Case Report
Summer 2010 Clinic Tudors: RE 5725 Cheryl Serrill
Introduction
Destiny Swaney, aged 8, rising fourth grader
As a graduate reading clinician in Appalachian State University’s Master Degree Program in Reading Education, I tutored Destiny for 13 one-hour sessions across the summer, 2010 semester.
Tudor: Cheryl SerrillOccupation: Kindergarten teacher, 10 years National Board Certified Teacher
Employer: Catawba County Schools; Oxford Elementary School
5915 Oxford Elementary School Claremont, NC 28610
Initial Literacy Assessments
Schlagel Spelling test / Word Recognition in Isolation (WRI) / Contextual reading AssessmentSilent Reading / Listening Comprehension / Oral and written composition
Destiny was administered the following battery of tests: Schlagal Spelling test, WRI (Word recognition in Isolation) test, a contextual reading test, a silent reading test, and a listening comprehension test. Her sense of book language was assessed by evaluating her retellings of stories read to her, and both her oral and written composition abilities were assessed. er sense of book language was assessed by evaluating her retellingsHThe assessments were given to determine instructional levels and areas of need and readiness in reading, writing, word study (spelling and phonics), and being read to.
Independent Level / Highest level at which a student can successfully work without instructional support.instructional level / Optimal level a student can work with instructional support.
frustration level / Level at which a student cannot readily benefit even with instructional support.
Destiny appeared nervous when we began our testing the first day, but gradually became comfortable. She was very cooperative and willing to complete all assessments the first time she was asked. The more she became comfortable, she began to talk about her family and things she liked to do outside.
Reading Attitude Survey:
Description:
This is a survey with 20 items, each presenting a brief, simply worded statement about reading, followed by four pictures of Garfield. Each pose is designed to depict a different emotional state, ranging from very positive to very negative. Students should circle the Garfield picture that is closest to their own feelings.
Rationale:
The reading inventory provides information about a student’s feelings about reading. It is important to know how a student feels about recreational reading and reading in general, because it will provide insight as to whether or not the student may have a difficult time during the reading lessons.
Results:
Destiny liked reading at home and during free time at school. She enjoyed getting books for presents and loved starting new books. She liked going to the bookstore and reading different kinds of books. She is not fond of reading school books, workbook pages, and worksheets. She does not enjoy reading aloud. Destiny is a typical eight year old girl who would prefer to play outside instead of reading. Her overall attitude about reading was very positive.
Interest Inventory:
Description:
The inventory is a series of 20 open ended questions that are asked about things that interest students.
Rationale:
The reading inventory is used to gain insight into a student’s interests. The information revealed would provide possible writing topics and book selections to use for lesson planning.
Results:
Destiny’s favorite thing in school was Math. She loved to play hide and seek outside with her friends. She hates snakes, but loves frogs. She plays first base on a softball team. Her best friend is her sister. Her favorite story is The Three Little Pigs and her favorite TV show is Tom and Jerry. She likes to collect rocks and make stars.
Spelling:
Description:
The Schlagal spelling assessment consists of lists of 12 words ranging from the first to the eighth grade level. The lists contain words that occur frequently at that particular level with spelling patterns that can be studied and learned and/or automatized. The words within each level increase in difficulty level to level. Scores were obtained by deriving a percentage from the number of words correct from a possible 12 words.
Independent level: / A student’s independent level in spelling and phonics is the highest level at which the student can correctly spell 90% of the words.Instructional Level: / The instructional level is the highest level at which he can spell at least 50% of the words correctly.
Frustration: / The frustration level is determined when a child spells fewer than 40% of the words correctly.
Rationale:
Because a child’s phoneme awareness (knowledge of individual sounds or phonemes) and orthographic awareness (knowledge of spelling patterns: CVC, CVCE, etc..) are conditional to a child’s reading success, this assessment provides insight on his reading ability at each level. At this level the student gains insights, with teacher support, about how letters work in words. Patterns of errors made at this level are the areas of readiness and need.
Results:
Level / % correct1 / 58%
2 / 58%(instructional)
3 / 17%(frustration)
Destiny is an instructional speller at the first and second grade level (58%) because she scored above 50%. She hits frustration beginning at the 3rd grade level (17%) because she scored below 40%. Destiny will need to be instructed at the 1st and 2nd grade level in spelling because she scored above 50% accuracy. She has some errors that are congruent in 1st and 2nd grade.
Destiny has strong knowledge of beginning and ending consonants. She added the preconsonantal nasal in “trap” (TRAMP) and omitted the preconsonantal nasal in “bump” (BOP). Destiny will need word contrasting words with short vowels to those with preconsonantal nasals. Destiny had strong short vowel knowledge only missing the “u” in “bump” (BOP). Destiny will also benefit from word sorts which call on her to contrast words by their short vowel patterns for speed as well as accuracy.
The most common error for Destiny was confusion between “dr” and “tr”. This error was made on both Level 1 and Level 2 lists. On List 1, “drop” (TROP) and “drive” (TRAVE) and List 2 “dress” (DESS). Destiny will need word sorts with “dr”, “tr”, “ch”, and “j”.
Another area of focus would be VCV patterns for long “i” and long “a”. This was shown in “drive” (TRAVE), “chase” (CHASS). She confused the short “a” and short “i” in the word “trapped” (TRIPT), however she did spell bike, plane, and drive correctly. She will benefit from word sorts of long “i”, short “i”, long “a”, and short “a”. Her phonetic spelling of the past tense of “ed” in TRIPT also demonstrates a need to compare the three sounds, but common spelling of “ed”.
Her phonetic spelling’s of “shopping” (SHOPING) and “trapped (TRIPT) reveal a need for work as to whether or not to double a word’s final consonant when adding an inflective ending such as “ed” or “ing, a doubling issue which is not fully developed yet and will need to be addressed, but after the other short vowels, blends, and long vowels are mastered.
She shows some difficulty with “r controlled vowels”, girl (GRIL). A good sort would have “r blends” with vowels such as: grill/girl, trap/tarp, fry/first, etc...
Word Recognition in isolation:
Description:
Each word recognition test contains 20 words which increase in difficulty across each grade level ranging from Preprimer to 8th grade. Each list was developed from random samplings from Basic Reading Vocabularies. The further a child can progress through each list, the more advanced the child’s word knowledge. Each student begins on the Preprimer list. The teacher flashes the words for a fraction of a second to see if the student can automatically recognize the word. If the student miscues, he is shown the word and has time to try and decode the word. The teacher continues with each list until the student falls below 50% in the flash column or the combined total of the flash and untimed column fall below 100%. Scores are obtained by deriving a percentage from the number of words correct from a possible 20 words. A student’s level is determined by the percentage correct in the flash column except at the Preprimer and Primer levels where the untimed scores may be used.
Independent Level: / The highest level at which the student correctly recognizes 90% of the words in the flashed column, except at the Preprimer and Primer levels where the untimed scores can be used.Instructional Level: / The highest level at which he recognizes 70% of the words in the flashed column, except at the Preprimer and Primer levels where the untimed scores can be used.
Frustration Level: / The level at which the student recognizes less than 50% correct on the flashed column, except at the Preprimer and Primer levels where the untimed scores can be used.
Rationale:
A child’s ability to automatically and accurately recognize printed words drives a child’s reading. Word recognition is developmental and provides a foundation for reading progress. A student’s word recognition ability is a good predictor of a child’s reading level. Reading isolated words provides a context free measure and the timed aspect indicates a child’s true level of fluency.
Results:
I administered the PP, P, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade lists. I began with PP and continued to the 4th grade list because Destiny scored higher than 50% in the flash column. After administering Level 4, I ceased because she was below 50% in the flash column.
Word Recognition in Isolation (WRI)
Levels / Flashed / UntimedPP / 100%
P / 90% / 100%
1 / 95% / 100%
2 / 90% / 90%
3 / 85% / 90%
4 / 40% / 70%
Destiny’s frustration level is 4th grade as indicated in her sharp drop to 40%. She is independent at 2nd grade with 90%in the flash column. She is instructional at 3rd grade because her score is 70% or higher (85%) in the flash column.
Her spelling and WRI scores are not congruent. She is instructional at 2nd grade (58%) and frustrated in 3rd grade (17%) in spelling. I would expect her to be frustrated in 3rd grade in WRI; however, she is instructional (85%) and close to independent. She is frustrated in 4th grade in WRI (40%), but she shows that she can decode some words with time (70% untimed0, but she does not have automaticity at this level. Word recognition work is the same word sort used for spelling. Her WRI surpasses her spelling probably due to the fact that she has been exposed to and remembered words which have phonics patterns which she has not yet conceptualized.
On level 3 she confused the long “a” and short “e”, “favor”(FELLOR) and short “u” and short “o” “customer”(COSTUME). This was interesting because she missed these same short vowels in her spelling, the “u” in “bump” (BOP). I will use the same word sorts that are used in spelling, a word sort with the short “o” and short “u” vowel pattern.
Destiny was frustrated at Level 4 so I did not analyze those errors. It is common for students to make errors that do not make any sense when frustration is reached.
Looking at Destiny’s spelling and WRI, most of the errors are similar. She only had one word that had the “dr” spelling pattern, “drove”, and she recognized it correctly in the flash column, even though she missed it several times in her spelling. When comparing Destiny’s spelling and WRI, she is clearly functioning higher in WRI than in spelling. Knowing that WRI is a good predictor for contextual reading, I expect the data to show her contextual reading level about 3rd grade.
Contextual Reading (Oral and silent):
Oral Reading:
Description:
The oral reading test is commonly called a contextual reading assessment or word recognition in context. The assessment begins with easy passages and progresses to more difficult passages and stops when the child reaches frustration. Administration of the assessment should begin at the highest level where the student scored 80% or higher on the flash column on the WRI.
Independent Level: / The highest level that a student can read with 98% word recognition in context accuracy (WRC), good fluency (reading rate and prosody), and 90% comprehension.Instructional Level: / The highest level that a student can read with 95% WRC, acceptable fluency, and 70% comprehension.
Frustration Level: / The level at which a student recognizes less than 90% of the words correctly, reads disfluently, and below 50% comprehension.
Rationale:
One of the best pictures of a student’s developing reading is the oral reading assessment because it shows if the student can read words in context with accuracy. We learn if the student uses letter sound or contextual cues when meeting unknown words. Do the errors a student makes change the meaning of the text? Does the student self correct and what cues are used when making self corrections? Does the student appeal to the teacher for help or does he/she exhibit confidence and take a risk?
Reading fluency and reading comprehension are also measured during this assessment of oral reading. All this information can be found when a student’s oral reading assessment is analyzed.
Results:
Contextual Reading
Levels / Accuracy / Prosody / Rate / Comprehension3 / 97% / 3 / 108wpm / 83%
4 / 94% / 2 / 104wpm / 58%
5 / 84% / 1 / 76wpm / 17%
I began the reading assessment on Destiny at the 3rd grade level because she scored above 80% on the flash column on the 3rd grade level (85%) on the WRI. She is instructional on 3rd grade (97%). At 3rd grade she has good prosody and an adequate rate of 108 wpm. She made 5 errors and 2 affected the meaning of the text. She did not make any self corrections.