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ROB MCCLENDON: AN UPCOMING THIRD-GRADE READING TEST HAS CREATED A PUBLIC FUROR
OVER CONCERNS THAT HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS WILL BE HELD BACK FOR READING
BELOW THEIR GRADE LEVEL OKLAHOMA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICIALS
ESTIMATE NEARLY ONE-IN-FOUR OF THEIR THIRD-GRADERS ARE READING
BELOW GRADE LEVEL AND ARE IN DANGER OF RETENTION.
IT'S A DEBATE THAT IS BEING WAGED AT THE CAPITOL AND AROUND SOME DINNER
TABLES EARLIER I VISITED WITH THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC
EDUCATION, JANET BARRESI, ABOUT WHY SHE BELIEVES BEING ABLE TO READ BY
THIRD GRADE IS VITAL TO THE FUTURE OF OKLAHOMA'S WORKFORCE.
WELL SUPERINTENDENT BARRESI, I'VE HEARD YOU SAY THAT, AND IT'S BEEN
SAID BEFORE, READING IS FUNDAMENTAL, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE MAKING THESE
EFFORTS HERE IN THE STATE.
JANET BARRESI: ABSOLUTELY, IF YOU CAN'T READ YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE.
WE KNOW THAT EVEN KIDS THAT ARE STRUGGLING IN MATHEMATICS ARE STRUGGLING
READERS AS WELL.
IT IS TIME THAT WE TAKE A SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD LAW AND PUT A DATE CERTAIN AND
SAY THAT IN THIRD GRADE YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE SKILLS YOU NEED
TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN FOURTH GRADE.
ROB: THERE ARE SOME CONTENTIONS WITH THIS LAW, AND I THINK IT PROBABLY IS
A LOT OF FEAR OVER THE RETENTION OF THESE THIRD GRADERS.
NO ON WANTS THEIR CHILD HELD BACK.
JANET BARRESI: RIGHT, RIGHT, AND I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT CONCERN
BUT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE A COUPLE OF THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS NOT ONE TEST ON ONE DAY.
THERE ARE OTHER ASSESSMENTS ALTERNATE ASSESSMENTS THAT THE
CHILDREN CAN CONTINUE TO TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
AND FOR KIDS THAT HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TEST ANXIETY, THE TEACHER CAN
PUT TOGETHER A PORTFOLIO OF THEIR WORK THAT THEY'VE ACHIEVED ACROSS THE YEAR
AND THAT DEMONSTRATES THAT THEY ARE READING ON GRADE LEVEL, AND THAT'S
AVAILABLE AS WELL.
WE ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GOOD CAUSE EXEMPTIONS THAT'S BUILT
INTO THE LAW.
AND SO FOR INSTANCE FOR CHILDREN WHERE ENGLISH IS A SECOND LANGUAGE THAT
HAVE HAD LESS THAN TWO YEARS OF INTENSIVE INSTRUCTION, THOSE KIDS
ARE ACTUALLY PROMOTED BUT STILL GET THAT INTENSIVE REMEDIATION.
THERE'S THINGS FOR CHILDREN THAT HAVE COGNITIVE CHALLENGES, THAT
ARE ON AN I-E-P, OR MOVED ON THAT HAVE TO TAKE A SPECIAL KIND OF TEST.
THERE'S A PROVISION FOR JUST ONE YEAR OF RETENTION FOR CHILDREN ON AN I-E-P
THAT HAVEN'T BEEN RETAINED BEFORE.
IF THE CHILD HAD BEEN RETAINED AND IS ON AN I-E-P, THEY ARE PROMOTED
AS WELL.
SO THINGS LIKE THAT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN.
SO RETENTION, THE SECOND THING I WANT TO STRESS, RETENTION IS A LAST
RESORT, IT'S A LAST RESORT.
ROB: SO WHAT IS THE ROLE THAT PARENTS CAN HAVE IN ALL THIS?
BARRESI: WELL FIRST OF ALL, A PARENT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AND THE FIRST
TEACHER OF EVERY CHILD.
AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT AS A PARENT TO BEGIN SPEAKING TO YOUR BABY, AND BUILD
VOCABULARY AS YOU TALK WITH YOUR BABY, AND ENCOURAGE LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT.
AND YEAH, THOSE NURSERY RHYMES ARE IMPORTANT.
THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER IS A BIG PART OF PRE READING SKILLS THAT THEY LEARN THE
RHYTHM AND THE SEQUENCE OF LANGUAGE.
AND THAT ACTUALLY IS A PRE READING SKILL.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT LITTLE ONES HAVE A VERY GOOD VOCABULARY BY
THE TIME THEY ENTER KINDERGARTEN, BECAUSE THAT GETS THEM READY TO LEARN
TO READ.
ROB: YEAH, YOU KNOW I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER WHEN I WAS IN SECOND GRADE THAT
MY READING SKILLS WEREN'T UP TO SNUFF.
AND I REMEMBER SITTING IN MY MOTHER'S LAP OR AT THE KITCHEN TABLE READING
EVERY NIGHT AND I MAY NOT HAVE LOVED IT AT THE TIME, BUT IT SEEMED TO HAVE
WORKED.
I DO IT FOR A LIVING NOW.
BARRESI: YOU KNOW I DID THAT TOO AS A PARENT.
READ TO MY KIDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT MY KIDS ACTUALLY WERE STRUGGLING READERS THEMSELVES.
AND I KNOW THAT THEY BECAME SPECIAL ED STUDENTS, WERE ON AN I-E-P
AT AN EARLY GRADE.
AND WHEN THEY GOT INTO FOURTH GRADE WAS ACTUALLY MY TOUGHEST DAY AS A
PARENT.
DRIVING MY SON HOME FROM SCHOOL, HE LOOKED AT ME AND HE SAID, MOM AM I
RETARDED?
AND THAT STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS.
I HAD TO STOP THE CAR.
AND I ASKED HIM, I SAID WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
AND HE SAID, MOM I DON'T WANT TO STAND UP AND READ ANYMORE.
I HAD TO READ OUTLOUD IN CLASS TODAY, AND HE SAID I CAN'T READ LIKE THE OTHER
KIDS.
AND HE SAID, I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL, I DON'T WANT TO READ HE SAID THIS
ISN'T FUN.
THAT REALLY STOPS YOU AS A PARENT, BUT IT ALSO HELPS ME KNOW ABOUT WHAT KIDS GO
THROUGH THAT ARE PUT INTO A GRADE NOT READY TO DO THAT LEVEL OF LEARNING.
IN FOURTH GRADE, KIDS STOP LEARNING TO READ AND THEY START READING TO LEARN.
IT'S A BIG TRANSITIONAL GRADE.
MY SON WAS IN THERE AND DIDN'T HAVE THE TOOLS THAT HE NEEDED.
AND JUST BY SHEER LUCK AND BLESSINGS OF THE LORD, WE WERE ABLE TO GET THAT
MODEL THAT WE'RE TEACHING NOW WHICH IS EXTENDED TIME ON TASK, AND MET WITH AN
INCREDIBLE TEACHER WHO REALLY UNDERSTOOD THAT THE APPROACH TO HIS READING
HAD TO BE DIFFERENT, NOT THE WAY IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN.
THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER, HE BEGAN TO PROGRESS, STILL STRUGGLED QUITE A
BIT AND QUITE FRANKLY FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE WAS PRETTY TOUGH.
AND SOMETIME AROUND MARCH OR SPRING OF HIS FIFTH GRADE YEAR, IT JUST
CLICKED, BECAUSE READING IS A SKILL, AND ONCE YOU GET IT, NO MATTER HOW LONG
IT TAKES YOU, ONCE YOU GET IT, WE'RE SEEING KIDS JUST REALLY TAKE OFF.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE DID.
HE BECAME A VORACIOUS READER.
AND STILL LOVES READING TODAY, HAS A GREAT DEGREE FROM COLLEGE, AND IS OFF
THE PAYROLL.
[LAUGHS].
ROB: [LAUGHING].
OFF YOUR PAYROLL, EVEN BETTER, EVEN BETTER.
YOU KNOW FROM A STATE'S PERSPECTIVE, FROM THE STATE PERSPECTIVE, WHY DO
THIS?
BARRESI: OH, LISTEN, READING IS SO IMPORTANT FOR THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF
YOUNG PEOPLE AND REALLY BEING ABLE TO ATTAIN THEIR PERSONAL GOALS.
LOOK, IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT STATISTICS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO STRUGGLING
READERS, THE ONE THING I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT SEVEN OUT OF TEN PRISON INMATES
ARE READING ABOUT ON A FOURTH GRADE LEVEL.
AND EIGHTY-EIGHT PERCENT OF NINETEEN YEAR OLDS THAT WERE DROPOUTS OUT OF
SCHOOL WERE NOT READING ON GRADE LEVEL, WERE STRUGGLING READERS IN
THIRD GRADE.
SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE ON FOOD STAMPS ARE POOR
READERS, DO NOT READ VERY, VERY WELLL.
I COULD GO ON AND ON.
I COULD TALK ABOUT DROPOUT RATES.
I COULD TALK ABOUT ENROLLMENT ON I-E-PS QUITE FRANKLY WE THINK IN THE
STATE THAT ALMOST FIFTY PERCENT OF OUR KIDS ARE ON AN I-E-P DO NOT HAVE A
COGNITIVE PROBLEM, THEY'RE JUST SIMPLY STRUGGLING READERS WHO WE'RE LOOKING
AT THEM DIFFERENTLY NOW.
WE EXPECT, AS IN OTHER STATES THAT HAVE HAD A LONG EXPERIENCE WITH
THIS, WE'RE GOING TO START DROPPING THAT I-E-P ENROLLMENT.
WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO START DROPPING THE ILLITERACY RATE,
INCREASING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.
AND THE BIG GOAL IS, REDUCE REMEDIATION RATE WHEN THESE YOUNG PEOPLE
GET TO COLLEGE.
ROB: YEAH, SO CERTAINLY A PERSONAL, A SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUE.
BARRESI: YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
ROB: WELL SUPERINTENDENT BARRESI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
BARRESI: MY PLEASURE, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.