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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Reading Tests

92 replies

MrsGWay · 04/04/2013 14:45

I am trying to decipher what we were told at my daughter's parents evening. Her reading ability had been tested and she is beyond the reading scheme, despite bringing home turquoise level books. She needs to work on her expression (very true) but finds the books terribly boring. In fact she is a reluctant reader.
Apparently in the test she only got 10 words wrong which gave her a score of 30. Does anybody know which test this might be?

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mrz · 05/04/2013 19:55

I administered the test Periwinkle and the instructions were very clear

The following text provides an example of how you could introduce the check.
? In this activity, I am going to ask you to read some words aloud.
? You may have seen some of the words before and others will be new to you.
? You should try to read each word but don?t worry if you can?t. If it helps you, you may sound out the letters before trying to say the word.

? This practice sheet shows you what the words will look like.
? Have a go at reading out loud these four words which you should have come across before [at, in, beg and sum].

? The words on this side [turn over practice sheet] are not real words. They are names for types of imaginary creatures. You can see a picture of the creature next to each word.

? Can you read out the words on this page for me [ot, vap, osk and ect]?

? Ok, now we are going to start reading out the words in this booklet and I?m going to write down what you say on my sheet.

? In this booklet there are four words on each page. I will tell you at the start of each page whether they are real words that you may have seen before or words for imaginary creatures.

? The first page has words for imaginary creatures and you can see their pictures.

? Can you start reading the words to me?

mrz · 05/04/2013 19:58

She doesn't have to be quick and she can make as many attempts as she wants.

mrz · 05/04/2013 19:59

and for the pseudo words phonically plausible attempts are acceptable

sunnyday123 · 05/04/2013 20:00

I agree with periwinkle. My dd is in year 2 and in the top reading set in her class and didnt pass the phonic test in y1 dispute reading much harder books than her friends with much more confidence. She also being submitted for the higher sats papers for reading etc so I'm pleased with her progress.

Her teacher at the time said it was a waste of time and none of the results showed any relation to the way they work in class. So much so they have decided to completely change the way they do it this year. (Last year the teacher said they we not allowed to give instructions etc so not sure if it had more to do with how they handled the test?)

sunnyday123 · 05/04/2013 20:03

Looking at those instructions, they sound pretty clear so I'm wandering if our school didnt even explain them....? My dd can read words out like that fine so I think may be our school recognised they did something wrong if they now say they'll do something different next time.

mrz · 05/04/2013 20:04

Oh dear!

Periwinkle007 · 05/04/2013 20:08

yes with those instructions there shouldn't be any problem (assuming a child can follow instructions of course...)

without the instructions or with them not being properly explained to each child at the time then I can imagine all sorts of problems.

mind you will always get a child (often a bright one) who will decide that it is a pointless exercise and not play along. I have always tried to tell my daughter that she just has to humour the teacher (when she refuses to read a book they have sent home or something because she says it is rubbish, it doesn't have punctuation - well she was right - it didn't, when it was grammatically incorrect -yep right again) and do what they ask her even if she doesn't agree with it.

mrz · 05/04/2013 20:11

The instructions are repeated every 4 words Periwinkle

Periwinkle007 · 05/04/2013 20:23

ah well in that case you are just hoping for non stroppiness then

how have so many failed it in the past then? it doesn't make sense

mrz · 05/04/2013 20:27

If the child isn't cooperating you can give them a break or try again another day

Periwinkle007 · 05/04/2013 20:34

it really doesn't make sense then that so many schools haven't done well. I have no idea how my daughters school have done and I am not very bothered, so long as she cooperates next year when they want her to do it as I don't want her to be stroppy and difficult (I apparently went through a patch of pointing out to my teacher she was wrong when I was 6, sadly for her I was correct and she did admit that to my parents but she didn't appreciate me telling her obviously and I really don't want my daughter to be difficult)

mrz · 05/04/2013 20:37

no it doesn't make sense ... but then lots of schools thought the children were good readers when really they were just good guessers

Periwinkle007 · 05/04/2013 20:41

did anyone correlate the results of the decoding with say just a reading test type activity. one with just a list of real words, not sentences. I mean yes you could still get some guessing with it but it would be interesting to know.

DeWe · 05/04/2013 20:50

You repeat all those instructions every 4 words?

It must take longer repeating those instructions than doing the test.

I think by the third time you said all that ds's reply to the question at the end ("Can you start reading the words to me?") would be "no" because he'd be bored and want to finish it, and would see that as being the quickest way.

mrz · 05/04/2013 20:54

No you repeat the words on this page are real words you may have seen before or alternatively the words on this page are the names of imaginary creatures

mrz · 05/04/2013 20:54

the whole test takes about 5 mins

mrz · 05/04/2013 20:56

there are four words per A4 page

simpson · 05/04/2013 21:23

DD did the practice test at the end of nursery (although over 4 days - 10 words per day as she was only 3) and got 30/40.

She did last years test in one go at the very beginning of reception ( to assess her phonics knowledge as its hard to work out as she does not sound words out aloud any more) and got them all right.

She was told that some Alice's wanted to communicate with her but some of the words would not make sense iyswim.

However, she seems to follow instructions well and school ( saves the bad behaviour for a home!!)

simpson · 05/04/2013 21:24

Ahhh aliens iPad predicting words!!!

Runoutofideas · 05/04/2013 21:35

My yr1 dd came home at the end of term talking about "pseudo words". Now I know what she was on about! The teacher has clearly been explaining it to the class, and showing them examples in advance. Is that not just "teaching to the test"?

simpson · 05/04/2013 21:41

In the reception class I help in (not in my DC school) they use RWI and are already learning "real" words and "silly" words.

Periwinkle007 · 05/04/2013 21:52

its like everything else isn't it, they will inevitably teach to the test from the point of view of wanting the children to be well prepared. If children are going to do an 11+ and have never done verbal reasoning before then they would teach to the test with something like that, GCSE coursework requires a certain style which students must learn to work to in order to do well so I guess it is all teaching to a test in a way.

mrz · 05/04/2013 22:11

Is it teaching to the test to teach a child the skills they need to be efficient readers?

Periwinkle007 · 05/04/2013 22:17

no because that is the whole point but if schools are making the children practice them and focusing on silly words then it becomes debatable whether that is teaching them the skills or not. Ok yes the skills include being able to read silly words but still I can see it is a fine line.

simpson · 05/04/2013 22:22

I have to say I am not sure I agree.

The first time a child reads a word it is a silly word to them. DD read the word "scornfully" today but did not know what it meant. So to her it's a "silly" word iyswim.

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