This new report highlights the need for effective strategies to help struggling readers regain lost ground.

Merit Software has a strong track record of helping older students build the reading and language skills necessary to graduate from high school. Merit is one of only a handful of educational products that has been demonstrated to improve student test scores in reading and writing skills.

Unlike most software used in schools, Merit is not drill and practice. Merit gives students instruction in core curriculum skills while automatically tracking student progress.

With Merit, students apply skills as they learn them, receiving clear explanations when they encounter troublesome concepts. Merit gets students thinking and builds their confidence as scholars.

Merit programs fit into a variety of curriculum and classroom structures. They are offered in several different configurations and pricing options. Teachers can implement the classroom organization and curriculum that best fit their students’ needs. The programs are designed for students reading at grade three level and above.

Merit can be used with small groups or large classes and it aligns with state and local curriculum standards. Students begin working at a suitable level of challenge. They advance as they demonstrate readiness. Instruction is differentiated to accommodate a variety of skill levels.

Lower level students have been shown to make striking gains with the software. It is also affordable and easy to implement. For administrators working with a limited budget, Merit Software is an ideal option.

The study “Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation,” was sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Still too many high school graduates cannot adequately perform some of the essential college-ready skills in English, writing, reading, mathematics, and/or science, according to a new report from the publishers of the ACT college entrance exam.

In writing, for example, approximately 40 percent of 2009 ACT-tested graduates were not able to use the correct adverb or adjective form in a sentence, use the correct preposition in a phrase, or make sure that the subject and verb agree in a sentence.

In reading, 30 percent of the graduates were unable to evaluate the contribution that significant details make to the text as a whole.

And, in math, nearly 40 percent of the 2009 graduates could not solve multi-step problems involving fractions and percentages.

ACT’s research shows these types of skills are needed by students to be ready for college and work.

Merit Software has been used successfully in many college preparation programs to help teach each of these skills.