Reforms fail to raise literacy standards

LITERACY levels have remained at the same low levels in poorer schools for the past six years, despite smaller class sizes and major investment in computers, a new study has found.

The authors of the report, based on a survey of around 150 primary schools, said changes in teaching practice must be made for the real impact of these investments to be felt.

The results of literacy tests among 4,090 fifth-class pupils in 133 schools in 2004 showed that there was no significant change in reading standards since the last such tests in 1998. Launching the report, Education Minister Mary Hanafin said this is in line with international trends.

But the study found that pupils in disadvantaged schools still scored significantly lower in reading tests and the gap widened since 1998.

"Thus, there has been no improvement in reading skills among pupils in designated schools,"authors Judith Cosgrove, Eemer Eivers, Rachel Perkins and Gerry Shiel of the Educational Research Centre (ERC) in Dublin wrote.

They also found that reading scores still tend to be higher among pupils of schools with a high attendance rate, in which few pupils receive the books grant, and those with a high pupil-teacher ratio, all signs of a school's higher socio-economic composition.

The figures raise questions about outcomes from increased State investment in programmes to tackle poor literacy levels in disadvantaged areas, such as initiatives to encourage reading at home and reduce class sizes for infants.

"While resources have improved since 1998, their full benefit may not have been passed on to pupils. It may be that the potential benefit of the many schemes designed to redress educational disadvantage was reduced because they operated somewhat independently of each other," the report said.

Ms Hanafin could use the findings to argue that lowering class sizes is not the sole answer to eradicating educational disadvantage. She will begin rolling out a programme aimed at dealing with the problem this year.

But the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) said the report failed to address the fact that Irish primary class sizes are the EU's second highest.

"In spite of this, teachers have introduced a new curriculum, integrated special needs pupils, included children born abroad and, at the same time, maintained literacy standards," said INTO general secretary John Carr.

He said references to reduced pupil-teacher ratios were misleading as most extra teachers are used to help special needs children rather than decrease class sizes substantially.

Mr Carr said reading standards of disadvantaged pupils relate to failure to implement educational reforms, but also to a lack of wider social spending.

The report recommends that teachers place greater emphasis on oral language, reading and writing activities aimed at improved comprehension of text, and that they receive training in use of information and communication technology for English lessons.

It is also suggested that they replace overused reading schemes and workbooks with more authentic texts and that more experienced teachers be assigned by principals to younger classes.