Many parents believe their child is reading well when in fact they are not. The most important thing parents must recognize is that reading in school alone will not be enough to make consistent growth in reading. Kids must read at home to truly develop the skill. How important is it to read at grade level or above? It is everything. Kids who don’t read at grade level in K-3 often end up in Special Education. Many of these kids developed a reading disability simply because they didn’t read enough at home. Because much of the content in school is written at grade level, students who read below grade level struggle with the work. This leads to missing assignments and missed concepts, which will limit future achievement. Reading at grade level is everything. My child doesn’t read at home, but they are at grade level in reading. Should I be concerned? Yes! Your child is definitely underachieving, and you are allowing it. Kids who don’t read at home are giving away MAP points. Typically kids lose 2-3 points every summer due to a lack of reading. Multiply that by 8 years and that equals 16-24 MAP points, which is huge. Sadly, kids who read in the 50th percentile should be reading in the 70th. Higher reading scores lead to better grades, increased achievement, and greater opportunities in life. What are you waiting for? We only have a limited time to directly impact our children. Don’t wait when you know what is at stake. Start today and set the course of literacy for your child. It’s free and it works! Repeat after me… I will buy you that I pod, DS, Xbox 1, PS 4, if you agree to…The rest is up to you.