I first want to define two different cases of an inability to read. The first is someone who is physically unable to read, due to poor eye sight or blindness. The second is someone who is unable to read because they never learned, or are not proficient at it.
As a teacher of any subject, it is our responsibility to prepare our students for life after high school, whether that be college, working, military, etc. If one of my students struggled to read because of physical limitations, I would provide options of larger print, or a seat in the front of the classroom. If reading what was written on the board was still a struggle, a designated note-taker could be appointed, and this student could provide their notes to the struggling student. A blind student could be provided with a braille copy of the tests and textbooks as well.
However, when it comes to tests, excusing the student from reading because of lacking proficiency is not helping them at all. This student may need extra time on the test to read and answer all of the questions, which I would be willing to provide. Another modification would be replacing word problems with just the necessary information, leaving less to read. Giving students a test on a computer so they can be taken audibly, to avoid reading, doesn't solve the problem at all. Forcing the student to learn to read so they can complete tests is key, in my opinion. If every teacher accepted that this student didn't know how to read, and no one did anything about it, the student would have a very limited life after high school. We, as teachers, would be failing to prepare this student. Not only, in my case, would I be testing my students on physics, but I would also be testing their abilities to comprehend and solve problems, which includes reading the problems on a test.
In the news lately, there is a Spanish speaking woman in Arizona who is being denied the opportunity to run for local public office due to an inability to effectively communicate in English. Arizona has a requirement, apparently in the state constitution, that was included as a condition of becoming a state, that mandates candidates for public office attain a measure (apparently undefined) of English proficiency.
ReplyDeleteThe reports I read indicate that she graduated from a high school in Arizona. A very high percentage of the citizens she would represent are portrayed as having inadequate English skills.
It is unclear to me whether her reading and writing skills are sufficient. But in any case, this is a very striking situation. There are communities in America where it is possible to graduate from high school and yet be judged by the state as having insufficient oral proficiency in English to participate in what seemingly should be the right of every American---the right to run for public office. This is a tragedy on multiple levels.
So I am very sympathetic to your comment about the dangers of failing to prepare students in reading---it does them a disservice that can affect life forever after.
We have to accommodate students with reading difficulties (of either type as you define it), but we still have to ensure that they get the help they need to be proficient readers. Some of that help comes from recommending outside help in reading, but some surely has to be done in the science classroom.
Nonetheless, we need to be very careful about designing our science assessment so that it primarily tests attainment of the science content and skills.