GED Language Arts Practice Test 7

“For years, teachers at Harmon Elementary noticed the same pattern. A child who struggled to read the board was often labeled distracted or slow. Many of those children simply could not see well. A basic school screening could flag a problem, but about half of the families who received a note saying their child needed an eye exam never followed up. Some parents could not take time off work. Others had no eye doctor nearby or could not afford glasses. In 2023, the district tried a different approach. A van fitted with exam equipment began parking outside schools for a week at a time. An optometrist examined students during the school day, and children picked out frames on the spot. Two weeks later, their glasses arrived at school in a labeled bag. The results came quickly. By spring, more than 600 students had been examined, and about 70 percent of them needed glasses. Teachers reported fewer children squinting or leaving their seats to read the board. Reading scores rose too, though the district notes that it also added tutoring that year, so the van cannot claim all the credit. The program’s biggest problem turned out to be keeping the glasses on children’s faces. Frames broke on the playground or were left at home. The district now gives each child a second pair to keep at school. ‘We learned that an exam is the start of the job,’ said nurse coordinator Paula Reyes, ‘not the end of it.’” Which statement best expresses the main idea of the article?

• ATutoring did more than the new glasses to raise the district’s reading scores
• BPoor eyesight is the main reason students struggle to learn to read
• CBringing eye exams to schools helped many students get glasses they needed
• DParents who skip eye exams do not care about their children’s grades