Why does my learner need a literacy assessment?

Often, we measure reading abilities by looking at the reading comprehension abilities of students. However, the Simple View of Reading tells us that Reading Comprehension is made up of Word Recognition and Language Comprehension skills. So if your student is struggling with reading, you need someone to dig into their entire reading rope and figure out what part(s) of the puzzle to focus on instructionally.

Why is the student struggling with reading grade level materials?

It could be that they struggle to decode the words. They need to be taught the phonetic patterns within the code of the English language!

Maybe it is that they struggle with language comprehension. They may also have contributing challenges in attention, memory, or oral expression that could be compounding this further. If a student has challenges with language comprehension, additional assessments may be required to rule out needs in these areas as well. These specialized assessments may need to be done by a speech language pathologist or doctor.

Students may also have difficulty with vocabulary. Perhaps they can decode the words, but have no idea what they mean because their grade level vocabulary is underdeveloped. Explicit instruction in word meaning is necessary.

All of this speaks to why a child being “below grade level” is like the tip of an iceberg. You need someone to dive below the surface and discover what needs are most important to attack instructionally. You cannot solve a problem until you know the cause. A comprehensive literacy assessment is the first step in getting your child back on track. It is an investment that you will not regret!