Book SmARTs

While the United States ranks 21st among 180 nations with a literacy rate of 99.0%, these statistics may be misleading. A literacy rate of 99.0% means that 99.0% of people within the United States know how to read and write; however, being literate does not guarantee the ability to read and write well. Being literate does not guarantee understanding of the content being read. In fact, standardized testing results reported that only 50% of students in the state of California achieved at the Proficient or Advanced level for the 2008-09 school year. While this percentage is an increase from 46% in 2007-08, the number of students meeting or exceeding the state standards is still less than the number determined to be acceptable for California by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). In California, many students struggle to read well below grade-level, and many experience difficulty in reading comprehension and critical thinking. In addition, as budget cuts have continued to affect education, schools have had to find ways of teaching students using less resources. One of the quickest programs to have been cut in education is the arts. Many students no longer have access to consistent art programs at school.