31 May NewMexicoKidsCAN releases new resource for parents and caregivers

Author: Silver City Daily Press & Independent (NM)

NewMexicoKidsCAN has released a new resource for parents and caregivers to help their children learn how to read.

The Literacy Toolkit provides actionable steps to support literacy development, information on what good literacy instruction looks like and resources for summer reading, according to a news release. “Literacy is an enormous challenge for New Mexico students and students nationwide. The Literacy Toolkit provides parents with the knowledge they need to support their child,” said Amanda Aragon, executive director of NewMexicoKidsCAN. “To improve literacy in New Mexico we all have a role to play. Each of us must get involved and take action as soon as possible.”

The release of the Literacy Toolkit complements the Literacy Action Center recently created by New-MexicoKidsCAN. The Action Center helps familiarize parents with the history of literacy instruction and the current literacy crisis.

According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress results, more than half of New Mexico’s fourth-graders (52 percent) score below basic in reading, meaning they have only partial mastery of basic skills. These results place New Mexico 14 percentage points behind the national average, a rank that places the state last among all 50 states. Additionally, the most recent state assessment data from the 2021-22 school year shows that 34 percent of students are proficient in reading, while only 27 percent score proficient in early literacy.

The full toolkit can be accessed on the New-MexicoKidsCAN website https://nmkidscan.org/publication/literacy-toolkit/.