Resources for Parents - How to Help your Child at Home
READ Act Talking Points
1. The state's goal is for all children in Colorado to graduate from high school having attained skill levels that adequately prepare them for postsecondary studies or for the workforce and research demonstrates that achieving reading competency by third grade is a critical milestone in achieving this goal.
2. The nature of the student's significant reading deficiency, including a clear explanation of what the significant reading deficiency is and the basis upon which the teacher identified the significant reading deficiency.
3. If the student enters fourth grade without achieving reading competency, he or she is significantly more likely to fall behind in all subject areas beginning in fourth grade and continuing in later grades. If the student's reading skill deficiencies are not remediated, it is likely that the student will not have the skills necessary to complete the course work required to graduate from high school.
4. Reading skills are critical to success in school. Under state law, the student qualifies for and the LEP is required to provide targeted, scientifically based or evidence-based interventions to remediate the student's specific, diagnosed reading skill deficiencies, which interventions are designed to enable the student to achieve reading competency and attain the skills necessary to achieve the state's academic achievement goals.
5. The student's READ plan will include targeted, scientifically based or evidence-based intervention instruction to address and remediate the student's specific, diagnosed reading skill deficiencies.
6. The parent plays a central role in supporting the student's efforts to achieve reading competency, the parent is strongly encouraged to work with the student's teacher in implementing the READ plan, and, to supplement the intervention instruction the student receives in school, the READ plan will include strategies the parent is encouraged to use at home to support the student's reading success.
7. There are serious implications to a student entering fourth grade with a significant reading deficiency and, therefore, if the student continues to have a significant reading deficiency at the end of the school year, under state law, the parent, the student's teacher, and other personnel of the LEP are required to meet and consider retention as an intervention strategy and determine whether the student, despite having a significant reading deficiency, is able to maintain adequate academic progress at the next grade level.
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