You can't really navigate with the Web without very sophisticated reading and search skills. While there may be some information in visual form, you can't get to it unless you have very developed literacy skills. To use technology, students need more literacy, not less. High-stakes tests exacerbate the issue because you're not testing students' content knowledge, you're testing their reading ability with these tests. Kids who struggle with reading already know they're not going to do well on these tests.
Many kids end up just dropping out.
There have to be places in school where adolescents can read things they want to read. If they never experience reading as a pleasurable and intrinsically rewarding activity, they won't have any reason for reading outside of school. Read-ing for fun has to be a sanctioned activity. What Every Educator Needs To Know about Teaching Vocabulary . Coming in June 2001, this NEA Professional Library book offers K-12 teachers proven techniques for effective vocabulary instruction throughout the content areas.