High school student exposes classmates’ abysmal reading skills — as they struggle with words like ‘silhouette,’ ‘extraordinary’
A high school student in Philadelphia recorded a viral TikTok video showing classmates struggling to read simple sentences, sparking widespread online debate about literacy and education. The student, known as "whatthevek," claims he faced disciplinary threats from his school for posting the videos. The incident has drawn attention to low reading proficiency rates in Philadelphia schools and broader concerns about charter school performance.
- ▪The TikTok videos show students at Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics, Science, Technology and Careers unable to read sentences containing words like 'silhouette' and 'extraordinary.'
- ▪The school reported 53% reading proficiency and only 19% math proficiency according to state test scores.
- ▪The student behind the video claimed the school board threatened to expel him and prevent him from attending prom and graduation.
- ▪Philadelphia has a high rate of functional illiteracy, with 71% of fourth-graders not reading at grade level and over half of adults affected, according to Achieve Now.
- ▪A local group, NO GUN ZONE Incorporated for Philadelphia, criticized the school for potentially punishing the student over what they described as a harmless, lighthearted video.
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US News High school student exposes classmates’ abysmal reading skills — as they struggle with words like ‘silhouette,’ ‘extraordinary’ By Anthony Blair Published May 3, 2026, 1:26 p.m. ET A high school student in Philadelphia exposed how his classmates are struggling to read easy words and comprehend relatively simple sentences in a viral series of videos. And he may have gotten in hot water for his trouble. The videos, posted on TikTok, show the teenagers failing to read a sentence on a piece of paper while being filmed at the city’s Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics, Science, Technology and Careers.
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