Calgary Reading Program – How to Help a Child Struggling with Reading

Are you a parent who is worried about their child’s ability to read?

You are not alone.  

Many parents watch their children go through the early elementary grades and hope their kids make it through. However, they may be missing the importance of making sure their kids get what they need during their education. These early years are critical because they are the build blocks and the foundation for all other learning.  

Should I be concerned if my child is struggling with reading?

Yes, you should.  

From kindergarten to grade 3, students learn how to read, and then from grade 4 on, students learn to read. Suppose your child struggles with reading in that initial window. In that case, the current schooling system is hard-pressed to provide additional support for those kids.  

When children reach grade 4, the transition year, they are now expected to read to learn. There is usually little time for or extra instruction available to close the gap if they are behind.  

If they struggle to read, this leaves them with a reading ability deficit, which will significantly affect their ability to learn and impact their ability to feel good about learning.  

What is the expected rate of reading increase?

As you age, the school system will expect each student to read at grade level. For example, at age 7, when you are in grade 2, you are expected to read at a grade two-level.  

What happens if you are below your grade level?

To comprehend well, the rule of thumb is your level of reading should be a grade ahead of the grade you are in. If your child falls behind and stays behind as he/she moves forward, the gap between your child and their peers widens.  

The frustration of falling behind. 

80% of a school day is based on reading regardless of the subject area. (Yup, even math.) If your child struggles with reading, their school day is spent with the one skill they do not do very well. You can see how this would have a massive impact on self-esteem.  

At Engaged Educators, we have built a program that specifically addresses this issue. Our one on one, twenty session reading program moves students, on average, 3.4 grades. 

Our Calgary reading program can definitely help. 

How Do I Find Out Where My Child is in Reading

Ask their teacher.  

There are a whole number of questions that you can use to ask the teacher about your child’s reading ability

1. What is my child’s word recognition level?
2. What’s my child’s comprehension?
3. What’s my child’s fluency?

Engaged Educators has a FREE reading assessment.

What is Reading Comprehension?

As a parent, have you ever been at a parent/teacher conference and heard the teacher remark your child’s word recognition or decoding scores. Are where they should be, but their comprehension skills are lacking? Or have you read in the comments section of the report card their comprehension skills are causing them difficulty? If so, you are not alone, and we are here to help.

Reading comprehension is the capacity to perceive and understand what has been read. In short, it is the ability to grasp ideas from the text and gain knowledge based on it. The first step to good reading comprehension is to ensure your child’s word recognition and decoding skills are well developed.

A good rule of thumb is your child’s word recognition should ideally be a grade ahead of the grade they are in for solid comprehension. If you wish to have an outside source check the word recognition, Engaged Educators does reading screens, free of charge and without obligation.

Calgary Reading Program

How important are reading skills to the educational process?  When should parents be worried about the level of their child’s reading levels?  Why do reading skills drive success in school?