New Study: 54% of American Adults Read Below 6th Grade-Levels - eviltoast
  • Zoolander@lemmy.worldEnglish
    202·
    1 year ago

    You’ve indirectly highlighted the biggest issue I have with referring to literacy as “x-grade reading levels”. Literacy skills stack on top of each other and, sometimes, in slightly different orders. Calling them by a grade level makes people associate these skills with certain educational levels in school when, in reality, you only learn these skills from repetition and growth. I wish there were (and maybe there are and I’m just not familiar with them) clearer distinctions for these types of skills that meant more than “x-grade” which is practically meaningless to most people and harmful for those struggling with reading and comprehension.

    • SCB@lemmy.world
      51·
      1 year ago

      You’ve indirectly highlighted the biggest issue I have with referring to literacy as “x-grade reading levels”.

      There are standards of complexity that are set by grade level.

      Here’s a resource with a great breakdown

      https://www.weareteachers.com/reading-levels/#:~:text=Lexile® Reading Levels&text=The first digit of the,above your child’s current score.

      Combines these with reading standards for various grades, and the metric makes a lot of sense. To say someone reads at a 5th grade level means they are technically literate but struggle to find true meaning, subtle concepts, and likely have a limited vocabulary.

    • IHeartBadCode@kbin.social
      2·
      1 year ago

      Well that sounds like semantics that you take exception with, on how particular educational groups define things. Your frustration is well founded but misplaced on me. Indeed all things build and in different orders for different people no doubt. However, in the context of educational reporting at the government level, these are the labels that are applied in the various reports. And as all things, those things roll down hill.

      clearer distinctions for these types of skills that meant more than “x-grade”

      There are, but politics being what they are, those labels are less meaningful labels to folks that arguably have the most power to change the course of things (that last part is strictly my opinion, sorry/not really sorry I injected it here). In short, I concur with your observation.

      • Zoolander@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        However, in the context of educational reporting at the government level, these are the labels that are applied in the various reports

        Yes, but this is exactly my issue. And I don’t think it’s about semantics, per se, but rather more about usefulness. Educational reporting using these terms is great for that demographic but is entirely useless for the people upon which it’s reporting.