The ultimate purpose of testing reading should be to direct intervention to where it will produce the greatest good. While there is a central core of tests that are generally useful, no student takes every available test.

National Institutes of Health studies suggest that 93-95% of students can learn to read at grade level. However, to achieve this, some children required more individual assistance and reinforcement than is possible to fit within the school day.

We suggest that students are not "reading at grade level" until they read with grade-level accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.

ACCURACY

Does your child struggle to read words? Does he sometimes mis-read words you know he has seen many times before? Is his spelling "creative" and unreadable?

FLUENCY

When asked to read aloud, does your child read slowly and with obvious effort? She lacks "fluency." Even if accurate, slow, labored reading impairs comprehension, since all her effort is used for decoding the words and not for understanding the meaning that words and sentences convey.

SPELLING

Some students find spelling very difficult. This slows down the writing process and development of organizational skills. It hinders the child's creativity and often impacts the child's self esteem.

COMPREHENSION

Comprehension is the goal of reading. Students who do not comprehend do not enjoy reading. They read less and cannot build the vocabulary and comprehension skills needed for their future. Does your child read through a passage and not understand it? Does she have to read and re-read her textbooks?

Question Quiz for Parents: What is the difference between a language delay, a language disorder, and a language difference?
http://ednews.org/articles/27709/1/Question-Quiz-for-Parents-What-is-the-difference-between-a-language-delay-a-language-disorder-and-a-language-difference/Page1.html

What does your child need to read at grade level?

If you would like a courtesy review of your child's reading status, mail/email a copy of your child's most recent assessment (and I.E.P. if your child has one). mailto:info@SpecialEdAdvocate.org

Early Warning System: How to prevent reading disabilities
http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/3389276.html

Phonemic Awareness: What Does it Mean?
http://www.ednews.org/articles/523/1/Phonemic-awareness-What-does-it-mean/Page1.html

Reading Disabilities: Why Do Some Children Have Difficulty Learning to Read? What Can Be Done About It?
http://www.ednews.org/articles/6014/1/Reading-Disabilities-Why-Do-Some-Children-Have-Difficulty-Learning-to-Read-What-Can-Be-Done-About-It/Page1.html

Central Auditory Processing Disorder
http://ednews.org/articles/27700/1/Central-Auditory-Processing-Disorder/Page1.html

Non-Verbal Learning Disorder
http://ednews.org/articles/27710/1/Nonverbal-learning-disorders-NLD/Page1.html

Parents and specialists help boy deal with dyslexia
http://www.ednews.org/articles/6015/1/Parents-and-specialists-help-boy-deal-with-dyslexia/Page1.html

Recommended Battery of Testing for Suspected Reading Disabilities
http://ednews.org/articles/27711/1/Recommended-Battery-of-Testing-for-Suspected-Reading-Disabilities/Page1.html

The Code and the Challenge of Learning to Read
http://www.childrenofthecode.org/

Written Language
http://ednews.org/articles/27712/1/Written-language-disabilities/Page1.html

Tip of the Week Parents need to be asking for objective documentation of their child's progress on an annual basis, rather than ask for some program. Use individually administered nationally normed standardized tests of what ever your child qualifies in: If he qualifies for basic reading, then get annual reassessment for basic reading, i.e., measures of reading accuracy, speed, and comprehension. If he qualifies for reading comprehension, get annual reassessment including reading accuracy, speed, comprehension, vocabulary.