- 07 Dec, 2017
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Kiwi Kids’ Reading Levels Slide to Record Low
“The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) shows that New Zealand has slipped 10 places from 22nd out of 41 countries in 2011, to 32nd out of 50 last year.
The first study since the creation of national standards in 2010, it showed that Australia, Austria, Lithuania, Slovenia and Spain have all overtaken New Zealand, and five new countries with children reading above NZ levels have come into the survey for the first time.
Children in the highest socio-economic group also dropped much more sharply (down 13 points) than children in the middle group (down 3 points) or the poorest group (down 5 points).
A teacher at Three Kings School in Auckland, Jane Martin, said there was a noticeable decline in oral language skills in children starting school at age five.
“Parents are not talking to kids like they used to,” Martin said.
”You have parents sitting in silence on their cellphones, and the children all have phones at a younger age, so they are not so engaged in conversation. You have time-poor parents perhaps not reading to their children at night.”
– Simon Collins, Education Reporter, NZ Herald.
Improving Childrens’ Oral Language
So we know there’s a problem, but how do we fix it? It’s actually very easy but if you need some advice on what to say, how to say it, and when to say it, get in touch! Or click here for a free PDF of my “Top Ten Tips to Get Your Child on Their Way to Great Oral Language”.
You could also go to Amazon to buy our e-book which offers a whole lot more information on how to get there, Say It Clearly Kindle E Book.