1
Final Case Study
Client Name: D______Testing Dates: 2/23/12,
Date of Birth: 6/16/033/1/12, 3/8/12, 5/3/12
Age: 8Report Date: May 17, 2012
School: Cromwell Valley Elementary SchoolExaminer: Patty Zorzi
I. Background Information:
D______is a 3rd grade student at Cromwell Valley Elementary School. He lives with his parents, his 13-year-old brother and his 5-year-old sister. He was referred to the reading clinic by his teacher who noticed a discrepancy between reading and his other academic subjects, especially math. His mother sees that discrepancy as well. She notices particular difficulty with fiction and with reading longer texts. She believes that D______’s mind is more analytical and that non-fiction just seems to “click” with him.
When D______was a toddler, his daycare provider recommended an evaluation with the Infants and Toddlers program. This is a preschool special education service for children with disabilities. He received speech and language services for about 10 months through this program. His mother states that the problem was that he didn’t seem to understand the “back and forth” of language. When she asked him if he wanted to milk or juice, he would repeat the words, not seeming to understand that it was a question. She thinks that his verbal skills continue to be an area of weakness for him. He did not receive services beyond those 10 months. Mrs. Sykes notes that D______’s development was slightly delayed. In addition to speech, he did not walk until he was 16 months old. She thinks that he was not as healthy as her older son, but not in a way that was concerning to her. At birth, D______was very large and his collarbone had to be broken prior to delivery. Mrs. Sykes states that she has always wondered what kind of impact that had on D______’s development and learning.
D______has received extra help from the reading specialist at his school since kindergarten. He has been asked to join a before-school book club and to participate in i-station several times a week in the afternoon. This is a computer program that works on language arts skills such as vocabulary, comprehension and spelling. Mrs. Sykes states that D______has no complaints about any of these activities, especially when there are treats involved. According to her, D______seems to get along with everyone and has a typical relationship with his siblings. Mrs. Sykes notes that D______does not have a best friend and is not invited to many parties. She has some concern about this. She described his love of sports especially basketball, and his love of movies. These are activities that the family enjoys doing together.
II. Assessments
The assessments were completed in two different teaching rooms at Towson University’s Reading Clinic. Although he was quiet and a bit reserved, D______came willingly, shared openly and was engaged in the activities. At the post assessment, D______was very comfortable, laughing and talking easily. Given the testing conditions and D______’s cooperative and engaged behavior, the results of the tests are deemed valid by this examiner.
Student Interest Inventory /- Likes learning about science and math
- Loves movies especially Aliens in the Attic
- Likes basketball & baseball
- Likes crabs, Spongebob & Ray Lewis
- Likes some things about school such as math & P.E.
- Thinks he needs help with language arts especially the part where he has to write paragraphs
- Thinks he wants to be a P.E. teacher
Motivation To Read Profile—Gambrell / Percentages
Value of Reading / 65%
Self-Concept of Reader / 80%
Full Survey (Self-concept & Value) / 73%
El Paso Phonics Survey / Number of Errors
Initial Consonant Sounds / 0/22
Ending Consonant Sounds / 0/1
Initial Consonant Clusters / 2/35
Vowels / 5/10
Vowel Teams / 5/9
Special Letter Combinations / 6/13
Synonym Test
(reading) / Grade Level / Percentages
Independent Level / Grade 2 / 100%
Frustration Level / Grade 3 / 40%
Synonym Test
(listening) / Grade Level / Percentages
Frustration Level / Grade 3 / 60%
Cunningham Names Test / Number Correct / Percentage Correct
Initial Consonants / 26/26 / 100%
Initial Consonant Blends / 15/15 / 100%
Consonant Digraphs / 8/8 / 100%
Short Vowels / 28/32 / 86%
Long Vowels/VCe / 11/15 / 73%
Vowel Digraphs / 6/8 / 75%
Controlled Vowels / 17/21 / 81%
Schwa / 8/8` / 100%
Overall / 36/50 / 72%
Metacognitive Assessment (Laster) / Responses
What do good readers do? / Read all the words & understand the story
What do good readers do when they can’t figure out a word? / They look around & see what it’s about, think about what makes sense
What makes something hard to read? / You can’t understand what it’s about
How did you learn to read / I practiced in school and sometimes at home
Are reading for fun & reading to study the same? / Kinda both (no elaboration)
What do you do when you come to an unfamiliar word? / You read all the words around it & see if any of the words that you think it could be make sense. Or—ask a teacher
What do you do when you don’t understand what you are reading (even though you can read all the words)? / You read it over until you can figure it out or ask a teacher.
What do you do before you start reading something? / Read the author, title, look at the pictures to see what it might be about
How can you tell what is the most important information in an article or textbook? / You see what the main part of the story is about
What are some ways to help remember what you read? / After each sentence you think about what it’s about, you picture it
What would you like to do better as a reader? / To read faster, to be able to understand the words, say more words, know how to spell them.
Word Identification in Isolation (QRI 5) / Level / % Correct Automatic / % Correct Identified / Total PercentageCorrect
- Independent
- Instructional
Third
Fourth
Fifth / 85%
80%
50%
35% / -----
5%
20%
35% / 85%
85%
70%
70%
- Frustration
Word Identification in Context (QRI 5) / Level (Narrative) / Total Accuracy / Total Acceptability
- Independent
Three / 94%
96% / 98%
99%
- Instructional
- Frustration
Miscue Analysis of Levels 2, 3 and 4 / Similar letter-Sound Patterns / Meaning Changing Miscue / Corrected Meaning Changing Miscue / Non Meaning Changing Miscue / Corrected Non Meaning Changing Miscue
Total number / 40/58 / 36/58 / 16/33 / 22/58 / 8/22
Percentage / 69% / 62% / 48% / 38% / 36%
Oral Reading Comprehension / Level / Without Look Backs / With Look Backs
Total / Explicit / Implicit / Total / Explicit / Implicit
Independent
(Narrative) / Two
Father’s New Game / 88% / 100% / 75% / 100% / 100% / 100%
Instructional
(Narrative) / Three
The Trip to the Zoo / 50% / 75% / 25% / 86% / 100% / 75%
Frustration
(Narrative) / Four
Amelia Earhart / 12% / 25% / 0 / 12% / 25% / 0
Frustration
(Expository) / Three
Cats, Lions & Tigers in Your House / 37% / 25% / 50% / 50% / 25% / 75%
Listening Reading Comprehension / Level / Without Look Backs / With Look Backs
Total / Explicit / Implicit / Total / Explicit / Implicit
Frustration
(Expository) / Three
Wool: From Sheep to You / 37% / 50% / 25% / 37% / 50% / 25%
Multidimensional Fluency Scale
(ZutellRasinski, 1991) / Expression & Volume
Scale 1-4 possible points / Phrasing / Smoothness / Pace
Level 2 (Independent) / 3 / 3 / 2 / 3
Level 3 (Instructional) / 3 / 2 / 1 / 2
Level 4 (Frustration) / 2 / 1 / 1 / 1
Richness of Retelling Rubric
(Adapted from Irwin & Mitchell, 1983) / Score
QRI Level 2 (Independent) / 2--Incomplete Retelling
QRI Level 3 (Instructional) / 2—Incomplete Retelling
QRI Level 4 (Frustration) / 1—Very Incomplete Retelling
Writing Sample—Analyzed with 6 + 1 Writing Traits / Score
Ideas / 2—there is a main idea and support is attempted, but ideas are very broad and basic
Organization / 1—There is a lead but no real connection between it and the following sentences and there is no conclusion.
Voice / 1—D______’s writing lacks real purpose and engagement with the audience. It is risk free and reveals little about him.
Word Choice / 1—there seems to be no attempt at colorful language and the writing shows a limited vocabulary with many words repeated
Sentence Fluency / 1—many sentences begin the same way and seem awkward. One could not read this with expression.
Conventions / 2—ending punctuation is present, but not commas. Uppercase letters are used within words. The misspelling of words is distracting. It is necessary to ask D______what he has written in order to read some words correctly.
Presentation / 2—letters are slanted and formed incorrectly. Spacing and placement of letters above and below the lines makes it difficult to read.
Posttest Data
QRI-5Oral Reading Comprehension / Level / Without Look Backs / With Look Backs
Total / Explicit / Implicit / Total / Explicit / Implicit
Instructional
Narrative / Three
The Friend / 37% / 25% / 50% / 86% / 75% / 100%
Word Identification in Context (QRI 5) / Level (Narrative)
The Friend / Total Accuracy / Total Acceptability
- Instructional
Richness of Retelling Rubric
(Adapted from Irwin & Mitchell, 1983) / Score
QRI Level 3 (Instructional) / 1—Very Incomplete Retelling
Multidimensional Fluency Scale
(ZutellRasinski, 1991) / Expression & Volume
Scale 1-4 possible points / Phrasing / Smoothness / Pace
Level 3 (Instructional) / 3 / 2 / 1 / 2
III. Discussion of Assessments Results
- Motivation
The Student Inventory: Grades K-3 and the Student Interest Inventory were given to determine D______’s interests, his likes and his dislikes. The goal was also to get a sense of what might motivate D______to read. D______is a third grade student who states that he has trouble with language arts. When asked to specify, he described how it is difficult to write about what he reads. He says he just can’t think of “good enough stuff.” He likes some parts of school relating to math, science and physical education. He does not like reading. He does not like books. He does not like writing stories. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things relating to his school and teachers. He is not sure about talking in front of the class or learning about people in other countries. He’s not sure if his teacher lets him know what they will learn or if the rules in his school are fair. He’s not sure about the principal or the office staff. He is sure that homework does not help him learn. He is sure about movies, basketball and baseball. He is happiest when he is at the movies.
The GambrellMotivation to Read Profilewas given to assess D______’s self-concept as a reader and the value he places on reading. D______sees himself as a good reader and thinks his friends see him that way, too. He believes he reads at the same level as his friends. He believes that he understands most of what he reads when he reads silently, and knows that reading is important. However, as a choice for an activity, reading would be low on the list. He thinks that people who read a lot are boring and that he would prefer not to receive a book for a present. The value he places on reading is lower than his belief that he is a pretty good reader.
Overall, reading and the language arts are not a big area of interest for D______. The full survey results from the Motivation to Read Profile are 73%, showing that motivation is not high for reading. This aligns with his interests, which involve many things, but not reading and writing.
- Word Identification, Vocabulary & Fluency
The Gutkoska Synonym Test was given to determine a starting level for administering the QRI Word Lists. It was also used to observe D______’s ability to read and understand words in isolation as he attempted to identify the meanings of the words on the test. Starting with level 1 to build confidence, D______read easily and quickly. He made a mistake as he associated the word big with door rather than large. He continued finding synonyms for the other words easily in levels 1 and 2. Both scores were 100% for these levels. When I gave him the words for level 3, D______started to have trouble pronouncing the words. He could not read perhaps, toil, quarrel, stir, ascend or gloomy. He scored 40% at this level. On another day, when I read those words to him for a listening assessment, his score was 80% and this time he answered correctly for all but toil and quarrel. D______chose the correct answer for ascend and gloomy, but admitted to having no idea what those words meant. With that taken into consideration, his score would be 60% at level 3. His level 4 listening score was 30%. D______made a choice for each word I read, but it was clear by his comments and demeanor that he was frustrated and did not know the meaning of many of the words.
The QRI Word Lists were administered to D______to determine his ability to read words in isolation and to find a starting point for the QRI reading assessment. D______was independent at a first grade level. He scored instructional at second, third, fourth and fifth grades and frustration at sixth. There was a range in his instructional levels. At second grade, his automatic and identified scores were both 85%. At the third grade level, he automatically read 80% of the words with a total of 85% identified. At fourth grade, he automatically read 50% of the words. He was working hard at this level using skills he has learned to break down words. He slowly and carefully used his understanding of sounds and blending to read and was able to identify four words this way with a total score of 70% at the fourth grade level. The fifth grade level also saw a total score of 70% (instructional) but with seven words read automatically and seven more when D______applied his knowledge of phonics to read the words. While he read many of those words correctly, it was a lot of work for him. He showed signs of frustration. He made substitutions for words he could not read such as confessed for confused and tough for tongue. He also read words as non-words such as materal for material,paneers for pioneers and mootin for motion. As the words got harder, D______read sound by sound in an attempt to read the words.
D______read four passages of the QRI and his errors were analyzed to see if there was a discrepancy between identification of words in isolation and words in context. Total accuracy for level 2 was 94%, level 3—96% and level 4—91% showing a similar level of ability to read words in context as in isolation when compared with the word lists. Similar results were found on the post assessment which shows D______reading with 97% total acceptability.Miscue analysis was conducted using all of the miscues on the three texts (58 total). Many of his errors changed the meaning of the text (62%),and he corrected 48% of those.D______had a high level of familiarity with the levels two and three passages and made fewer meaning changing errors on those two texts (44%) than on the level 4 text (81%) with which he had very little familiarity (42%--the highest of all level 4 texts). He corrected the meaning changing errors at a higher rate on levels 2 and 3, than he did on level 4 (42% compared to 28%). This shows that D______is better able to correct for meaning when he has more familiarity with the content of a passage than when text is unfamiliar. Many of D______’s miscues had similar letter-sound patterns (69%) and he appears to look at the whole word when reading, e.g. pace/piece, taped/tapped, memorize/memories, encouraged/arranged. D______is using visual cues to identify words and more often recognizes that he has made a miscue when he has a higher level of familiarity with the text. There is little discrepancy between reading words in isolation and reading words in context.
The El Paso Phonics Survey was given to learn about D______’s ability to identify consonants, vowels and vowel teams correctly and then blend them into non-words. D______shows understanding of beginning, ending and clustered consonants. He has more difficulty with vowels, vowel teams and special letter combinations such as ew, oy, ou, and aw. He demonstrates a need for direct instruction of vowel sounds.
The Cunningham Names Test was given to determine D______’s ability to break down words and to determine areas of need in phonics instruction more specifically. The Names Test uses words (names) that are less familiar than words found on spelling tests and other reading tests, but that are actual words. D______shows the most need in the area of vowels in all forms, particularly long vowels and vowel digraphs. This confirms what the El Paso test determined and would be an area in which D______could benefit from instruction.
The Multidimensional Fluency Scale was applied to D______’s reading of the three texts in order to determine if fluency impacted comprehension. The scale measures expression volume, phrasing, smoothness and pace with scores possible from 1 to 4. At his instructional level (3), D______scored 8/16 possible points. His greatest area of difficulty is with smoothness for which he scored 1 point. D______reads with hesitation and deliberation. He repeats words and phrases and sounds out words carefully. He scored 2 for both pace and phrasing. At level 3, he read moderately slowly—59 correct words per minute (cwpm). He read in two and three word phrases, inconsistently attending to punctuation, stress and intonation. D______scored 3 for expression and volume, which were both satisfactory, but he also read without expression at times during his reading. A score of 8 indicates that D______needs instruction in fluency. Posttest data shows no improvement in fluency on a level 3 narrative text. D______read 50 correct words per minute. He lost his place while reading several times. He repeated words and phrases and worked to sound out words.
These tests show that while D______is performing on grade level for word identification in isolation and in context, he struggles with fluency and vocabulary and would benefit from instruction in those areas. D______states that he would like to be able to understand more words, say them, spell them and to read faster. While he is reading words on his grade level, that reading often lacks the automaticity and comprehension that D______wants.
- Comprehension
The QRI reading passages were administered to determine D______’s level of understanding of leveled pieces of text. D______read orally and scored independent at level 2 with the ability to look back in the text. Normally, the level 2 is administered without look backs, but for one of the implicit questions, D______asked if he could look in the text. With the text support, he was able to answer all the questions. At level 3, without looking back, D______answered 3/4 explicit questions and 1/4 implicit questions correctly and with look backs, he answered all the explicit questions and 3/4 implicit questions, making this his instructional level. Even with looking back in the text, D______had trouble with the implicit question.He read it over a couple of times, but could not answer.Although the level 3 narrative text resulted in an instructional score, the level 3 expository text was more difficult for D______. He scored at the frustration level with the expository text, answering only half of the questions correctly with look backs. At level 4, his total level of word level acceptability was instructional with 14 errors, however he was only able to answer one explicit question with and without looking back into the text (1/8 correct.) This text took D______more the seven minutes to read. He scored 1 on phrasing, smoothness and pace on the Multi dimensional Fluency Scale and it was evident by his phrasing as he was reading that he would have difficulty understandingwhat he read. It didn’t sound like talking and the words were not put together properly. When given the story back to use to answer questions, he couldn’t find the parts he was looking for, or reference to the questions I asked him. So, while his word identification was at an instructional level, he did not appear to understand the words he was reading and the text was frustrating for him. For the post assessment, D______read the level 3 text, The Friend for which he had good familiarity. He made 26 errors and 9 for total acceptability. He answered 3 questions correctly without look backs and 7/8 with look backs so this continues to be his instructional level. There were similar findings on the Synonym Test, which requires the reader to know the meaning of the word in order to find the synonym. D______’s score was frustration at level 3, his grade level. A listening assessment was administered to determine whether removing the work of decoding the text would improve D______’s comprehension. Since he scored frustration at level 3 expository, a different level 3 expository was administered by reading the text to D______. This too, resulted in a score of frustration and with look backs,D______answered even fewer questions than he did on the expository, level 3 oral assessment.