Action Steps if Your Child is Reading Below Grade Level
Reading is a fundamental skill that serves as the gateway to academic success and lifelong learning. When a child is reading below grade level, it can be a source of frustration and concern for both parents and educators. There are effective strategies and resources available to help children catch up and develop strong reading skills, but before you throw more time and money at tutoring, changing curriculum, or more apps and games, it’s important to dig in and uncover why your child is struggling. Here are helpful tips to evaluate what your best next steps should be:
Identify the Issue: WHY Is Your Child Reading Below Grade Level?
The first step in addressing any reading difficulty is to identify the underlying issue. Reading challenges can stem from various sources, such as:
- Phonemic Awareness: Some children struggle with recognizing and manipulating individual sounds in words, making it difficult for them to decode text.
- Fluency: A lack of fluency can slow down reading comprehension and hinder overall reading progress.
- Vocabulary: Limited vocabulary can impede a child’s ability to understand and connect with the text they are reading.
- Comprehension: Poor comprehension skills can make it challenging for children to grasp the meaning of the text they read and find enjoyment in reading.
- Interest and Motivation: Sometimes, a lack of interest or motivation can lead to reading difficulties. Often even this is rooted in a lack of confidence. For many kids, building up their skills results in improved motivation and willingness to try hard things.
Identifying the specific area of difficulty will help you tailor your approach to address your child’s needs effectively.
Seek Professional Assessment
If your child is consistently struggling with reading, you may wonder how you can find the best course forward. Certain types of assessments can provide valuable insights into your child’s reading abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. While schools may take a more academic approach to reading evaluation, at LearningRx we dig deeper. We assess each individual’s cognitive skills (the things your brain uses to process the world and learn). When they’re weak, any of these skills could be an underlying cause of reading difficulties and identifying them gives you a clear path to create an intervention that will serve your child’s specific needs.
Learn more about our cognitive assessments here >>
Find an Evidence-Based Reading Program for kids who are below grade level
Once you’ve identified the areas of weakness, consider enrolling your child in a targeted reading program. Programs like LearningRx offer personalized interventions designed to improve reading skills in specific areas. These programs often include one-on-one tutoring, structured lessons, and engaging activities to make learning fun and effective.
Not all reading interventions are equal! Knowing what you’re looking for can help you sift through the resources available to you to find the best fit for your child who’s reading below grade level. Some things to look for include:
- Structured literacy methods based in the Science of Reading
- Individualized, diagnostic, and responsive methods that are tailored to your child’s unique needs and grow and change with their abilities
- Multisensory instruction and activities
- Roots in phonics, phonological awareness, and auditory processing as the foundation of successful reading
- Ultimate goals are to make reading automatic and give your child independence
- Research on THAT specific intervention (not just principles) and statistically significant improvements in the areas of focus for your child.
Encourage Reading at Home
Reading should not be confined to the classroom or tutoring sessions. Encourage your child to read at home regularly. Create a reading-friendly environment by providing a variety of age-appropriate books and allowing your child to choose books that interest them. Read together as a family and engage in discussions about the stories. This can help foster a love for reading and improve comprehension skills outside of the pressure of having to be “on grade level.”
Set Realistic Goals
Set achievable reading goals for your child. Break down their reading journey into smaller, manageable milestones. Celebrate their progress along the way, no matter how small. This positive reinforcement can boost your child’s confidence and motivation to continue improving.
Be Patient and Supportive
It’s crucial to be patient and supportive throughout your child’s struggles with reading. Avoid putting undue pressure on them or comparing their progress to others. Every child is unique, and progress may vary. Encourage them to persevere, and let them know that it’s okay to make mistakes; it’s all part of the learning process.
Solutions for Kids who are Reading Below Grade Level
If your child is reading below grade level, it’s essential to take proactive steps to address the issue.The longer you leave the issue, the greater the gap will be that your child will have to overcome to catch up. In the past several years, more and more kids are falling behind in reading, and it’s important to dig in and find out where exactly the issue is for YOUR child.
