Year 1 Phonic Check

[BaconAndAvocado]

To,all you KS1 experts out there, how and when is this test carried out and what bearing does it have on a child's education?

Ds2 is a good reader thoughI worry about him being asked to read "nonsense words". If he thinks they're not real he won't attempt to read them!

[learnandsay]

I'm sure that's true. But I'm also sure that putting children on the spot by making them perform a strange and half alien task (alien prompts or not) will, if the children are not first prepared, cause some children to make unnecessary mistakes (regardless of which specific mistakes they may be.)

I'm sure other unprepared children will do fine. But I suspect that has as much to do with the temperament of the child as her ability to read.

[3boysmum13]

My ds did this test and what a load of nonsense it was he was sent out with a slip of paper saying well done you got them all right and we heard no more about it.

[mrz]

but it isn't a strange or half alien task it is simply reading 40 words to their teacher. The fact that half those words are pseudo words is neither here nor there as people have pointed out they are no different to reading unfamiliar real words.

[ClayDavis]

She did point out that the flaw in the test is that kids who are quite able readers (have sort of moved past thinking about phonics first if you see what I mean) will reorder the made-up words into something which makes sense to them. The example she gave was a kid reading 'oot' as 'too'.

Aaaargh! This is exactly why some some schools are having to coach to the test whereas others just rely on their phonics teaching.

[learnandsay]

Then other people are wrong because we don't normally read lists of isolated words. We normally read passages. And most of the words in passages are meaningful.

[sittinginthesun]

I had forgotten all about this one. I just asked DS2 (Year 1), and he said they sometimes read alien words in phonics, but haven't lately. I asked if he ever got confused with real words - he said "NO!!! The alien words have an alien by them, of course".

He seems quite relaxed it all. They just think it's a bit of fun.

[mrz]

I actually think the pictures of aliens are more confusing than the words.

[mrz]

Interesting learnandsay ...so you didn't write poo and wee etc and use flashcards?

[Hulababy]

The "alien" words have a decent sized, colour picture of an alien next to the words. And there is sample wording to read out to the children which tells them they are reading non-words each time they are given.

[learnandsay]

I did indeed. But I'm pretty sure that child didn't know she was reading. It was just a game.

[mrz]

and so is the phonics screening check ... a one lasting FOUR whole minutes

[daftdame]

mrz - There are some interesting studies done regarding eyesight and visual perception referred to in New Scientist ( I can't think of the exact issues but I could probably dig them out). Basically how our brain makes sense and fills in the gaps concerning the information supplied by the optic nerve....it's how misdirection works.

With reference to reordered words it is not such a stretch of the imagination to imagine a child substituting a word they would expect to see for a word that it already there. Especially as reading skills are embedded and reading becomes more instinctive.

Thus the test should be seen as merely a tool in the teachers repertoire rather than infallible.

[daftdame]

My inability to proof read proves just the point I was making!

[simpson]

Mrz - I agree re the pictures.

I help in a reception class that use the phonics tests (and ones they have made up themselves in the same format to assess the kids - amongst other things) and a couple of the kids look at the picture and just say "alien" every time....

Although don't get me started on my thoughts on this way of assessing

[mrz]

So the child who reads strom and storm in the check isn't the same child who reads spilt as split or stroke and stork(e) etc

[learnandsay]

Do children read

Then the stroke flew down from its nest.

[daftdame]

mrz - Who can say? You would have to know what was going on in the child's brain to know for sure.

It's safe to say it is better to use the test as just a tool rather than a definitive indicator of a child's ability. In practice I'm sure this is what is happening. Why insist the test is virtually infallible?

[mrz]

Well not that exact sentence learnandsay but yes some do make random guesses without realising it doesn't make sense especially if neither word is in their normal vocabulary.

[mrz]

Because it is a well established method of testing used by Educational Psychologists and Developmental Neuropsychologists daftdame

[Pozzled]

Quick question- are the phonics check results for individual schools published somewhere? I'm very curious about how DD1's school did, as I think they're pretty dire at phonics.

[mrz]

and the fact that lots of teachers are shocked by their not as good as they thought readers being able to decode unknown words demonstrates it is very much needed.

[mrz]

no Pozzled the results aren't published

[daftdame]

Oh mrz ! Read up on your history of 'scientific' practices! ALWAYS remain open minded!

Assumptions are allowable but only if you admit them.

[mrz]

You need to follow your own advice daftdame

[mrz]

the check does exactly what it is intended to do ... it tests the ability to accurately decode.