{"id":9002,"date":"2013-01-14T11:43:39","date_gmt":"2013-01-14T15:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/?p=9002"},"modified":"2013-01-14T11:44:16","modified_gmt":"2013-01-14T15:44:16","slug":"reading-comprehension-programs-and-assessments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/reading-comprehension-programs-and-assessments\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading Comprehension Programs and Assessments"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_pop\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/gallery\/share-button-gray.png\" style=\"border:0px\" alt=\"Share\" \/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_icon_type = \"labels\";var hupso_background=\"#FFFFFF\";var hupso_border=\"#FFFFFF\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_twitter_via=\"wrightslaw\";var hupso_url=\"\";var hupso_title=\"Reading%20Comprehension%20Programs%20and%20Assessments\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div><blockquote><p>My son has high functioning autism.\u00a0 He is a middle schooler, reading 2 years below grade level. He has difficulty in comprehension and inferencing, but not decoding.\u00a0 The school uses the Jamestown Reading Navigator.\u00a0 Is this an effective program?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is a link to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.readingnavigator.com\/mkt\/jumper.html\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Jamestown Reading Navigator<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and to the program overview.<span style=\"color: #000080;\"> \u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.readingnavigator.com\/mkt\/jumper.html\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">http:\/\/www.readingnavigator.com\/mkt\/jumper.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.readingnavigator.com\/mkt\/po.html\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">research studies<\/span><\/a> are here:<span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.readingnavigator.com\/mkt\/po.html\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">http:\/\/www.readingnavigator.com\/mkt\/po.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The most research-based and proven reading comprehension program on the planet is only useful when the comprehension issue is at the print level of language.<\/p>\n<p>When comprehension of spoken language is an issue, a reading comprehension program will not address the underlying issue, which would need to be addressed through language therapy.<\/p>\n<p>If your son has good language comprehension and is 2 years behind in reading comprehension, then this program might be appropriate.<\/p>\n<p>However, a reading program will not be the way to address inferencing difficulties when they occur at the level of spoken language.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>It is likely that language therapy would be a more effective way to approach comprehension issues that are probably present in his overall language comprehension skills.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>What about reading comprehension assessments.\u00a0 The school gives the DRP assessment in the fall as a benchmark.\u00a0 Again in March as part of the state Mastery Test.\u00a0 Then again at the end of the school year. What assessments specifically for reading comprehension can be used to regularly to monitor progress throughout the school year?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Reading (interpreting printed language) is composed of phonological awareness, decoding, vocabulary knowledge, comprehension, and fluency.<\/p>\n<p>To understand printed language a person must first have the underlying skills to interpret the sounds and words in spoken language. Assessing any one of these skills in isolation can only produce limited information about overall ability, disability, skills, and needs.<\/p>\n<p>If reading comprehension is held back by language comprehension, then it needs to be addressed at the language level. The evaluator can tell you that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A comprehensive independent evaluation done every 2 years will tell you<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>if progress is being made overall<\/li>\n<li>where progress is being made and not made<\/li>\n<li>most importantly will provide recommendations on what needs to be done<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Find an Independent Evaluator<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is a link to a list of <a href=\"http:\/\/buros.unl.edu\/buros\/jsp\/clists.jsp?cateid=13&amp;catename=Reading\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">reading tests<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/buros.unl.edu\/buros\/jsp\/clists.jsp?cateid=13&amp;catename=Reading\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">http:\/\/buros.unl.edu\/buros\/jsp\/clists.jsp?cateid=13&amp;catename=Reading<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rather than start with the test though, I would find an independent evaluator in your area. Then ask him to review your son\u2019s previous testing and IEP and recommend progress monitoring assessments or an evaluation to provide the information you are looking for.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.questarai.com\/Products\/DRPProgram\/Pages\/default.aspx\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">DRP assessment<\/span><\/a> is tied to the Common Core Standards and will tie progress to the grade level expectations.\u00a0 If you follow all the links attached to this URL you will see the amount of information that can be taken from the scores on the full DRP printout.<span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.questarai.com\/Products\/DRPProgram\/Pages\/default.aspx\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">http:\/\/www.questarai.com\/Products\/DRPProgram\/Pages\/default.aspx<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here is a link to advocates in your area.<span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.copaa.org\/find-a-resource\/find-an-attorney\/\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">http:\/\/www.copaa.org\/find-a-resource\/find-an-attorney\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Use this link is to find other providers: advocates, evaluators, educational diagnosticians, etc.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yellowpagesforkids.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">http:\/\/www.yellowpagesforkids.com\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Inferencing ability and language comprehension occur at a level prior to reading. They need to be addressed at the language level.<\/p>\n<p>Look at the language evaluations that have been done to see what they have to tell you about these skills. From what you have told me I do not think the issue is primarily a reading issue.<\/p>\n<p>Call a good private school in your area that works with autistic children and ask them for names of speech pathologists and neuropsychologists in your area who they have found write complete and useful reports.<\/p>\n<p>Also call advocates and attorneys who represent parents of children in special education cases and ask the same question of them.<\/p>\n<p>You will end up with a short list of autism experts in your area. Choose from that list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My son has high functioning autism.\u00a0 He is a middle schooler, reading 2 years below grade level. He has difficulty in comprehension and inferencing, but not decoding.\u00a0 The school uses <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/reading-comprehension-programs-and-assessments\/\">Continue Reading \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1271,33,1367],"tags":[261,42,1037,1036,720,670],"class_list":["post-9002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autism","category-reading","category-assessments-tests","tag-assessments","tag-autism","tag-drp","tag-jamestown-reading-navigator","tag-reading-comprehension","tag-reading-tests"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9002"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10539,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9002\/revisions\/10539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}