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Posted By: N.. Reading tutor questions to check progress - 02/03/14 09:23 PM
My son Started with private OG tutoring in September. Testing (Wisc. WJ, Beery, Ctopp) this summer raised red flags for reading issue (and writing and visual perception...) and we have family history with dyslexia. He was not diagnosed as his CTOPP was in superior range and reading/writing above grade level...but lower than expected based on EG/PG GAI. We were told to remediate as I precaution and wait and see how first grade goes.

Thus we hired a tutor and arranged OT as insurance and asked school to help us keep eye on this. we meet next week to discuss his progress.

His teacher I expect little help from but we meet next week and I need to gain support for either acceleration or differentiation. I also need honest understanding if he needs accommodation in writing and remediation in reading (even if private.) She is a worksheet teacher who spends little time with the kids 1:1. So I am also meeting with tutor this week to prepare. I appreciate this is hard as he looks great as grades ahead but tester has warned us he is high risk. So...any. Thoughts on what I should ask of both teacher
And tutor to better understand and report back to our Ed psych?

I thought your experience may guide me on this a bit.

Typing on iPhone so forgive me.
Posted By: N.. Re: Reading tutor questions to check progress - 02/03/14 10:35 PM
Right...good advice...
- Reversals I hit the wall that it can be normal until third grade.
- I have asked her to look for common phenomes missed, words missed that do not change context of reading, errors with low frequency words, and skipping lines. She told me in October he was fine and reading fluency is great.
- my son says they don't do reading groups and he doesn't read out loud and his comprehension work comprises of these sheets for retelling with needing only three facts. She has him reading one letter (guided) up from where he ended K and when I pressed her to produce a reading assessment I got nothing but the comprehension worksheets. So I'm a bit stumped as to how to proceed here...
- the tutor I can ask all those questions of...but I worry they can be chalked up to normal things readers do...

Stuck between rock and hard place I suspect. Is there any tests I can ask school or private assessments that will better identify reading struggles?
I'd find a few pieces of writing from school that look the most independent and free form - the furthest from fill in the blank possible. Show them to the tutor, and ask for an assessment of the difference in his performance of independent vs supported. That is, with support, how much better does he perform? What kind of support is needed? What relative weaknesses come through in the independent work? If the tutor as a F&P level on him, get the letter and a record of the assessment.

With stealth and stealth-like dyslexia, we've found that assessment is very difficult once ceilings on CORE are hit. Has he done the TOWL for writing? It's a good test with fairly finely separated skills.
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