Since my school has been using a strong decoding program in K-2 , I have noticed a pattern. Most of my students who are qualifying for resource in LD are qualifying based upon rapid naming and speed/fluency deficits. Example, I am testing one now who can almost pass grade level (third), but he is sloppy and slow with excellent comprehension. On phonics testing he passed all skills up to two syllable words, where he began to get sloppy and performance fell from 80-100% to 50%. His older brother is already in the program, the sloppiest reader I have ever encountered, but with pretty good phonics skills. Infact 80% of the new placements I am getting are strong on decoding and weak on fluent reading. (I think our primary grade program is working.) With the exception of the severely dyslexic first grader I am testing now.
I am using Ken Campbell’s program, Great Leaps, with success as one of the tools to assist this population of students I am now seeing.
Just out of curiosity, what decoding programs is your K-2 using? My daughter’s school is having excellent results with Saxon phonics.
Janis