Has the Y1 phonics test actually improved literacy?

[KindergartenKop]

Does anyone know? Anecdotally or if you actually know of any information about this. I was just wondering about the new times tables test for Y4 and whether putting in formal tests actually has an impact?

I'm talking anecdotally here, but I think it makes teachers push the kids to pass the PSC so more time is spent and resources are invested in for phonics. The test itself doesn't do anything but the fact that there is a test means that phonics has to be a priority, which helps overall.

Yes, I think it has. The improved focus working towards it helps.

Thanks!

No, my eldest son passed the year 1 phonics test after heavy coaching by the school as they recognised he was borderline. However he had no real phonics understanding at all, he is now in Year 5 and his spelling is roughly 3 years behind age expected. His reading is just slightly below average as he has learnt to sight read. However he got no extra help early in Junior school with spelling as he passed the phonics assessment. He got the pass mark. I sometimes think it would have been better for him long term if he had failed.

@superduster I'm sorry to hear that. I do think phonics is an imperfect system. It sort of papers over cracks which can appear later.

The phonics screening check tests just that: the ability to recognise sounds and blend them together. This is only one of the skills needed for reading and is not the complete picture. The same is true for writing. Although there has been an increase in children scoring well and passing this check, these skills need to be applied into other areas and this is just one of the many things the government doesn't seem to understand. So no I would say that this check has not increased standards in English just within the narrow realm of phonics itself.

@RosieRabbit17 do you think more time should be spent on actually teaching them to read than teaching them to pass the phonics test?

Is this different to the times tables test? Times tables are knowledge you need to do maths, but not actually useful on their own really, a bit like phonics sounds.

How can one improve standards without beating kids and teachers with tests?

[quote KindergartenKop]@RosieRabbit17 do you think more time should be spent on actually teaching them to read than teaching them to pass the phonics test?

Is this different to the times tables test? Times tables are knowledge you need to do maths, but not actually useful on their own really, a bit like phonics sounds.

How can one improve standards without beating kids and teachers with tests?[/quote]
Phonics is part of teaching them to read. And write. I think phonics teaching is one of the best changes to literacy in a long while.

No method is for everyone and no method is perfect, but ime it gets children reading and writing more fluently much sooner. Plus it gives them the skills to tackle unknown or difficult words independently.

I have a second child who loves phonics, and for him it makes complete sense. Unfortunately with so much emphasis on phonics because of the Year 1 assessments, those children that dont get it are just being missed. No one system of teaching is ever going to work for all. It's taken years for school to accept that look/cover/write/check isnt a good method of learning to spell for a child who can't write clearly. On top of the lack of phonics awareness it's not a surprise that his spelling is awful and his reading is just odd.

Dyslexia testing is.a disaster zone. In many areas you basically have to have £££ spare to pay privately for assessment which means there are thousands of children who are left to limp on.

DS1 is strongly dyslexic alongside other specific difficulties and didn't get anywhere fast on a phonics approach. He did have support that got him through the phonics test, but he was still on stage 3/ yellow band books by his 7th birthday in y2. His teacher tried him with coloured overlays and on identifying a helpful colour he could actually see the words on the page, in the right place for the first time and read it fluently and bumped up to stage 5.

He didn't do the times table assessment last year but while he's great at mathematical process and understanding, he's far slower at learning rote patterns. I remember in y3, the teacher doing quickfire multiplication questions while the class lined up for swimming. DS was slow to put his hand up because he was mentally calculating the answers. However when the teacher went beyond the usual rote sums, his hand was fastest because he was used to calculating and understood the processes.

Phonics and times tables are a useful stage of the process that work for the majority, but fairly worthless if the child has no wider understanding of application. The problem with the assessment culture in schools is the political weighting. Coaching children to pass distorts the picture and covers up difficulties, and other approaches to help learners who need other learning methods can be overlooked.

@BogRollBOGOF I agree with your final paragraph but as it stands, with classes of 30+, mandatory tests seem the most effective way of achieving the greatest competence for the greatest number. The class sizes are another issue