Reading Strategies For Middle School Students

County students outperform state in three subjects on PASS test

The percentage of Beaufort County School District students who meet or exceed standards on a key state test has increased across all subject areas this year, and county pass rates are now higher than state rates in writing, English and math.

Despite those gains, however, officials see areas of concern, which superintendent Valerie Truesdale said the district is moving to address.

The Palmetto Assessment of State Standards is given to students in grades three through eight in five subjects: writing, English, math, science and social studies.

In 2009, when the test was first administered, county pass rates lagged statewide rates in all five areas. For example, 67.2 percent of county students met or exceeded math expectations for their grade levels that year, compared to 69.9 percent of students statewide.

Results from the 2011 test, released Friday by the S.C. Department of Education, show those figures have reversed: 74.5 percent of county students passed the math test, compared to 72.9 percent statewide.

Pass rates in writing and English have made similar reversals.

County students still lag the state in science and social studies, but Truesdale said the three years of PASS data now available demonstrate Beaufort County is on an upward trend.

"What it's showing is that we're closing the gap with the state average," she said.

Truesdale credited math, science and literacy coaches and a focus on data for the improvements.

There are, however, data points in the 2011 test that concern district officials.

In social studies, countywide scores edged upward and narrowed the gap with state scores. But last year, fifth, seventh and eighth graders exceeded state pass rates in the subject. This year, no grade topped the statewide rate.

The problem, Truesdale said, is reading weakness.

Though county pass rates on the English test are nearly a percentage higher than the rate statewide, she said social studies scores show students are struggling to understand difficult material and to connect causes and effects.

"We're doing better in reading, but the deep comprehension -- we've got to work on it," Truesdale said. "One of the biggest strategies we have this year is that our social studies teachers are going to be focused on teaching reading and writing in social studies."

Other areas of note from the 2011 results:

Beaufort Middle School's pass rates are down from 2009 in all five areas tested.

Math Tutor – Calabasas – Time For a Tutor | ...and Math Tutoring

  You are sitting at the pool with your children, thinking about what a relaxing summer you’ve had and how you all needed a break from school.  Suddenly you panic.  School is less than a month away – are your children ready?  Have they been reading enough this summer?  Have they written anything besides grammatically incorrect emails?  Did they forget their math?  Should you hire a tutor for a jump start?  Should you wait and see how the year goes?

A tutoring company, like many businesses, is cyclical, with the majority of students needing support during the school year.  Some people are proactive and begin in August to be prepared for new academic subjects in September.  Some start in October, as soon as they see a potential problem.  As I writing this article in June, a few people are calling us in a state of panic for one or two instant tutoring sessions to prepare for a final.  (This is not ideal).

Not surprisingly, there usually aren’t instant fixes.  Learning is a process, and for learning to be successful, there needs to be communication and equilibrium between the student’s state of mind, the teachers, parents, and tutors.  Everyone needs to work together to achieve a common goal.  For the best results, allow at least a few months of tutoring at least once a week.

I will break tutoring into three areas:

Here is how each can be helpful to your child:

Academic Coaching :  This is especially helpful for ADHD children or those with learning differences or organizational challenges. However, any child can benefit from using a coach. Coaching works best when you start at the beginning of the school year to organize notebooks and become familiar with the curriculum and teachers’ expectations.  A tutor can help the student gain a perspective of what the year will entail and help keep up with expectations every step of the way. A tutor can also help keep up with daily and long term assignments. Some students have coaches for years at a time. Others can learn and incorporate study strategies that they can later apply themselves. Organization and study skills are best taught in conjunction with schoolwork and homework rather than in the summer.

Subject Tutoring :  This can start at any time of the year as needed, but preferably not at the end of the year.  Summer is a good time to strengthen skills.

Teaching reading in middle school

Teaching Reading Strategies With Literature That Matters to Middle Schoolers

Content-Area Reading Strategies for Science

Reading strategies for middle school students with learning disabilities

Comprehension strategies for middle grade learners, a handbook for content area teachers