CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As CMS students gear up to return to school in two months, a Charlotte organization that works to improve children's literacy from birth is aiming to help.
The goal is to make sure students don’t fall behind during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We need to act and we need to act decisively and collaboratively in our community to give our kids a fighting chance," Munro Richardson said.
Families are facing many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Richardson, the Executive Director of Read Charlotte says the potential for learning loss is a top concern.
“Because of the impact of COVID-19 existing achievement gaps could increase 15 to 25%,” Richardson said.
A June report by McKinsey and Company estimates the average K-12 student may lose seven months of learning by fall due to closures caused by the coronavirus with low-income students losing more than a year.
“The district refers to this as interrupted instruction,” Richardson said.
To prevent further backslide for students entering Kindergarten through fourth grade this fall, the organization is taking action.
Read Charlotte is partnering with CMS and more than 60 other local groups to help families determine and improve their child’s reading skills through its “Reading Checkup” initiative.
“For example, if your child needed help with learning how to sound out words there will be activities there designed for your child’s reading level,” Richardson said.
The online tool will also provide quizzes to help with phonics, vocabulary and comprehension.
“It goes from having just a big general list of things you can do to having some really tailored recommendations for parents to use for their child,” Richardson said.
There is no cost to get a “Reading Checkup,” all you need is a smartphone or computer to sign up.