Reading

Results from the latest cycle of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) show the literacy achievement of Year 4 students in Australia has improved. However, there are significant achievement gaps by gender, Indigenous status, socioeconomic status and school location. ACER Deputy CEO (Research) Dr Sue Thomson, joins Teacher to discuss the results further.

The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) results have been released today. Here, we take a closer look at PIRLS 2016: Reporting Australia’s results, which describes the reading literacy achievement of a nationally representative sample of Year 4 students in the international context.

Exposing students to a range of books and authors and helping them to create their own texts has provided the perfect opportunity for educators at St Aloysius College to teach them about digital copyright and the proper use of online resources.

Staff at Queensland’s Anglican Church Grammar School (better known as Churchie), have captured Year 10 reading data as part of an action research project into male students’ perceptions of their reading ability pre and post an intervention of taught reading strategies.

Research has highlighted the importance of providing ongoing opportunities for children to read aloud in class to teachers and friends, and at home to parents, siblings and even pets.

Quality early grade reading is a key focus for the Global Partnership for Education. In her latest Teacher column, Julia Gillard explains how hundreds of millions of children around the world are denied the opportunity to learn to read, and shares how a focus on improving reading standards in Nepal is changing lives for the better.

Analysis of Year 3, 5 and 7 numeracy and reading test data across almost 3000 Australian schools show ‘single-sex schools on average provide no better value-add over time than coeducational schools’.

Today’s reader submission is by Sir Jim Rose, author of the influential 2006 UK report The Independent review of the teaching of early reading, which led to the adoption of mandatory teaching of systematic synthetic phonics in English primary schools. Here, he discusses ‘the simple view of reading’ and its implications.

A government advisory panel has recommended the introduction of national literacy and numeracy checks in Year 1 as a way of identifying students who need additional support. Here we take a closer look at the report, including the benefits and challenges raised by teachers and principals.

The decision to move NAPLAN online provides an opportunity to place less emphasis on comparing the performances of schools and more emphasis on supporting student learning, according to Professor Geoff Masters AO.