Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 29–Senator Cegavske

 

April 28, 2003

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Joint Sponsor: Assemblyman Hettrick

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Referred to Committee on Human Resources and Facilities

 

SUMMARY—Promotes importance of early reading in raising academic achievement. (BDR R‑902)

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

Senate Concurrent RESOLUTION—Promoting the importance of early reading in raising academic achievement.

 

1-1  Whereas, The ability to read well is recognized as a basic

1-2  requirement for the viability of a democratic society to ensure that

1-3  our children grow up to be imaginative, productive and informed

1-4  citizens of our state, our country and the world; and

1-5  Whereas, Educators and reading experts generally agree that

1-6  children who are not able to read at “grade level” by the third grade

1-7  have difficulties throughout their school years, perform poorly in

1-8  other subjects and may never graduate; and

1-9  Whereas, Research by the National Institute of Child Health

1-10  and Human Development indicates that children have a difficult

1-11  time improving their reading abilities after they reach 9 years of age;

1-12  and

1-13      Whereas, Failure to learn to read is the primary reason that

1-14  pupils are retained to repeat a grade, assigned to special education

1-15  classes or given long-term remedial services; and

1-16      Whereas, Failure to learn to read contributes to alienation from

1-17  their peers and from society in general, resulting in truancy from

1-18  school, and in many cases, resulting in the child’s decision to drop

1-19  out of school altogether; and

1-20      Whereas, Many nationally recognized studies, including the

1-21  National Research Council’s “Preventing Reading Difficulties in

1-22  Young Children” and the Learning First Alliance’s report “Every

2-1  Child Reading: An Action Plan,” indicate that there are basic

2-2  reading skills that students should acquire during the primary

2-3  grades, including phonemic awareness, common sound-spelling

2-4  relationships in words, decoding strategies, vocabulary development

2-5  and comprehension skills; and

2-6  Whereas, It is estimated that of the approximately 30,000

2-7  fourth graders in Nevada in the 2001-2002 school year, only 21

2-8  percent were classified as “at or above proficient” in reading by the

2-9  National Assessment of Educational Progress; and

2-10      Whereas, It has been determined that the time a child spends

2-11  reading independently accounts for one-third of the child’s

2-12  vocabulary growth and that children are greatly influenced by the

2-13  reading practices of their parents and their peers; and

2-14      Whereas, The Nevada Legislature has previously worked with

2-15  the Governor and the dedicated employees of Nevada’s Department

2-16  of Education in passing legislation to support the Nevada Early

2-17  Literacy Intervention Program and Nevada’s grant program from the

2-18  federal Reading Excellence Act; now, therefore, be it

2-19      Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the

2-20  Assembly Concurring, That the Nevada Legislature joins with

2-21  the Department of Education to promote the importance of the

2-22  fundamental skill of reading and to encourage educators in our state

2-23  to do all they can to motivate children to expand their knowledge by

2-24  reading independently; and be it further

2-25      Resolved, That the greatest gift we can give our children is the

2-26  love of reading which will expand their world and their

2-27  understanding of it and which will enrich their lives in untold ways;

2-28  and be it further

2-29      Resolved, That parents are able to change the course of their

2-30  children’s lives by reading to them at an early age, by having their

2-31  children read to them as their reading skills progress and by taking

2-32  them to the library to select books which will stimulate their

2-33  imaginations; and be it further

2-34      Resolved, That the educators of our state are able to start our

2-35  children down the road of academic achievement and successful

2-36  lives by being the catalysts for developing a love of reading that will

2-37  stay with children throughout their lives and by giving them the

2-38  tools to succeed in many other areas of their lives; and be it further

2-39      Resolved, That the Nevada Department of Education is

2-40  encouraged to disseminate to our teachers, future teachers and

2-41  administrators in every facet of education in our state any nationally

2-42  recognized research on the importance of teaching fundamental

2-43  reading skills at an early age to give our children the skills they need

2-44  to excel in their education and in their lives; and be it further

3-1  Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and

3-2  transmit a copy of this resolution to Jack McLaughlin,

3-3  Superintendent of Public Instruction.

 

3-4  H