Too many tweens and teens can't read the textbook
- Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 27
- 2 min read
Louisiana's fourth-graders are the second-most-improved readers in the nation, rising from No. 50 in 2019 to No. 16 in 2025, reports Lauren Coffey on EdSurge. But nearly all the gains disappear by eighth grade.
In recent years, many states have moved to adopt research-backed reading instruction in the early grades, Coffey writes. Early adopters, such as Mississippi and Louisiana have made significant progress. But there's been little focus on older students' reading comprehension.
Nationwide, only 30 percent of eighth-graders and 31 percent of fourth-graders are "proficient" readers, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress results, she notes. That's changed very little since 1992.
In an EdWeek poll, a majority of middle- and high-school teachers said a quarter or more of their students had difficulty with basic reading skills, Coffey writes. "More than 20 percent said half to three-quarters of their students struggle."
It shows up in every class. Students have trouble reading science or social studies books with multisyllabic words and complex sentences.
Some students are pulled out of class to work with a specialist, says Kevin Smith, co-founder of the Adolescent Literacy Alliance. “We can’t intervene our way out of instruction,” he tells Coffey. “There’s not enough time in the world to get caught up if they’re not getting help throughout the day.” Teachers should be using evidence-based reading strategies in every class, not just in English Language Arts, he says. But many teachers haven't been trained to do that.
Few parents realize their children are struggling with reading: 88 percent of parents believe their child is reading at grade level, according to a 2023 Gallup poll. The real number is 30 percent.
Years ago, when I was an op-ed columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, I was asked to judge essays written by women in a literacy program at the county jail. Several explained how they'd faked their way through school without reading. One woman had used elementary reading skills -- and a willingness to cheat -- to complete a college degree. This is not a new problem.
People who are reading ducatio blogs could probably do that, or already do. But what if the parents were no better taught thn their chikdren are now?
-- Linda Seebach
Our students struggled with reading the math texts in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade maths. So the middle school changed to a curriculum that had less reading. Guess where the students' reading levels are now that they are in high school. The solution: Maybe we need a high school math curriculum that has less emphasis on reading.
So glad that I'm retiring soon.
It has been shown that US students on international exams (PISA, TIMSS, etc) can hold their own against their peers in grades 1-5 (elementary school), start to lose ground in middle school (grades 6-8), and have lost a LOT of ground by the time they reach high school.
It is unfortunate that approximately 20% of the US adult population is functionally illiterate in 2026, and it is quite possible that many middle school students will join their ranks within the next 4 to 6 years or so.
Even if kids can read the words, I suspect that, by MS, too many kids also have difficulty comprehending textbooks because they lack the subject-matter background which the texts assume students at their grade level possess; especially because too many ESs do not cover enough science, history etc. Even older literary works are difficult if kids lack the background knowledge the author assumes they have.
One of the most shocking scenes I ever witnessed (about 8 years ago) at a staff meeting was when a high-school English teacher insisted passionately that it was "okay" if students who couldn't read at grade level were accessing texts via audiobooks.
Other teachers, from various disciplines, were maintaining that a student's failure to read at grade level should be a signal to the whole system to focus on remediation. Pretending that there was an adequate work-around for literacy was contributing to the disaster.
People might think that 'this only affects a small percentage of students' or even a specific population.
But actually, all students in the system are brought down, when we tolerate failure.
Since I taught Latin, which…