silent reading

WISC has no reading requirements at all…the WIAT is not set up to measure the difference between oral and silent reading ability.

Lulu, sometimes standardized tests cannot be used to measure small increments of progress. For example, getting one more answer correct might often bump a score one whole grade level in the lower grades.

For some things, like fluency and reading comprehension, I like the Gray Oral Reading Test 3 (GORT-3).

What concerns me more about your post is that your child does not demonstrate word attack skills. Often, this is a lack of phonemic awareness and/or the presence of a good strong multi-sensory phonics component in the school reading program—whole language strikes again.
I like the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test for looking at eligibility and need for services, especially when combined with the GORT. I have a reasonable picture except for PA. (Since these tests are standardized, we can’t give them just any old time—once a year for each different form of the test.) I just use Lindamood’s criterion test for that—I’m not deeming kids eligible for services, just measuring progress toward better phonemic awareness. I have some other criterion tests (Reading Inventories) that I use to measure progress toward goals/objectives.

Children *know* when they are making progress, too. I can’t use their word to measure goals, but mom’s feel good when kids feel good. (And I like it when my moms feel good and write nice letters about me to the superintendent!) Kids can’t be tricked, either. They know when they are catching on, staying the same, or falling back.

Basically, brain has to *see* (perceive) the patterns of written language. Then, remember them and pull the concept out again when it recognizes the same type of pattern. Some need more auditory, some more visual, some more kinesthetic in order for brain to remember and retrieve the patterns. Finding just the right mix is the secret to skilled teaching of reading.

If your child needs word attack and decoding skills, the best way to help him is through PhonoGraphix. You can teach him if you buy the book Reading Reflex or you can find a certified tutor for him.

I wouldn’t worry so much about the test scores unless you need them for palcement and extra help.

I would worry, a lot, about the word guessing and skipping. This is a typical pattern and it never leads to anything good, only more trouble down the road.

It is a *good* thing that your son wants to read orally and get help — at least he isn’t lying to himself and others about it, a very important basic step to improvement. I meet a very large number of people who claim to be doing “silent reading”; it may be silent, but it is *not* reading. Reading is defined as “getting meaning from print” — if the student leafs through the book at high speed but cannot tell you a thing about it, then he has not *read* it at all. (This is one of the big fallacies of so-called speed reading and some mistaken ideas about fluency).

He really does need to sound out. I remember from your other posts that you have talked about some of your difficulties getting him to recognize letters etc. Keep at it and don’t quit.

You got another poster saying Reading Reflex is the answer. If I remember rightly, you have tried many programs and have not had great success with many. I believe that this is exactly the kind of student that the basic Orton-Gillingham programs were designed for. A lot of people complain that these are too slow, there’s not much progress, it’s too complex, and so on. But if the others haven’t worked, well, back to the basics and the tried-and-true; time to take time and do it right. Have you had a qualified Orton-Gillingham person work with him for a while?
If I were near you I’d try a few lessons with him myself. Where are you anyway?

What’s the difference between LMB and OG? I thnk LMB is a branch off of OG, if I remember correctly. Does one stress one area more than another?

Actually, I am looking for the score to debate placement and help. The school and I are not on the same page. His struggling is taking a toll on him emotionally. Sees a psychologist to deal with school. Psychologist agrees that had he proper placement (self-contained) and proper instruction for reading, spelling and math, most likely he would not need couselling to deal with school. School wants to take the reverse angle, his emotions are getting in the way. I think its a big cop out. He is a completely different kid when he is out of school. This summer has been wonderful. How many parents can say that? I absolutely dread the beginning of school.

He is not reading. He is one of the people you mention who claims to be reading, but he gets no meaning from it. The school says he is doing fine. He is NOT decoding. He cannot read independently.

The oral reading thing is deceiving. He will not read orally for us at home; he claims he already read it silently. Given the option at school or during the recent neuropsych testing, he reads aloud. When he does read orally, and we correct him on a word he read wrong, he will fight relentlessly that he is correct and we are wrong. It is an exhausting battle. He is very stubborn and resists our help and is only 10 years old.

Working at home is out of the question until he matures. We are making progress, but I realize to have any real success, it really needs to happen under the direction of someone besides his parents.

The problem is, like I said, I cannot convince the school that this is really urgent. He is failing and falling further and further behind in the inclusive setting since he is reading 2 years below grade level. These test scores (2 years behind)show oral reading abilities which are stronger than the observed silent reading abilities.

So, I need to prove that silent reading is absolutely atrocious and status quo is detrimental to his success. What tests might show decoding, work attack skills, and phonemic awareness? I know these skills are awful, but how do I show this evidence to the school?

I wish you did live by us. I’d take you up on your offer in a heartbeat. We are in the suburbs of Chicago.

Lindamood-Bell begins by feeling how the 44 individual phonemes (letter sounds) are produced. Then, the sounds are labeled with a name that reminds the student of how they feel (i.e. “p” is a quiet popper because the sound /p/ makes the lips pop open and it is unvoiced—no vocal cords used. Careful not to add a vowel and make /puh/…) Lindamood stresses isolating, segmenting, blending, shifting the individual sounds using symbols other than letters—little colored blocks, for example. Finally, the sound and label are connected to a letter and the visual component is added. (The vowels part is a little different, because they are “felt” in succession moving from a smile (/ee/) through an open mouth (/au/) and finally to a round mouth (/oo/) and then the r’s and vowels that move (/oy/ and the like).

The LmB lesson consists of “tracking” (hearing and moving sounds around), word building activities using little tiles with letters on them, and reading of words/passages. Herein lies the problem…some of the “expectancies” (such as when c or g are following by e, i, y, they say soft sound: /s/ or /j/) are covered, but there isn’t a real way to know when one has covered all the visual patterns for sounds. It isn’t *systematic*, except for the phonemic awareness part. That’s where O-G picks up. It is also more part-to-whole, which is a problem for some readers.

An O-G lesson generally begins with the instructor’s selection of a 10-12 cards with letters on them. The student is shown the letters (visual cue) and says the associative sound(s). If unable to say them, the instructor prompts. The instructor is careful to be sure that sound production is accurate. The lesson proceeds through word building of patterns being taught, reading of words in patterns being taught, sentences using the word pattern being taught, and passages using them, too. (What I mean by patterns being taught: “igh” says /ie/. Students must read enough words and get enough practice so as to recognize it when they see it in independent reading.) Many O-G people use a program like Wilson Language for the sequence and for words lists. These programs are called controlled vocabulary. I like Wilson with very bright kids and all adults because it has an moderate and also an adult-level vocabulary of words and *no* “baby” stories. For younger students or those without solid reasoning skills, I use SPIRE. (One must *see* the patterns and recognize them…despite there being several ways to get things into memory.)

The trick is to go as slow as one must, but as fast as possible. I do not follow the program exactly if the student already knows the skills. I do, though, review the beginning of the program to demonstrate syllable types and decode multi-syllable words using the first syllable type in the sequence. I also don’t necessarily read all the words/sentences/passages—but sometimes read them twice if the student needs it.

This was probably way more than anyone wished to know. Hope others will “add to..”

Hmmm, my ex-husband’s home turf. If we hadn’t been divorced …

Joking aside, there are oodles of standardized oral and silent reading tests around there. You just need to use one that is recognized by your school board. The psychologist you already have can help you there — even if he isn’t a testing expert he has a state licence and can give a test and sign off on results. He can also call the school board special ed director and find what tests are recognized.

Two years behind is enough for services even under the worst and most limiting common definition of LD. Get a test that shows this and go see that special ed director. Tell him/her that the school is refusing help. Make sure to take documentation — letters etc — paper trail is vital! It isn’t nice to go over their heads like this, but after three or four tries that’s where to go.

Kids do argue their point, and to a certain degree it’s a good sign. You want a kid with character and independence and ideas. These are signs of intelligence and creativity. Now the only problem is to direct it into more positive channels, sometimes the same as redirecting the Mississippi in flood, but we work on it. If he insist’s his reading is corrrect, ask him to explain why. He may have developed some misconceptions and misconstructed rules of his own. This is a problem, but a good sign in that he is looking for rules and regularities. You can find out what he is thinking and then teach the rules he is misconstruing. Easier said than done, but over time this should be effective.

Try some positive and negative reinforcements to get him to read a certain time to you every day (and if he makes excuses and wanders off, that time doesn’t count). If he does read aloud for fifteen minutes, you’ll drive him to the pool, and if he doesn’t read, he has to stay home with you — things like that. I had a very determined child of my own and it’s not easy but at age ten you can still put your foot down.
Forget the reading on grade level, the class texts and story books and the literature list — he isn’t ready for that. Try getting some limited-vocabulary old reading texts at the used book store or school cleanup sales. Have him read something that he *can* read to you. He will complain bitterly about the content and you can remind him that as soon as he gets this little independent decoding thing under control he will be able to read interesting content on his own grade level. That’s motivation.

You can also consider hiring a tutor — look on iser.com for people who specialize in this sort of problem.

Actually, that was an extremely helpful explanation. Thanks!

I believe that kids should be supported with novels-on-tape at their grade level (as long as their listening comprehension will support it.) That keeps them in the general curriculum while the reading is being remediated. Kids talk about the books they read…ours need to be in the same conversations.

Sometimes it takes years to get all the reading puzzle pieces to fit. In the meantime, book-on-tape helps keep their information and vocabulary alive. Also promotes a love of literature…very important motivation for learning to read on ones own.