Are you the parent of a young child, who is receiving special education services, that is concerned about whether your child has the needed skills, to learn how to read? Are you a parent of an older child with autism or a learning disability, that is concerned about your child’s reading success. This article will discuss 5 skills that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) states, are identified by research as critical to early reading success. These skills were found in the No Child Left Behind parent Guide.
Skill 1: Phonemic Awareness: Is the ability to hear and identify sounds in spoken words.
Skill 2: Phonics: Is the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language.
Skill 3: Fluency: Is the capacity to read text accurately and quickly.
Skill 4: Vocabulary: Is the words students must know to communicate effectively.
Skill 5: Comprehension: Is the ability to understand and gain meaning from what has been read.
You should make sure, that any reading program that is used for your child with a disability, to teach them how to read, contain these 5 skills. No Child Left Behind requires that any educational program used should be scientifically research based. What this means is that the education program (reading program), must have research to show that the program is effective to teach children to read.
In 2000 the Report of the National Reading Program identified these 5 skills as critical to children learning to read early. In April 2000 these research findings were reported in the National Reading Panel, they have now been written into the NCLB law. Reading first is the program that was started under No Child Left Behind, to help school districts to improve reading achievement.
By making sure that your child’s reading program contains these five skills, you will be increasing your child’s chances of learning to read. You must be involved with your child’s education to ensure that the child continues to make academic progress, and learns to read. Reading gives children a chance at a fulfilled life!
By: JoAnn Collins
Posts Tagged ‘Learning Disability’
Parenting Tips – 5 Skills That NCLB State Are Critical to Early Reading Success
March 19th, 2010Analyzing Lack Of Educational Motivation In Students
February 6th, 2010
Education is the key towards success for every country.It helps to
boost the economy and to generate democratic society. The
main resource of any country is Human Resource. If we’ll prepare
educated human in our society in advance by providing proper education
facilities to our younger generation, then we could move towards the
path of success.
If we look towards our Education system, there are many unveiled reasons
behind the de-motivation and poor academic performance of
students. Despite a great deal of effort since from the day of
independence, academic achievement among students in Pakistan continues
to lag behind. No doubt we are moving towards the successful future, but our education system some how, is hampering the progress of our country.
The results, which we see in matriculation, intermediate and graduation
are not up to mark.
The interest in students to achieve quality education is de-motivated
in the recent years.The only thing student require, is
Certificate/Degree with passing marks.
In the attempt to improve school results, the teacher educators and
education counselor are trying their level best to find the roots of
poor academic achievement of school students.Educational Psychologist
has also developed many tests, to judge and improve the skills of
students, but the real cause has not been founded till date, that what
makes the student frustrated to back out of education so easily?
Might be it’s the fault of Ministry of Education to develop lack of
integrated curriculum and wrong dimensional policies or it might be the
fault of a teacher, whose teaching style is not appropriate to the age
level students they teach, or its the problem of Learning Disability in
a child.
Some point the finger at the outrageous homework loads students given
by the teachers. Students are overburdened with academic demands of
questionable value and, as a result, end up indifferent to studies,
exhausted, and worn out.In addition,the heavy loads of books are not
worthwhile, until and unless the students are ready to go through it.
Our Curriculum Ministry is trying to develop curriculum according to
their own judgement, without keeping in view the taste and level of a
student.
The reason for the poor academic achievement could be any out of these.
But the question is, Why the students academic records are more
successful in European and American Countries?
The answer is that, they are keen to learn and explore things. No over
load of work is given to them nor books load and examination pressure
is exerted on them.The books are well integrated too.
The new writers, who want to write curriculum books according to the
requirement of students are never encouraged in our country.
Teachers, even sometimes avoid researching, and teaches whatever is
given in the textbook.
The main contributing factors that lead to low learning proficiency of
students according to my experience as a teacher are as follows
1. Incomprehension of the Studying Purpose
The main reason why so many students don’t feel interested in what they
are doing at school, is the incomprehension of their studying routine.
A vast majority of private and government teachers are not even
bothered to explain to their students what the learning outcomes are,
why they need to achieve them and how they will be assessed.Mostly
Teachers take out their text books and start making a wrong impression
of rote learning on students, and then evaluate their students without
seeing the capabilities of a child.Students are not encouraged to write
their own answers. Despite of it, teacher wants their student to copy
the same answer in the examination, which they have taught or were made
to write.
Thus, the writing and analytical thinking skill gets hamper, for which
we can’t blame a student.
Student just accomplish their tasks by command, which needs to be
bluntly carried out.Students prepare projects, submit reports etc just
to get extra marks, without knowing the purpose of their study.
2. Wrong Assessment Process
Assessment means to evaluate children capabilities, not to judge them.
Assessment in Pakistan is often wrongly intended by teachers as a
punishment for students, or traps to catch them out. Grades seem to
exist in order to show students’ errors, mistakes and drawbacks in the
study area, rather than to give students reasonable chance of
demonstrating their achievements of specific learning goals. Same five
years questions, wrong curriculum development by the ministry of
education, changing of the course at the last moment of the end of the
year are going on in secondary and higher classes. Assessment should
not be based on counting the pages, which a student fills. Rather than
this, evaluating system should be changed.Invigilators should be well
educated to judge the learning tasks and own input, else the wrong
assessment process, which is going on since a long time would create a
fearful attitude in students towards assessment.
Students are learning not for acquiring knowledge but for getting a
“pass.” Students, who works hard gets low marks, because the teacher
checks the paper according to their knowledge and often forgets student
effort of contributing towards answering question.
3. Lack of integrated Curriculum
Ministry of Education is making such a curriculum, which is not up to
mark and is not well integrated with full resources. Mistakes in the
books and wrong statements makes student furious.
Activities are always missing in our curriculum books. The quality and
the presentation of book makes jack a dull boy.
Our curriculum is made by professionals, but the question is, Why the
curriculum is not made yet, according to the needs and requirement of
the students? We are just trying to change our curriculum all the time
on the basis of the prevailing fear of any other examination
systems,coming ahead in the competition. If we are capable, why don’t
we move ahead rather than taking wrong decisions at the end moment.
4. Teachers Fault
With classes consisting of more than 15-20 children, many students feel
deprived of the due attention on their teacher’s part.Teachers are the
leader and a role model for every student. Every student want to be
unique and want their place in teachers heart. They are placed among
the great lot of students without their personal interests, and
problems with studying being taken into account. As a result, students
don’t feel cared about, lose their identity, become indifferent to
studies and lose faith in the brighter future.
Teacher should treat their student equally and give proper attention to
every student of his/her class.
5. Wrong attitude of parents
Many parents are “performance oriented,” which emphasises results such
as students’ grades, rather than knowing whether their child have
mastered the material or not.They just want their child to be on the
top of the list and thats all.
Children gets frustrated, when parent keeps a lot of expectations from
our child, which de-motivates them most of the time.
There are many parents,who tells their child in advance that they have
to join their fathers or forefathers business after passing school,
which also makes student less motivated to perform well in examination
and thus, poor performance is seen in the results, just because of the
wrong impression embossed by parents on their children.
By: Munir Moosa
How Do I Know If My Child Has A Learning Disability?
February 4th, 2010
Are you the parent of a child that is struggling with reading, writing, or math? Have you been told by special education personnel that your child does not need to be tested for a learning disability? This article will discuss signs and symptoms of learning disabilities.
The National Center on Learning Disabilities has a checklist that is available to help you determine if your child has a learning disability. The checklist is separated into 8 categories: Gross and Fine Motor Skills, Language, Reading, Written Language, Social/Emotional, Attention, and a category called other.
Below are some of the things that are on the checklist:
1. Has trouble with buttons, hooks, snaps, zippers and trouble learning to tie shoes.
2. Demonstrates poor ability to color or write within the lines.
3. Grasps pencil awkwardly.
4. Demonstrates early delays in learning to speak.
5. Mis- nounces words frequently.
6. Confuses similar looking letters and numbers.
7. Has difficulty recognizing and remembering sight words.
8. Has trouble naming letters.
9. Avoids writing and copying.
10. Uses uneven spacing between letters and symbols.
11. Spells poorly.
NCLD states that the more characteristics that you check the more likely that your child is at risk of having a learning disability.
Susan Barton of Bright Solutions also has Warning Signs of Dyslexia. These signs, are a lot of the same signs, mentioned previously from the National Center on Learning Disabilities. Delayed speech, difficulty with hand writing and shoe tying, slow inaccurate reading, difficulty with spelling, poor pencil grasp, guesses letters based on shape and context.
Susan Barton also includes these warning signs for Dyslexia, which is a specific type of learning disability:
1. Left Right Confusion
2. Difficulty Learning Confusion
3.Auditory Processing Delays
4. Letter or number reversals
5. Difficulty telling time with hand clock
6. Trouble with Math
7. Messy bedroom, backpack, desk
8. Poor Written Expression
9. Limited Vocabulary.
If your child has a lot of these characteristics you might want to go the NCLD web site and down load the Learning Disabilities Checklist. Fill it out for your child, and send a copy to school personnel. Ask for your child to receive psychological testing to determine if they have a learning disability.
By: JoAnn Collins
