An IEP and Reading Comprehension, How Can School Not Know The Student’s Present Level of performance
An IEP and Reading Comprehension should go together like a hand and a glove. An IEP, or Individualized Education Program, is the key document that schools and parents use to show the present level of performance. to determine special education goals and services. I am shocked at how often the present level of reading comprehension is not known and how poorly the goals are written for an IEP for students with dyslexia and learning disabilities. student. No surprise that people then come to 3D Learner discover their child’s reading comprehension is 2, 4, 5 or in one case 9 years below grade level.
For an IEP, not knowing a child’s reading comprehension is like a doctor not taking a patient’s blood pressure or temperature, when a patient is ill
When preparing an IEP for a students with dyslexia or learning disabilities, assessing a student’s
Reading Comprehension, should be as routine as a doctor taking temperature or blood pressure
IEP and Reading Comprehension, Often The Present Level of the Student’s Reading Comprehension is not known
At an IEP meeting, I will often see reading fluency used instead of reading comprehension. We have seen students with reading fluency levels that are years apart from the student’s reading comprehension level. Reading fluency is how well a student reads out loud, while comprehension measures how well a student understands what he or she reads. Three cases stand out:
- A high school student’s reading fluency was measured at the 17th grade level, while her comprehension was at the 6th grade level
- A middle school student’s reading fluency was measured a year below grade level, when his comprehension was 6 years below grade level
- A 5th graders reading fluency was at the 5th grade level, while her comprehension was at the 1st grade level
Before going to an IEP meeting, 3D Learner always measure a student’s reading comprehension level. We recommend every parent do this — call us at 561-361-7495 — we can do this for a nominal fee.
An IEP and Reading Comprehension, An IEP Can Be Denied Because of Good Grades, If the Parents Do Not know Their child’s Reading Comprehension
When a student is smart and gets good grades, a student may not get an IEP, despite a significant reading comprehension issue
Seven key thoughts:
1- RTI, or Response to Intervention, is supposed to help identify problems and qualify a student for an IEP, where needed, but students often get caught in the RTI Trap. For more information on how get an IEP where needed, go to our page that provides guidance and letters to use. Click here to go to The RTI Trap.
2- Get a reading comprehension assessment done outside before pursuing an IEP
3- At the same time, check to see if your child learns differently and whether your child has an attention, eye-teaming and/or related issue.
Before pursuing an IEP, have your child’s reading comprehension assessed and screen for a learning difference, and attention and eye-teaming issues
3D Learner can assess for reading comprehension, a learning difference and attention and eye-teaming issues for a nominal fee.
4- Make sure your child’s reading comprehension might be assessed on short passages, when the state testing will be on longer passages. You want your child’s comprehension tested on passages equal in length and complexity to what they are being tested on
5- Where a reading comprehension issue exists, you want to consider goals that will get your child back to grade level in a year or two
6 You may come to the conclusion that you want to pursue an outside program – we have seen students in remedial reading in school for 3 years and fall further and further behind — note, remedial reading can be an hour a day. We have seen cases where a student was in remedial reading for all three years of middle school, they probably had 500 hours of remedial reading, and the student fell further and further behind. This is when I WANT TO SCREAM !!!!
An IEP and Remedial Reading may not effectively address a reading comprehension issue
7- For an IEP and Reading Comprehension – It is often the parents role to get this right. We strongly recommend getting an outside professional to assess your child’s reading comprehension and consider bringing a strong parent advocate to the meeting.
If you suspect a reading comprehension issue, whether your child has or does not have an IEP, complete the Success Assessment with your child and call us for a Stress to Success Strategy session at 561-361-7495
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