Reading skills on rise for fourth year in a row
Children from 17 different cultural backgrounds at an inner suburban school are among a groundswell of year one students climbing higher up the state’s reading ladder for the fourth year in a row.
Woodville Primary teacher Olivia O’Halloran helps year one students with their reading. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily
Latest Education Department data shows the state’s public schools are seeing their youngest readers improve their skills by 25 percentage points since a new phonics screening check was started in 2018.
This year, 68 per cent of year one primary school students met or exceeded expectations when they needed to “decode” 28 or more words out of 40.
Education Department numbers showed this result is one point higher than last year and five points higher than 2020 with improvements seen among Aboriginal students, those with a disability and also in country schools.
Woodville Primary principal Kirsty Maclean said there had been strong improvements in her school’s year one readers particularly since an ‘InitiaLit’ program that uses repetition to build on reading skills across the class was started earlier this year.
This also works alongside a range of other year one teaching techniques from daily phonics teaching, to regular visits from an Education Department literacy coach and using “decoding books” focusing on introducing 26 letters “which introduce 44 sounds”.
“We have had that increase in numbers over the last few years – our InitiaLit data has gone from strength to strength each term,” Maclean said.
It meant students were not left behind in their learning, with Maclean saying the lower socio-economic school was now reaching mid-range achievements and hoped to see these reading building blocks impact NAPLAN results in higher year levels over the next few years.
“It’s absolutely fundamental for their learning. Literacy is the basis for all subject areas and skill sets: it helps us to communicate, and to build oral language skills too,” Maclean said.
Year one students are improving their literacy skills across the state. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily
Education Department chief executive Professor Martin Westwell said the phonics screening check was completed state-wide in term three each year, and showed teachers how students were progressing in understanding the relationship between letters and sounds.
“It’s encouraging to see sustained student improvement in phonics for the fourth consecutive year,” Westwell said.
“The year one phonics check results show young learners in our public schools and preschools are benefitting from measures to improve literacy skills in the early years.
“It also shows our teachers have the support they need to effectively identify and respond to students who need additional help with literacy skills.”
