Is Your Child Ready For The M-STEP?

1121 Ottawa Beach Road,Holland MI 49424

03 November, 2022

Description

If your child is in grades 3-8, they will take the M-STEP in the Spring, with a focus on English Language Arts. If they took it last year, did they struggle? Did they run out of time? Has it been the same scenario each year? If they're also currently struggling in school, it could be a learning-related vision problem not related to 20/20. In a study recently published by Michigan State University’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC), results from the 2022 M-STEP show that 58% of third graders were not proficient in reading. Even worse, over 5,650 Michigan third graders were at risk of repeating the third grade because of very low M-STEP results from the same year. With 1 in 4 students struggling with a learning-related vision problem, it's possible that a significant number of them may have a visual dysfunction! Signs your child may be struggling with their vision: •Slow, hesitant fluency even when re-reading material •Understands better if read to than if reading themselves •Does well in math, but struggles with story problems •Skips or repeats lines and words •Loses place while reading •Needs to re-read for comprehension •Doesn't finish work in allotted class time •Attention span shortens during up-close schoolwork Common symptoms that appear with near vision work: •Eyestrain, rubbing eyes, excessive blinking •Complaining of headaches •Fatigue and irritability toward end of school day and homework If these signs and symptoms sound familiar and you're concerned your child may be the 1 in 4, we invite you to attend a workshop with developmental optometrist, Dr. Neil Renaud. You'll gain a greater understanding of your child's vision, tools to screen them at home and what options you have to support their development and success in learning moving forward. Unable to attend the event, but still have questions? Please feel free to reach out to our office: [email protected] or 616.848.7548. We look forward to "seeing" you!