These Kids Can't Write

<p>Season 4, episode 11 Replay Show Notes</p><p><br /></p><h5><b>These 12th Graders Can't Read or Write</b></h5><p>A Texas teacher’s viral reaction to finding 12th graders unable to complete a simple sentence frame sparks a larger conversation about literacy, expectations, and what schools can do when students are far behind. T.D. Flenaugh and Lauren Moseley unpack why the frustration is real, but also why giving up or over-scaffolding is not the <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://answer.In" target="_blank">answer.In</a> this episode, they focus on how to assess students honestly at the start of the year, how to use scaffolds without keeping them forever, and how creativity, choice, and consistent practice can help older students close literacy gaps.</p><h6><b>Episode Highlights</b></h6><p>00:19 - Why a Texas 12th grade literacy meltdown went viral</p><p>03:23 - What scaffolding means in practice</p><p>08:24 - Why beginning-of-year assessment matters more than immediate scaffolding</p><p>14:33 - Telling students where they need to be without shaming them</p><p>16:32 - Grade-level standards and asking students to articulate them</p><p>19:28 - How a five-page narrative helped eleventh graders succeed</p><p>22:44 - Why choice helped get 100 percent work completion in some tasks</p><p>26:12 - Setting a 10-minute writing goal and increasing expectations over time</p><p>32:22 - Pulling back sentence frames as students improve</p><p>40:33 - Why the conversation will continue with reading as well as writing</p><p>41:02 - Closing advice: release scaffolds, raise expectations, and keep practice fun</p><p></p>