“But he passed his STAAR exams…
Students can answer fewer than 70% of the questions correctly on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exams and still “pass.”
…and she’s earns A’s and B’s in her regular and AP classes.”
All Advanced Placement (AP) classes are not the same; the rigor of the courses vary from school to school and teacher to teacher.
Consider a comparison of two Advanced Placement English III Classes:
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Rigorous AP English III Class
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Easy AP English III Class
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Expectations
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High: Students are expected to complete reading and writing assignments outside the classroom. |
Low: Students are assigned little to no homework.
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Reading assignments
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Students regularly read inside and outside the classroom to complete reading assignments. |
Students rarely read outside the classroom.
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Written assignments
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The written assignments measure the students’ understanding and use of the written word. |
Students have very few writing assignments.
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Historical AP Exam Scores
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The class has a strong history of producing students who score a 3 or better on the AP English exam.
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The class has a poor history of producing students who score a 3 or better on the AP English exam.
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Which class resembles the AP courses offered at your school?
3 Traits of Teens Who Struggle to Comprehend
- They read very little at school and even less at home.
- They complete their “homework” during class.
- They do not rely on the text to answer questions about the text.
Follow these steps to learn about your teen’s reading comprehension:
Step 1: Read one of the following with your teen:
- “War of the Clowns” by Mia Couto
- “Strangers on an 18-Hour Train” by Rafiq Ebrahim
- “A Letter to the Girl at McAllen Airport” from Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America by Maria Hinojosa
(Click Look inside) - “Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples
Step 2: Ask yourself the following questions:
A. What did I learn?
B. What happens in the story?
C. How does this story apply to my life?
Step 3: Ask your teen the following questions:
A. What did you learn?
B. What happens in the story?
C. How does this story apply to your life?
Step 4: Ask until your teen responds with answers that are as specific as possible. It’s okay to look to the dictionary for the definitions of new words.
Step 5: Ask your teen to support his or her answers with the text.
What did you learn about your student’s reading comprehension?
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Hello. My daughter is in the 9th grade and we are kicking her college readiness into gear. Before we begin to apply for scholarship she needs to learn the skills needed to write a great essay. She also needs help with math. There is so much information out there that its overwhelming. Where would you suggest we start. Her grades are relatively good. She has been on the A or A/B Honor Roll consistently, until COVID struck, not her grades are disappointing but she is working hard to get them back up. She’s not a reader but she has started to read more to help with comprehension. What would you suggest we start on first? The ACT, SAT and PSAT’S will be here before you know it and I’d like for her to have the best chance at getting a great score. By the way, we live in Florida. Are you able to help?