The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education strives to promote academic excellence, enhance educational opportunities and equity for all of America’s children and families, and to improve the quality of teaching and learning by providing leadership, technical assistance and financial support.
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is a component of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which is one of the principal components of the U.S. Department of Education (ED). OSEP’s mission and organization focus on the free, appropriate public education of children and youth with disabilities from birth through age 21. OSEP is a major funder of Reading Rockets.
The Department of Health and Human Services is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.
In the 2000 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an international survey of the reading achievement of 15-year-olds, the U.S. had the widest gap — greater than 32 other countries — between the best and worst readers. These results demonstrate what reading experts say they already knew: most students leave the primary grades as competent readers steeped in the basics, but many fail to refine and build on their skills as they move through middle and high school.
Kristine Burgess, M.S.Ed. (Reading Department Head at Landmark High School)
In the classroom, processing speed involves the ability to take in information, understand that information, and then formulate an oral, written, or physical response. For students with slow processing speed, this process can take much more time and energy.
The No Child Left Behind law requires each school test students in Reading/Language Arts & Math each year in grades 3-8, and at least once more in grades 10-12. In some cases, children eligible for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) services may be able to access testing accommodations or even alternate tests, but parents need to fully understand the implications and potential consequences of participation in the various testing options.
