Don’t you just hate when you go to buy a piece of clothing and on the label it says, “One Size Fits All?” You know it doesn’t work that way because everyone is shaped differently and some proportions on some people are bigger or smaller than others. To me, the label is actually saying, “One size doesn’t fit all, but buy it anyway!” In the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 the “one size fits all” label for increasing reading achievement has been proven consistently not to work in every school or with every child, but its’ mandates are still being implemented anyway. Research has consistently shown that the group standardized achievement tests used by NCLB are simply not designed to provide estimates of individual reading growth. Since this is true you would conclude that the federal government, after decades of failed attempts, would regroup and start over with programs that have been proven to be effective for increased reading achievement. Alas, they have not. Instead, their focus has been on the “methods and materials” for increasing reading achievement as opposed to focusing on teacher development and instructional characteristics. In my educated opinion, let the teachers and principals choose the instructional plans that will help improve the reading achievements of their students. Include them in the structuring of more academic time centered on uninterrupted blocks for reading and writing intervention. Giving them ownership of the intervention plan for their students gives them personal motivation and acceptance of the” accountability” factor for the progress of their students. Having ownership in what happens in their classrooms is empowering to teachers and that trickles down to the students. The goal of effective teaching is individualized instruction for our students instead of the “one size fits all.”
Contrastive studies, correlational studies and explanatory studies have shown that there is a direct link between the volumes in reading to proficiency of reading. In conclusion, the more students read the better their reading. This improvement then permeates throughout all areas of academics. That is why early intervention in the younger grades is so important and large blocks of time should be scheduled for actual sustained reading time and not just activities called reading. I can attest to the above information for my son. When he was in first grade he struggled in the areas of decoding words and reading fluency. Once the teacher and I sat down and mapped out an intervention plan for him to receive more reading in school and at home, his confidence in reading increased and so did his comprehension and writing skills.
Reading is the basis for success in school. Every child deserves the chance to achieve their dreams. It is our job as teachers to help provide the avenue for our students to make their dreams come true. Each child is different and so are their dreams. Reading opens that door to the endless, “individual” possibilities for success and leaves the “one size fits all” on the hanger.
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