Well, my child will be getting the read naturally program on computer. Not sure how much difference that will be between that and the tape version. I was wondering about voice quality, and if the child would be typing in the answers, and I assume a teacher would still need to listen for errors and wpm. Anyway, they still want to start her at 2.5 on the read naturally program and still use 3.0 grade level for guided reading and somehow he thinks it all can be accomplished in the time period with the spelling. He also told me that she should be using more context cues than just sounding out. He also said they are trying to get away from using the Woodcock Johnson every year, because age and grade equivalants are misguiding and wants to just use teacher input.To end our meeting the principal also mentioned their would be a state test for science and wondered if my child would get alternative testing ,to which special ed teacher said there are alternatives and then the special ed director said she just needed the test read to her no alternatives needed. Principal was concerned because my child made case history by not answering one of the test questions in a previous state test because the prompt scared her. I should have mentioned she had met one subtest standard and that was geometry.
Re: update on reading program
Sounds like these guys have studied up on what *doesn’t* work, and the only way they can make that make sense in their heads is to also believe that gosh, those silly tests and measurements don’t really mean anything either. (THere’s a great essay called “Whole Language and Golf” that rather tears that apart — but these folks probably wouldn’t see the satire in it). Gotta remind myself that just maybe it’s blissful ignorance behind this, not some psychologically defensive desire to *keep* certain kids from learning lest it expose naked emperors and make people acknowledge that, actually, they should learn a thing or two about our language themselves.
Not sure it would do any good — though perhaps, down the road, it could if the right turnovers happened — but you might want to document your concerns in a quick couple of paragraphs that basically state that there is significant, well-documented research indicating that in fact students such as your child NEED TO BE TAUGHT to sound out words and you are very concerned that they have said that your child needs to be encouraged to use other strategies (which indicates to you that perhaps they do not have an appropriate program to meet your child’s needs, and perhaps they should consider paying for a private school that would… ah, perhaps not drop those words at ‘em…) and that you are even more concerned that the principal has stated that s/he does not consider standardized individualized measures such as teh W-J to be necessary because educational professionals across the country agree that standardized tests are (by definition) the best available way to objectively measure progress compared to a student’s peers, and that while you do recognize that a special needs student may not always make the same progress as that of his or her peers, it is nonetheless vital to measure that progress.
And in the meantime, teach the kiddo to read… p’raps send in something entertaining to take the place of their excuse for reading instruction.
Re: update on reading program
Well, it’s a little on the sixth-grade-girl-snide-humour side… but http://www.nrrf.org/satire_golf.html is its address. (Unfortunately I don’t think the satire approach will win converts in this case — Heinemann publishers make too much money selling supportive yea-saying books to the In Crowd)
Absolutely do NOT let them “get away from using the Woodcock Johnson every year, because age and grade equivalants are misguiding and wants to just use teacher input”. Sure, the teacher can tell you she is doing just fine! Demand accountability. They must do the WJ each year so the gains can be measured.
“He also told me that she should be using more context cues than just sounding out.”
Please get a private tutor who understands dyslexia. I do not think your child is going to progress as she should in this program.
Janis