Section I
Student Background
Student’s Name: Nicolas
Address: ###. Cullerton St., Chicago, IL 60608
Telephone: (312) 746-5083
School: Jungman
Grade: 2 Age: 9
Guardian: Lori
A. Social Environment
This is a case history of Nicolas. He is 9 years old and lives with his mother and father. He has two older sisters, ages 12 and 14, who also attend local schools.
Nicolas’ mother graduated high school but is currently unemployed and on welfare. Nicolas’s father did not graduate high school and is currently employed as a mechanic. The family watches television for 1-2 hours a night. They spend much of their time at Dvorak Park and in the local neighborhood. His mother Lori volunteers at Dvorak Park, occasionally helping her son with his homework, at other times acting as an assistant to the park supervisor.
B. Physical History
Nicolas was born on December 5th, 1995, one month prematurely. Delivery was uneventful and there was no serious birth trauma to report.
Nicolas has had no serious childhood diseases, but his mother does report he has repeated ear infections when he was younger. There are no hearing problems reported.
Nicolas said his first words at nine months old, and walked at eleven months.
C. School / Academic History
Nicolas has been attending school since the age of 6. He now attends a split 1st/2nd grade at Jungman Elementary School. After school he goes to Dvorak Park, where he usually remains until 6:00 PM every day. His class at Jungman seems to be composed of a group of students with varying deficiencies. Much of the work he brings home seems repetitive and not directly related to his needs. A classmate of his, who also goes to Dvorak Park, receives the same homework but has difficulty with math, and not reading, whereas Nicolas does very well in math.
D. Literacy Environment
1. Reading Materials in the Home
Nicolas’s mother reports there is ample reading material in their home. She does not claim to have any subscriptions to magazines or newspapers, but says she brings her kids to the library on a regular basis. His mother Lori and his sister, Stephanie, all claim to read to him on a nightly basis, both school books and library books.
Nicolas often comes ill prepared to school and Dvorak. He seems to miss school 10% of the time, and even more often failing to bring his book bag, homework, or writing utensils.
Lori helps her son with homework. Her strategies, or lack thereof, in helping her son might actually be hindering his development. She has repeatedly chided her son in front of other children for not being able to read well for his age. When she assists him in homework, she does not help him sound out words, but instead tries to give hints for words (e.g. when reading the word ‘there’ she might say, “it rhymes with where”, rather than sound out the word. I believe this confuses Nicolas rather than help him build his reading skills.) She can be very demanding and rarely encouraging. One reason Nicolas does not sound out words is his embarrassment from his mother’s negative comments, both in private and in front of others.
Section II
Summary of Assessments
WRAT
January, 2004
IRI
February, 2004
Cloze
April, 2004
WRAT
January, 2004
The purpose of the WRAT, or the Wide Range Achievement Test, is to measure the codes which are needed to learn the basic skills of reading, spelling, and arithmetic. Students 8 and older can read it. The student gets one point for each word they get correct. The 5/10 rule: after 10 consecutive errors the tester stops. If the reader gets the first 5 words wrong, the tester has the student read the letters at the top, getting one point for each letter. If the reader does not get the first 5 words wrong, they automatically get the 15 points for the letters at the top.
The WRAT is an acronym for Wide Range Achievement Test. It is designed to measure decoding skills necessary for the basics of reading, spelling, and math. The WRAT has 3 types of decoding strategies: sight words, phonics, and structural analysis.
The test has a list of words that students are required to read along with 15 letters of the alphabet. Fifteen points are given for the ability to read all 15 letters. The students try to pronounce as many words as possible stopping when there are 10 consecutive errors. The scores are added together from both the letter recognition and the words, which one point are given for each correct answer.
Nicolas shows many signs of difficulties in his reading ability. Although old enough to be in 3rd grade, he is in 2nd grade but reads between a kindergarten and 1st grade level. He does not show any signs of a learning disability or mental deficit. His mathematical ability is average to above average. Rather, he seems to not have had a good reading environment. He reads using a sight words decoding strategy, often incorrectly guessing words based on the first three letters, even with larger words that are ten letters long. He shows great impatience in reading and his inability to stay calm and sound out words hastens his lack of higher ordered decoding strategies. He often refuses to sound out words, apparently embarrassed by how it makes him look in front of others.
IRI
February, 2004
Test IRI is a non-standardized individually administered test which consists of a series of graded passages, each with comprehension questions. Oral, silent and listening assessments are given. Students responses are analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.
Purposes: To determine a student’s independent, instructional, and frustrational reading levels. This is determined by counting the number of errors in word recognition and comprehension and evaluating those numbers according to standard criteria.
Scoring: The results of this informal assessment give information required to provide curricular modifications, classroom adaptations and/or remedial correction instructional.
The student reads a list of words that is two levels lower than his/her grade. If the student makes less than three errors, the student proceeds to the next list. The student continues until he/she makes three errors on one list. Then, the tester returns to the level where there were zero errors.
The level where the student made zero errors is matched to a story. The student is given the story and instructed to read it once silently to him/herself. After the student finishes, the tester asks questions measuring the student’s comprehension skills. Next, the student reads the same story out loud as the tester marks down any miscues. Based upon the student’s comprehension ability, the student may proceed to another higher or lower level until his/her frustrational level is determined.
Misues
Substitution: Student replaces a word or phrase with another word or phrase.
Omission: Student skips one or more words in the text.
Addition/insertion: Student adds one or more words in the text
Mispronunciation: Student incorrectly pronounces or sounds out a words or part of a word.
Reversal: Student transposes adjacent words or sounds within a word.
Words Aided: Student makes no attempt to pronounce word within 10 seconds, and the teacher supplies the word.
Repetition: Student repeats two or more consecutive words in the text.
Self-Correction: Student spontaneously corrects an error.
Cloze
April, 2004
Cloze Test is an informal technique used to determine:
Cloze Units are omitted words; typical total is 50 deletions.
Administering the Cloze (directions to student)
1. Write only one word in the blank.
2. Write the word that best suits the sentence.
3. You are not expected to answer correctly, if you do not know a word, skip it and then come back.
4. Read the passage first, then make an attempt to fill in the spaces.
5. There is no time limit.
Criteria for Evaluation:
60% and above = Independent
40—59% = Instructional
Below 40% = Frustrational
Analyzing the Cloze
Exact replacements = Percent Correct = Real Score = Direct Match Score
Total Deletions
Exact Replacements + synonyms = Adjusted Score
Total Deletions
Type of Error = Percentage of that particular error
Total # of Errors
Types of Errors
Synonymous (SYN): Words that mean the same as deleted.
Semantically Appropriate (SEM): Words that make sense in the sentence, but not necessarily in the context of the passage.
Semantic / Not Syntactic (SEM/NStc): Words that indicate meaning but are not syntactically appropriate. May not be the same part of speech or agree in number or tense as the deleted word.
Syntactically Appropriate (STC): Words that are the same part of speech as the deleted words and agree in number and tense, but are not syntactically appropriate.
Nonsense Errors (NON): Nonsense responses, or words that are illegible and cannot be deciphered.
Omission (OM): No response.
Section III
Analysis of Assessments
WRAT
January, 2004
Nicolas readily submitted to the testing but he was obviously nervous when we began. He declined to sit and instead stood while reading the words. He began reading the test quickly and I had to ask him to slow down. On almost every word he stumbled and had to sound it out in his head. Even the simple easy words that should have been easy for his age or grade were difficult. He does not sound out the words out loud, but his lips move as he silently reads the words several times before deciding on his response. With some words it was difficult deciding what strategy he was using, either phonics or sight words, because he obviously came up with a correct words (animal vs. mail, finger vs. fur, split vs. spit), but he did pause and try to sound them out. It seems he is somewhere between using phonics and sight word strategies.
IRI
February, 2004
These are the results:
Silent
Level P: N/A (no comprehension questions asked)
Level 1: Frustration (5/8 questions answered incorrectly)
Oral
Level P: Frustration (6 errors)
Nick began reading Form A: Level 1. He made one error, reading the word “the” as “he”. On level 2 he made 8 miscues, or errors. The tester began having him read Form A, Level P, the story “Let’s Go Swimming.” In the oral reading, he made 5 miscues with no self corrections. Although 5 errors is equal to a level of an adequate reading accuracy, he showed numerous signs of frustration with long pauses in between words as presumably he sounded them out in his head. He fits the category of Stage 5: Early Print Reading. He tells a story using the pictures; knows print moves from left to right, top to bottom; creates part of the text using book language and knows some words on sight.
Level P does not contain comprehension questions so the tester had Nick read the Level 1 story, “You Cannot Fly!” After he read it silently, the tester asked him the comprehension questions. Nick was able to answer half of questions #2 and #3, but none of the other questions, missing 6 total. The two questions he did answer he only offered half of the required answer (see page 63 for written answers).
Nick’s comprehension skills are far below average for both his grade and age.
Cloze
April, 2004
(see summary sheet for more detailed information)
Direct Match Score:
Initial Test = 4 ½ %
Second Test = 4 ½ %
Adjusted Score:
Initial Test = 3 ½ %
Second Test = 3 ½ %
Nick’s most common error was Semantic / Not Syntactic (SEM/NStc). On both exams he had zero synonyms, semantically appropriate, or syntactically appropriate errors.
Initial Test
Nick was very nervous taking the test. After agreeing to take the test he was given the instructions and left alone to complete the deletions. When he saw the test he expressed surprise at the number of blanks he was to fill in. When he began the test he was observed not paying attention and staring off into space with a look of worry on his face. He was assured that everything would be all right and he should take his time. After quite a long time he reported to be finished. When retrieving the test materials Nick sheepishly handed in the page, attempting to keep his answers hidden.
Second Test
The Cloze passage was adjusted for fewer deletions and Nick was administered the test a second time, approximately one week later. He showed surprise when he saw the test and exclaimed, “That’s it?” at the number of blanks. However, he exhibited similar behaviors of a worried look on his face as he attempted to fill in the deletions. He kept his answers covered so no one could see them. When he turned in the test he had the answer sheet face down.
As the results indicate above, and the summary sheet will further reveal, Nick missed virtually every deletion. Administering the test a second time had no effect on the results. Perhaps coincidentally, on both tests he completed the first deletion correctly. However, every answer after the first seemed random. A closer inspection of his completions reveal that many of the words he chose were based on other words in the passage, but usually in sentences directly before or after the deletion, and in a few instances the same sentence as the deletion. Numerous times he did not use correct capitalization, writing words beginning with upper case letters even if the deletion was found in the middle of the sentence.
Section IV
Recommendations
Phonics Skills
Nicolas should be pulled from class three to five times per week, for a fifteen to twenty minute per session of intensive reading with a specialist. They should read anything Nicolas enjoys or shows interest in to counter the negative effects of his home reading environment. These sessions should continue for one to two weeks, then the sessions can decrease in frequency. The specialist should have Nicolas read alone and encourage him to sound out the words, either in his head or out loud. Ensure the sessions are in private so he will feel confident enough to sound out the words. The specialist should help him sound out words that are too large or complicated, and only when absolutely necessary. When he reads a word incorrectly the specialist should stop him and go over the word several times, sounding it out, and having Nicolas sound it out.
Phonemic awareness
The following activities will help Nick develop his phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is an understanding that speech is composed of a series of written sounds; a powerful predicator of children’s later reading achievement.
Increase vocabulary
Develop words walls in his class room and his home. Make sure Nick takes part in choosing and defining words for the classroom word wall. The tool can be extended to his home and his personal being by keeping an individual word bank in a notebook. He should carry around this word journal wherever he goes, writing down words he sees that he find curious that he might want to learn more of. His word journal can then be made into a word wall at home. Word walls are lists of words compiled on the wall of a classroom. Word walls are used by teachers to engage students in a word study for a variety of instructional purposes.
Language experience activities
Increase Nick’s confidence in using his language skills. LEA’s use natural language of children and their background experiences to share and discuss events; listen to and tell stories; dictate words, sentences, and stories; and write independently.
Echo and choral reading
Modeling and demonstrating reading strategies would be very useful. In echo reading, the teacher reads a word, sentence, or passage, and the student repeats directly afterwards. Echo Reading can be used to increase his knowledge and understanding of fluency. It should be done in small settings with only Nick and a teacher or no more than two to three other students. This activity is a good one for his parents or siblings to use with him. Echo reading is when a teacher reads a words, series of words, or a sentence, and the student repeats what the teacher just read.
In choral reading, the teacher and student read the word or passage simultaneously. It can also be used to teach how to read with expression by modeling.
Big books
Ensure Nick is nearby so he can see and read the print. Big books are enlarged versions of children’s story books, distinguished by large print and illustrations, designed to offer numerous opportunities for transaction.
Context Clues
Nick needs to learn how to better use meaning clues to identify the words they have heard but may not have experienced visually in print. It will help him combine meaning clues with phonic information and develop tools for word identification. Guessing games can be played to help students use visual and meaning clues to identify unknown words. Teachers can read riddles and have students guess the solutions based on visual hints. Inferring word meanings through context clues via modeling by the teacher will also help. The teacher should introduce the passage through modeling presenting sentences, words, and practice examples. This will help increase word identification.
Focus on Synonyms
This goes along with increasing the vocabulary. Next to or along with his word walls and word journals Nick should develop lists of synonyms so he understands that some words share the same meaning. Have him write passages where he replaces words with synonyms.
Sections V
Appendices
WRAT Appendix
January, 2004
IRI Appendix
February, 2004
Cloze Appendix
April, 2004