There are many questions that arise when you think about the gap between your student’s educational performance and potential. Is improved student performance related to the skills of a teacher? The curriculum or hours spent on a subject? The student’s motivation or intellectual abilities? Reinforcement activities or rewards?

Improving performance is complex and includes all of these factors and more. It is true that students may have more abilities in some areas than others and that struggling students may not have advantages others possess. There are, however, fundamental areas parents and teachers may address to improve performance for all students to narrow the gap in their academic performance and their potential.

Early Literacy Instruction

The process of reading is cumulative and begins very early. Literacy is based on the building blocks of language, so early communication efforts make a huge difference. A literacy-rich curriculum available in preschool years exposes children to rhyme, repetitive themes and phrases in books, solid vocabulary development, and a love for books. Vocabulary at age 3 greatly influences the reading comprehension of 9- to 10-year-old. This is because understanding text depends on understanding words and vocabulary. TIPS: At home, engage your young learner in rhyming games, daily reading sessions and fun activities tied to favorite books or poems. Dress up as a favorite book character or retell a story through a series of drawings. Ensure he or she is getting daily exposure to sounds, letters, words and language concepts.

Reading and Written Expression Skills

Most schools do not teach the process of reading after the second grade. At that point, students read in order to learn. If students are still struggling to read simple text, they will fall behind their peers. The time spent on learning a task should be dictated by students’ needs. Sometimes teachers must move on even if a few students are trailing behind. Then teachers and parents are faced with decisions about how to meet specific needs.

Success depends on the area of reading that needs attention. Most reading programs focus on the early stages of reading and decoding skills needed to read. More experienced readers are able to read without sounding out every word and begin to work on fluency. If students are not fluent readers, or if they have weak vocabularies, limited experiences or poor language skills, they may struggle with comprehension. TIPS: Make it a point to educate yourself about the reading curriculum your student is learning and what specific reading skills it addresses. Don’t wait to get supplemental assistance if your student is struggling with reading and falling behind. Look for reading programs that meet students at their current level and build mastery at each stage before moving to the next.

Written expression is a language-based ability. It is a complex task requiring the mastery and integration of a number of subskills. It connects cognition, language and motor skills. Students are required to organize and sequence their thoughts and employ the proper information and vocabulary while spelling words correctly and writing legibly. Students with written expression problems can find essential activities in school, like note-taking or answering test questions, to be insurmountable tasks despite knowing all of the information. TIPS: Request some classroom accommodations if your student is struggling with written expression, such as pairing your student with a note-taking buddy or having your student complete tests using dictation software or be tested orally. Consider creating some low-tech tools based on current lessons to aid your student with reports and other written work. Word banks, checklists, sample sentence structures and story boards can be used to address vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, syntax and story composition.

Multi-sensory Learning Environment

All students learn better in a multi-sensory environment, where they use all of their senses to learn and apply skills to their lives and environments, making connections to what they have learned. Good educators are adept at building background knowledge for students prior to teaching a lesson. This “pre-teaching” provides students a foundation and prepares them for the lesson. Presenting information in meaningful and interesting ways builds connections to personal experiences for reading and learning, which increases the overall quality of the learning. TIPS: Introduce new vocabulary before lessons or show video clips related to lessons to introduce topics. To review information, view photos or video clips on a topic, listen to related music or play a game. Field trip destinations are great community resources where students may apply learned material in real-world settings.

Student Motivation

Multi-sensory learning helps many students be more motivated to succeed and engage in learning. Motivation is a critical factor in bridging the gap between performance and potential. Many students who experience failure lose the desire to participate and engage in learning and do not stay motivated. For example, staying in a group that has moved beyond your student’s ability level in a specific area can be detrimental to his or her self-esteem and can negatively impact motivation to improve. TIPS: It is important to celebrate small successes and focus on accomplishments. Young children must feel like a reader while learning to read. Older students must be set up for success with their educational objectives as well. Parents and educators should closely monitor the motivation of struggling students and be prepared to change motivation tactics as needed.

Skills Assessments

Getting a profile of students’ strengths and weaknesses through comprehensive assessment helps parents and educators determine the best strategies for success. Once a profile is established, a plan with proper emphasis on the vital areas of reading and writing is needed. In addition to providing guidance for next steps, a plan can be a motivating experience. It signals to students that their caregivers are seeking help for them and celebrating their achievements. TIPS: It is always informative to gather baseline information on your student’s cognitive and academic skills. In addition to assessments, tools such as compensatory technology, organizational and study skills guidance and tutoring or academic therapy may help your student improve his or her academic performance.

Tammy Simmons, M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and co-founder and executive director of ACCESS, a nonprofit offering evaluation services, full-time education, therapy, training and activities for individuals ages 0-35 with language and learning disabilities.