I have followed the same strategy and would add that, while I support accountability, the TABE requirements you mention are not appropriate for our population. Our students' skills are so uneven, and unstable even after they've been acquired. If they start like Swiss cheese, they progress like melted Swiss, pulling ahead in some areas, getting stuck in others, and sometimes snapping back to the starting point. That's why I believe their progress should be measured in terms of what they need and will use, so that practice and reinforcement will be contextualized as part of their lives, not just their classes. But that doesn't address your immediate question.

I have found that for many students with decoding problems, the Level 1 of Wilson results in the biggest gains. Often the students have learned to recognize larger words, although their tendency to look at only a part of the word before they retrieve a candidate from their memory bank causes many errors. Just teaching them to associate sounds with letters provides breakthroughs, and can go a long way with students who have worked hard to learn to read by sight. So I usually stick with that beginning level as my starting point.

Chris Breihan


>>> Shoshanah Dean Hilmer <wcjshannie at hotmail.com> 10/28/08 9:44 AM >>>


I want to pose a question to the literacy professionals on the list that needs some background information first.  In the past, when a student came into our center needing decoding skills, and their comprehension skills were good, I'd place them in a basic word study class using, for example, the Wilson Reading System.  Even if a student's reading ability was at an upper intermediate level, I'd start her on 1.3 in Wilson or at the beginning (if her comprehension was excellent and her main issue was picking apart unknown words/spelling).  This has worked very well for my program.  Students have been happy with their placement.  However, now we find ourselves in a position where we need to show quick gains on the TABE.  We need a 2 grade level jump ASAP to get some funding.  What is your advice for materials to use for students who read between 2nd grade and a 5th grade level?  Would you still start them at Wilson 1.3 or at the beginning?  My problem is adults have what I call "swiss cheese gaps".  They have some skills and not other foundational knowledge.  Every student's prior knowledge is different.  I feel like I "spin my wheels" just trying to find out where the gaps are.  However, I don't have time to waste starting everyone from basically the beginning if that's not the best plan.
 
Thank you,
Shannie
 
 
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