Yr 1 Phonics test - what if your child can already read?

[MayaAngelCool]

Can we have them exempted from the test? From what I gather, such a child is likely to fail the test as it includes lots of 'fake' words written phonetically. Children who can read well are thought to be likely to try to guess what real word these words are similar to, rather than saying what they actually are, and thus fail the test.

The Pearson Phonic Test information conveniently avoids saying anything about this problem. Anyone know?

[DroughtMyArse]

Well I never thought this day would come but I actually do disagree with Mrz
I do think that able (and quick) readers may make mistakes because they are using their graphic knowledge to read words. I am a chronic skim reader, always have been and was a good reader at school. I have administered the practice test with several children in my class and mistakes have been made where children have substituted real words instead of the fake ones. I also have a very clunky reader who has no fluency or expression who did very well on the phonics test because he is good at phonics. So what does that tell me, yes, he is applying phonics but at the moment his reading is not benefitting from it.

In my professional opinion the test is of absolutely no value and is just being used as yet another stick to beat teachers with. I think that in the trial of the test only 15% of children passed. Please don't worry about children 'failing' though. The results will go to parents and the children don't need to know if they passed or failed (at age 5/6yrs FGS)

[exoticfruits]

I may be missing the point - but if they can read it doesn't really matter if they fail. I have always been a fast reader, I have never seen the words , I see it like the cinema. Even as an adult if I come across something like a Russian name I don't bother to pronounce it it myself I just have a mental picture of the character. I was the same as a child. There always seems to be the view that we are all the same and can all jump through the same hoops at the same time.

[RiversideMum]

Given what some Mums post here about phonics and what is going in their DCs infant classes, I think the test could turn out to be a good thing. The test is about decoding - nothing to do with reading fluently, with expression or with comprehension. The children will get used to the silly "alien" words and it will show where there are gaps in knowledge ... which could be a result of poor teaching. Either way, there will be additional phonics teaching in schools - hopefully replacing all the "reading recovery" type activities that are going on.

[exoticfruits]

I don't think that there is anything wrong with the test- you just have to stop thinking of it as pass or fail. It is diagnostic and another aid in the teaching of reading.

[HauntedLittleLunatic]

Thing is the government want kids to learn systematic phonics (or whatever the actual.title.is), to complement their reading.

I believe that one of the rationales is also to improve spelling in later years.

Reading text, whilst tightly linked to systematic synthetic phonics, is not what is being tested.

I think some parents worry that their child isn't being taught to read (in a classical pick up a book and know all the whole words sense) because the phonics approach can appear to be slower to acheive that aim if used exclusively (which I don't think many schools do).

If you child.can read - great. If you child can't 'do phonics' that is a different aspect of literacy and should be highlighted.for the benefit of the child through poor results (as opposed to failure).

[madmum04]

I tested my 6yr old yr 1 daughter on the words given as a guide and she got 11 out of 40 so i know she will fail, im not worried about the test and i know my child will be fine taking the test although im still not sure what they will do to help the children who fail

[Rubirosa]

Hopefully they will do some more work on phonics with her if she is unable to decode new words.

[IndigoBell]

They should give her more phonics instruction and then retest her next year.

So, should be good for her.

[BoffinMum]

There are distinct problems with the non-words approach to reading for brighter pupils, but in terms of pass/fail, nobody gives a stuff about how bright, literate 6 year olds are doing overall because the test is designed to improve reading standards amongst the struggling children. I would not worry about it and just let nature take its course. The test is likely to be withdrawn after the next election anyway, in my opinion.

[debbiehep]

Hi everyone,

I just thought I'd pop in to give some alternative points of view!

The debate about methods of reading instruction is SO very important - it is also HISTORIC - and still fiercely 'current'.

In English-speaking countries, illiteracy and weak literacy is a HUGE issue and it cannot be taken lightly.

People have also learnt to read in many different ways - including the range of people contributing to this thread - but mostly literate adults have managed to 'deduce' the English alphabetic code in some way without even being aware of the process. When proficient adults encounter new and more challenging words, however, invariably they use some subconscious and automatic phonics route to decode the word - or they 'skip it' whilst still noting that the word is 'there'. Such proficient readers invariably could decode such a word if they needed to read it aloud for some reason.

In other words, for most of us, phonics plays a role in our level of literacy for reading and spelling often without us realising it - whatever the route we took to becoming literate readers and spellers.

You have already heard from some contributors on this thread, however, that phonics is important for both reading and spelling - and it is not for teachers to 'decide' which of their pupils may or may not 'need' phonics in years to come. Who would want that responsibility.

Apart from any other consideration, why would we not teach the alphabetic code of our language? It's crazy not to do so even though it is complicated because of the fascinating history of the development of speaking and writing in England.

[debbiehep]

The main point that is relevant to this thread, however, is that the GOVERNMENT itself needs to be accountable for the methods and materials it is promoting and funding.

To do this, the government needs to know the consequence of this promotion.

Also, TEACHERS need to know the results of the methods and materials they are using for something so fundamentally important as literacy basic skills. They should be professionally and personally concerned to see how their pupils are faring with their teaching provision.

PARENTS should be very concerned to see how their children are faring - not only from the perspective of their own children per se, but BECAUSE of the incredible, almost unbelievable, history of the teaching of reading and spelling.

There are many parents who have done all the commendable reading books and chatting with their children but whose children have still not been able to pick up reading - and/or spelling.

[debbiehep]

This is really not just about how each child is doing for diagnostic purposes in my opinion - it's about something much, much bigger.

There is no such thing as children 'failing' this test. This is an emotive adult, anti-phonics slant to the test. No child or parent should ever consider that they have passed or failed this test.

But everyone needs alerting as to the results of any changes of practice or use of resources and programmes.

It is essential that we gain a national picture - and also understand 'what' the teachers have REALLY taught in the classrooms. For example, all teachers will claim to have taught systematic synthetic phonics - but I can assure you that what this really 'looks like' from school to school is a very different picture.

I know of schools that have spent a lot of money on full SSP programmes, have had the professional SP training - and yet still they don't really 'understand' and apply the SP approach. Or, the teachers think they are, but mix the SP teaching with so many other methods which invariably dilute the rigour and practice of SP as to be almost unrecognisable as SP.

I am also extremely concerned to learn of so many parents who are not being fully informed by their children's teachers regarding the reading and spelling instruction in the school. I am a SP programme author and go to great lengths to design resources to be used in such a manner that parents are fully informed as a constant - starting with a full parents' information evening. We are all in this together as it is so important that we should not leave to chance whether children can 'pick up' the alphabetic code and a reading and spelling ability without full and explicit teaching and support from their caring adults - teachers and parents alike wherever possible.

[debbiehep]

By the way, the issue of 'non-words' is being dramatically overplayed.

All words are the equivalent to non-words when children first encounter them. The amazing beauty of synthetic phonics teaching is that it equips young learners to have a really good attempt to read words whether or not they are in supportive and meaningful picture books.

If we were to discuss the true power of synthetic phonics in terms of the realities, it would give an entirely different understanding of the importance of this method. Not so long ago, Reception classes were almost entirely focused on a notion of the '45 Reception sight words'. Such lists might dominate early teaching and might be sent home in one form or another for children to learn by a flashcard route.

When children are taught be synthetic phonics, however, after only being taught a small handful of letter/s-sound correspondences to automaticity - and the skills of sounding out and blending, they can soon read dozens of words, and then hundreds of words whether or not they are in supportive picture books. They are hugely empowered.

[debbiehep]

Look now at an effective teacher in a Reception class and we are no longer thinking about the knowing the alphabet letters and perhaps 'th' 'ch' and 'sh' - but they now have the amazing skills of decoding and encoding (spelling) hundreds of words which they have not previously encountered through book-by-book reading material! Many people -even in the teaching profession - have not fully registered the statistics of this.

Reception children are 'readers' and 'spellers' of the skills we invariably use as proficient adult readers and spellers - and they are well on their way to knowing much of our complex alphabetic code.

These are EXTREMELY exciting and important times and this point in time is truly an historic moment.

[Tannhauser]

oh DEBBIE- thank goodness you came here to EDUCATE all us mums today. You don't happen to work for the GOVERNMENT do you at all?

[Houseworkprocrastinator]

Will this test be done in wales as well?

[OctopusSting]

That's very harsh Tann . I learned to sight read in the 70's with no specific phonic/grammar teaching that I remember. I am amazed at how DD1 decodes stuff with some of the phonics 'rules' she has learned. I am pretty sure it will stand her in good stead for future reading.

Perhaps try being a little bit more open?

[Tannhauser]

It was meant to be tongue-in-cheek actually, perhaps I should have used an emoticon at the end?

Open to what exactly?

[IndigoBell]

Tann - as Debbie said she's author of phonics international, a very respected phonics program.

I presume the reason she used upper case rather than bold was purely because she doesn't use this site that often and so didn't realise how to use bold.

You have the privilege of debating phonics with a world expert on the subject. why don't you use it, rather than being childish?

[maverick]

'You have the privilege of debating phonics with a world expert on the subject. why don't you use it, rather than being childish?'

Well said, Indigo.

[Feenie]

If good readers are trying to make non-words into real words all the time, then that needs picking up also - what do they do in their reading when they come to an unknown word, will they try to make that into a known word also? That needs picking up and addressing.

And yes, well said, Indigo.

[Tannhauser]

Indigo- Debbie didn't actually say that. Being pedantic, she said she's an SP programme author, but didn't name which one. I, however, was to busy being patronised, and a professionally offended goblin to notice that sentence, buried as it was, deep in her 3rd post.

[shuffara]

dd (year 1) can read very well for her age but knows that there are lots of words that she doesn't know yet, so she would manfully have a go at any 'fake' word, not knowing that it was fake. She's a good 'sounder-outer' though.

[maverick]

I prefer to be non-partisan and judge a policy on its merits rather than whether it eminates from the Conservative/Alliance or Labour party. The present DfE have put out some policies that really are pants -such as allowing some Free schools to be Steiner run but the Y1 phonics check is an excellent idea.

BTW, there's a good article on the Phonics check, 'Pop Quiz', in the latest issue of TeachPrimary.