Reading Instruction in the Primary Grades
Instructional Materials
Schools are free to choose the instructional materials they use without government input. Several varieties of commercially developed instructional materials and teaching methods are available for schools, though some schools develop their own materials. The Netherlands Institute for Curriculum Development advises schools about the appropriateness of available instructional materials and teaching methods for the Dutch curriculum. Textbooks are available for integrated and separate language and reading education. A considerable amount of additional material addresses spelling and grammar.
Most schools use an indirect phonics method called Learning to Read Safely in reading instruction.21 Particularly during the first four months of reading instruction, the structure of the written and spoken language is emphasized as students learn the relationship between graphemes and phonemes. Halfway through Grade 1, most children are able to decode simple Dutch words. Emphasis on improving fluency and decoding skills by having students read short texts increases during the second part of Grade 1.
Use of Technology
Research shows that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is used prominently in schools in the Netherlands for student tracking, communication, and lesson preparation and instruction in all subject areas. During recent years, the use of digital teaching materials has increased.22 About 50 percent of primary education teachers report using a computer during lessons for more than 10 hours a week. Approximately one computer is available for every four students, and almost all computers have Internet access.
The government supported Knowledge Centre for ICT in Education (Kennisnet) is the main public support organization for educational ICT use in primary, secondary, and adult education in the Netherlands. The Knowledge Centre “provides independent advice and services to support and inspire educational institutions in the effective use of ICT toward the continued improvement in the quality of learning.ˮ23 The organization annually publishes the Four in Balance Monitor, about ICT in Dutch primary, secondary, and vocational education. This publication summarizes research about ICT and provides statistics about the use of ICT in Dutch education.
Role of Reading Specialists
Students with reading difficulties often are helped by a remedial teacher or a speech therapist who is associated with the school or an advisory service. Primary education has seen a trend in employing coordinators who are responsible for a certain subject or age group (e.g., internal student counselors, junior department coordinators, senior department coordinators, language coordinators, and arithmetic coordinators). Together with teachers and school administrators, reading coordinators with specialized knowledge of reading implement and evaluate the primary school’s reading policy. Sixty-six percent of primary schools have a reading coordinator. If necessary, the reading coordinator will coach and guide staff.24
Second Language Instruction
Approximately 25 percent of the students in (special) primary education do not speak Dutch as their first language.25 Because schools are free to determine their own curricula, they are able to focus on areas of instruction that meet their students’ needs. Schools with large minority student populations devote more attention to vocabulary and verbal communication than do schools whose student populations primarily consist of native Dutch-speaking students.
Several initiatives have been launched to enhance language proficiency for students who are second language learners. “Bridging classesˮ for primary school students, for example, give students with limited Dutch language skills the opportunity to spend a year learning Dutch before returning to regular classes. Early childhood education programs (e.g., play groups and childcare) that focus on Dutch language learning aim to reduce the language and achievement gap for minority groups before they enter primary education.26 Despite these efforts, however, second language learners still have lower achievement in mathematics and in language, enroll in lower levels of secondary education, and have a higher dropout rate than native Dutch-speaking students.27
Accommodation Policies for Instruction and Testing
The most important reform to primary and secondary education in recent years was the introduction of inclusive education for children with special educational needs in August 2014. Schools now have a “duty of care” to place each student in a suitable educational setting, whether in a school for children with special educational needs or in a mainstream school that is able to provide additional support and guidance.28 Schools receive additional funding for students with special needs so they can hire specially trained teachers and other personnel or make other accommodations to support these students.