More on Reading Levels

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress released in 2003, 36 percent of fourth graders and 25 percent of eighth graders read below the basic level. The lack of basic education often leads to high school dropouts and illiteracy evident in the adult population in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Education, about 14 percent or 32 million adults in the U.S. have low literacy skills. Levels of proficiency in reading needs to be addressed in elementary school to prevent problems in later life
In some writing systems of non-English languages, pictographs are used to represent meanings of sounds, while the English alphabet represents sounds. To read English well and have strong communication skills, students must learn the sounds of English letters and understand how they work together. When phonics is introduced as a way to teach English, language learners can learn correct pronunciation and grammar to avoid flaws that will result in poor communication.