The Read On. Get On. (ROGO) coalition, for which we hold the secretariat, has today launched a new robust measure of children’s reading at age 11 in England, called the ROGO Index.
For the very first time, the ROGO Index brings together government, commercial and third sector data to measure children’s:
- cognitive reading skills (including comprehension, phonics and decoding)
- affective processes (including reading enjoyment, motivation and attitudes)
- reading behaviours (including daily reading outside school and reading a wide range of texts)
These are the three elements that make an 11-year-old a good reader, according to a new tripartite model developed by the coalition in consultation with education experts, academics and teachers.
The ROGO Index uses data from the Department for Education, GL Assessment and Renaissance Learning to measure children’s cognitive reading skills, as well as data from our own annual survey to measure children’s levels of reading enjoyment and reading frequency.
The ROGO Index shows that:
- Children’s cognitive reading skills have
remained consistent over the past three years, despite changes in Key Stage 2
national curriculum assessments suggesting fluctuations in attainment
- Children’s levels of reading enjoyment (75%) and
daily reading frequency (50%) are both lower than their levels of cognitive
reading skills (85%)
- Girls outperform boys in all areas of reading
Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust, said:
“The relationship between children’s enjoyment of reading, how often they read outside school and their academic attainment is critical. By bringing together government, commercial and third sector data on what it means for a child to be a good reader, we have created a clearer picture of how well the nation’s children are reading for the very first time.
“Despite reading for enjoyment being an important part of the national curriculum, the ROGO Index shows that children’s levels of reading enjoyment are actually lagging behind their reading skills. To give children the best possible opportunities in life, we must close this gap. The ROGO coalition will therefore publish the ROGO Index every year to hold the nation to account for the reading levels of its children. It’s time to put reading for enjoyment at the heart of our children’s lives.”
Visit the campaign website for a copy of the ROGO Index, our latest research report on what makes a good reader at age 11, and some top tips for parents and teachers to encourage even the most reluctant child to develop a love of reading: www.readongeton.org.uk
