Turning the heat up in the literacy debate

Earlier this summer some disturbing figures came out about teenage literacy and now the Institute for Public Policy Research has called for tests for 11 and 14 year olds to be scrapped and more random tests introduced that will help develop broader reading skills. The feeling the think tank has is that teachers drill kids for tests and there is not so much emphasis on learning the essential skills for reading and writing. With one in five boys having the reading age of a seven-year old then something needs to be done and the signs are encouraging that 2007 might be a better year for literacy, even if the tests are not scrapped then at least this shows people are concerned about the issue.