Teachers in UK to bring back traditional reading tests

LONDON - Teachers in Britain are to bring back traditional forms of reading tests after one year of formal schooling.

Ministers gave details of the back-to-basics plans, which include ten-minute ‘informal tests’ based on phonics, where pupils learn the sounds of letters and groups of letters before putting them together.

Six-year-olds will be tested on their ability to read words such as ‘cat’, ‘zoo’, and ‘pride’ as part of a return to traditional teaching.

It is a move away from ‘trendy’ teaching methods, which have been blamed on the decline of youngsters’ grasp of the 3Rs.

At present, pupils in England are assessed in Year 2 by their teachers in English, maths and science.

According to official statistics, around one in six 7-year-olds and one in five 11-year-olds fail to reach the levels expected of their age group in reading.

“We are determined to raise literacy standards in our schools, especially of those not achieving the expected level,” the Daily Mail quoted Education Secretary Michael Gove as saying.

He said it would be “impossible” for schools to drill pupils to pass the new test, and some teachers are unconvinced by the move.

“There is a huge consensus that reading is best taught using a mixture of methods, but the Government ignores the evidence in favour of its outdated hobby-horses,” Martin Johnson, of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, added. (ANI)