Silent army of 40,000 ‘lost girls’ struggling with reading

Submitted by Judy Hanning on Thu, 2016-11-24 14:00
A recent study suggests that there is a large population of schoolchildren in England and Wales who have reading difficulties which are being overlooked. The study, which covered 60,000 children, found that about 10% of 10 and 12-year-old girls struggled significantly with reading, with scores up to 4 years behind their peers. This adds up to about 40,000 girls in each year group nationally.
However, the reading struggles of these girls often go overlooked. Part of this is because the focus in schools is on addressing boys’ struggles, with those of girls going forgotten. In addition, the girls may be adept at masking their problems. The study also found problems with the basic phonics approach to teaching, which might result in children who can read words but not understand them.
A study of more than 60,000 children in England and Wales has found that up to 11 per cent of 10-year-old girls and 12 per cent of 12-year-old girls have significant literacy problems – with scores on literacy tests suggesting that they may be up to four years behind.
~ TES

Key Takeaways:

1
There are a lot of girls in England and Wales who struggle with reading problems but are overlooked.
2
A study shows that up to 40,000 girls in each year group may struggle with reading, but since the focus is on boys their struggles are not addressed.
3
In addition, the study suggests that the focus on basic phonics may lead to children being able to read words without understanding them.
Read the full article here:
http://www.readingrockets.org/news/silent-army-40000-lost-girls-struggling-reading