Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties

Introduction

• Presented by David Kilpatrick.
• Sponsored by the Exceptional Student Services Unit.
• Created in collaboration with Jill Marshall and Veronica Fiedler.
• Vision: All students in Colorado will be educated, productive citizens.
• Mission: Prepare all students for success in society, work, and life through excellent leadership, service, and support.

Professional Learning Series

• 13 modules in total.
• Comprehensive learning experience when all modules are completed.
• Flexible completion:
  • Complete all modules.
  • Individual sessions for specific guidance.
  • Companion or supplemental study with the book "The Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties."

Module 10: Effective Approaches for Preventing Reading Difficulties

Session 1: Evidence for the Prevention of Reading Difficulties

• Focus: Identify instructional elements to prevent reading difficulties.
• Prevention focuses on proactive measures before issues arise.
• Intervention targets those with demonstrated difficulties (covered in Module 11).
• Historical research (1980s-1990s) demonstrated:
  • Explicit letter sound instruction and phonological awareness reduced struggling readers by 50%+.
  • Reviewed by the National Reading Panel in 2000.
• Challenges in publishing new prevention research due to established findings.

Key Findings

• Whole class and small group instruction yielded similar results.
• Explicit and systematic instruction is crucial.
• Phonological skills are key to understanding the alphabetic writing system.
• Notable improvements in reading scores when explicit instruction was used.
• Benefits most pronounced in at-risk children.

Statistics

• 8 standard score point gain in general, reducing to 4 over time.
• At-risk children showed a 13-point gain, increasing to 20 points in follow-up.

Session 2: Instructional Practices that Help Prevent Reading Difficulties

• Goal: Translate research into practical strategies for educators.
• Foundational Practices:
  • Explicit and systematic instruction in letter sound and phonological awareness.
  • Importance of oral and automatic phonemic skills.
• Distinction between phonics and phonemic awareness.

Instructional Techniques

• Phonemic awareness must be an oral skill, not just using letters.
• Multiple phonological tasks: segmentation, blending, categorizing, identifying.
• Importance of systematic and explicit instruction.
• Letter sound pronunciation should be accurate, avoiding added sounds (e.g., "Tuh" vs "T").
• Distributed practice throughout the day.
• Utilize embedded picture mnemonics.

Considerations

• Debate on teaching letter names vs. sounds; research is equivocal.
• Spelling reinforces reading skills; spelling words aids orthographic memory.

Conclusion

• Many reading difficulties are preventable with explicit instruction.
• Evaluating current practices and considering new methods is essential.
• Upcoming in Module 11: Effective intervention techniques.