
We've known that 11 year olds are smarter than everyone for awhile if crappy TV gameshows have taught me anything [img]http://i.imgur.com/ngBox.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=koeniginator;38475384]We've known that 11 year olds are smarter than everyone for awhile if crappy TV gameshows have taught me anything [img]http://i.imgur.com/ngBox.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] When looking at that programme, I just get the impression that adults are retarded
I putt 'maybe' in the title becos the articul confuzed me wiv al the long wurds nd i gave up :(
[QUOTE=deltasquid;38475391]When looking at that programme, I just get the impression that adults are retarded[/QUOTE] The questions are questions no 5th grader would ever learn.
[QUOTE=Negrul1;38475393]I putt 'maybe' in the title becos the articul confuzed me wiv al the long wurds nd i gave up :([/QUOTE] Should've blatantly misspelled the title. You missed a golden opportunity there.
I can agree being a guy who had to graduate with one. That kid's lucky his family is rich because he is literally dumber than a thumbtack, which knows at least what it's job is supposed to be.
Surprises me that kids aren't motivated to start learning it. When I was 5, I would always ask what the words and letters meant. After that, my parents got so fed up with it and taught me how to read to make me shut up.
If that,then Serbian 12 year olds have a reading age about 15?
Doesn't surprise me. Even on an English degree it was scary how bad some people were, especially in the first year. I had to do a load of tests when I was 8 years old, finding out I had a reading age of 16. But that isn't saying much because the expected ~mid teen~ reading comprehension is still pretty dreadful.
Ugh, as a Brit I can vouch for this. Even at college I'm astounded by how many of my peers can barely read, it's ridiculous. I can't fathom how some of them even made it to college in the first place.
I can testify. Having just moved to a state school in a much poorer area, reading is certainly not something these kids are used to. Nor is thinking.
When I was 11 I had the reading age of a 17 year old.
I don't understand how people find reading so difficult. In secondary school I was in higher english class and half the people could barely read. I mean they were smart enough lads, just for some reason many of them found just reading to be hard.
How can 15 year olds on average have a reading age of 11, if a reading age of 15 is defined as the average reading ability of 15 year olds
[QUOTE=ThePuska;38475505]How can 15 year olds on average have a reading age of 11, if a reading age of 15 is defined as the average reading ability of 15 year olds[/QUOTE] What is expected of the average 15 year old.
The expectations are unrealistic if they're not based on the average reading ability of 15 year olds
even though the Irish education system is shit......didnt know it was so much better than england's. When I was 11 I had a reading age of 14.
[QUOTE=ThePuska;38475535]The expectations are unrealistic if they're not based on the average reading ability of 15 year olds[/QUOTE] They are based on the average 15 year old some time ago. Its like average anything, you have to set it in stone at some point. Also there is a test for reading age so maybe that's where it comes from.
When I was at college our mandatory English course was so bare bones it was unreal. It was the sort of stuff that I remember doing in year three. Only about ten out of thirty of us actually passed it. How can people be so bad with the language they speak? Also I remember reading what some guy had put on an exercise that was supposed to be practice for one of the exams and he wrote three entire paragraphs about weed for no reason. Every other word was misspelled.
[QUOTE=Janus Vesta;38475499]I don't understand how people find reading so difficult. In secondary school I was in higher english class and half the people could barely read. I mean they were smart enough lads, just for some reason many of them found just reading to be hard.[/QUOTE] I don't get this either Some people can read really well but they can't pronounce words that look somewhat [I]slightly[/I] intimidating (no-one seems to be able to pronounce psychology correctly :v:)
I can vouch for this. God knows how some of the people at my college even got in.
Why England? Why are you trying to beat the US? Wait, why did I get dumbs for this? A fourth of our nation can't read beyond the 8th grade level. I WAS MAKING FUN OF AMERICA YOU TWITS.
u wot m8
dubbleplusunguud
[QUOTE=ThePuska;38475535]The expectations are unrealistic if they're not based on the average reading ability of 15 year olds[/QUOTE] You shouldn't lower the expectations of education just because their skills go down.
[QUOTE=Trainbike;38475585]When I was at college our mandatory English course was so bare bones it was unreal. It was the sort of stuff that I remember doing in year three. Only about ten out of thirty of us actually passed it. How can people be so bad with the language they speak? Also I remember reading what some guy had put on an exercise that was supposed to be practice for one of the exams and he wrote three entire paragraphs about weed for no reason. Every other word was misspelled.[/QUOTE] Key / Functional skills by any chance? If so, its an interesting waste of time.. No preparation and they still managed to pass everyone who was on my course at college in 2 goes (and I am convinced the people who failed were failed due to the first one being handwritten). Well apart from the one person who did something along the lines of 3 paragraphs of weed, but something even stupider.
I would say its probably around that for Scotland as well.
[QUOTE=CAPSMAN!;38475646]You shouldn't lower the expectations of education just because their skills goes down.[/QUOTE] Indeed, if you start doing that you ruin it for the people who aren't below average.
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