The importance of Literacy Intervention Placement
by Hannah MacLellan
Maria, in the Sound of Music, has a good point when she sings that the beginning is a “very good place to start”. It usually is. But what works for Do-Re-Mi, might not work for A, B, C.
What do we mean by Placement and why should a good literacy intervention program include one?
Placement, with regards to a literacy intervention program, is not the same as assessment. Assessment, in the field of education, usually refers to the testing and measuring of various processing capabilities of an individual - IQ, memory, processing speed, as well as standardised testing for attainment in reading and spelling.
Rather than the attainment score, Placement is about getting a detailed understanding of what the individual can and cannot do in reading and spelling.
A good way to understand Placement is to imagine a brick wall. Each brick represents a sound and is connected to words that contain that sound. Placement is the method we can use to find which bricks (sounds) are not secure, and, therefore, which words the student finds tricky to read or spell.
Placement highlights those bricks that are securely cemented in place and those that are wobbly or missing; that need a good dollop of cement.
Some literacy intervention programs start the student from the beginning regardless of their level. Returning to our wall metaphor, this is like starting the student from the first foundation brick and making them go over every single brick even if it is already securely in place.
So, here’s why Placement is beneficial…
Placement makes learning targeted and more time-efficient. What we need from a literacy intervention program is an in-built, quick-and-easy-to-carry-out Placement that filters the sounds and words the student does not know from the ones they do. In this way, the student follows a very tailored program. It means the student does not waste time working on activities that are too easy for them, and equally it ensures the level is not set too high. The student should always be working comfortably. Consequently, this creates a positive learning experience.
Placement ensures accuracy. A good Placement will test reading and spelling separately. Why not start them at the same point? Well, simply put, reading and spelling are two different skills: Reading is decoding, breaking down sounds; spelling is encoding, building sounds up to form words. Reading is more commonly ahead of spelling – we can often read words that we cannot spell. Therefore, it is normal to find a student who is performing to a higher level in reading than spelling. Some students may not even need an intervention for reading and would benefit on focussing on just spelling and writing.
Leading on from this, level placement has a direct impact on confidence. Nothing is more deflating for a student than to be set at too low a level, doing activities they know are too easy for them. The student will quickly become bored and feel like it is a waste of time. Equally, a student who is set at too high a level can rapidly lose confidence and become unresponsive. Knowing that the program is tailored to their own personal level creates an encouraging environment in which to work for students.
Who wouldn’t want an easy way to make sure learning is accurate, tailored, targeted, time-efficient and confidence boosting.
Hannah worked as a Dyslexia & Literacy Specialist at Dyslexia Action for many years and now works with the Units of Sound development team. She has considerable experience working with and providing advice, training and support to schools, colleges, community centers and parents. Units of Sound has a home version, Literacy that fits, which is designed to get parents/guardians supporting their child at home without all the training that is involved with most intervention tools used in schools.
by Hannah MacLellan
Maria, in the Sound of Music, has a good point when she sings that the beginning is a “very good place to start”. It usually is. But what works for Do-Re-Mi, might not work for A, B, C.
What do we mean by Placement and why should a good literacy intervention program include one?
Placement, with regards to a literacy intervention program, is not the same as assessment. Assessment, in the field of education, usually refers to the testing and measuring of various processing capabilities of an individual - IQ, memory, processing speed, as well as standardised testing for attainment in reading and spelling.
Rather than the attainment score, Placement is about getting a detailed understanding of what the individual can and cannot do in reading and spelling.
A good way to understand Placement is to imagine a brick wall. Each brick represents a sound and is connected to words that contain that sound. Placement is the method we can use to find which bricks (sounds) are not secure, and, therefore, which words the student finds tricky to read or spell.
Placement highlights those bricks that are securely cemented in place and those that are wobbly or missing; that need a good dollop of cement.
Some literacy intervention programs start the student from the beginning regardless of their level. Returning to our wall metaphor, this is like starting the student from the first foundation brick and making them go over every single brick even if it is already securely in place.
So, here’s why Placement is beneficial…
Placement makes learning targeted and more time-efficient. What we need from a literacy intervention program is an in-built, quick-and-easy-to-carry-out Placement that filters the sounds and words the student does not know from the ones they do. In this way, the student follows a very tailored program. It means the student does not waste time working on activities that are too easy for them, and equally it ensures the level is not set too high. The student should always be working comfortably. Consequently, this creates a positive learning experience.
Placement ensures accuracy. A good Placement will test reading and spelling separately. Why not start them at the same point? Well, simply put, reading and spelling are two different skills: Reading is decoding, breaking down sounds; spelling is encoding, building sounds up to form words. Reading is more commonly ahead of spelling – we can often read words that we cannot spell. Therefore, it is normal to find a student who is performing to a higher level in reading than spelling. Some students may not even need an intervention for reading and would benefit on focussing on just spelling and writing.
Leading on from this, level placement has a direct impact on confidence. Nothing is more deflating for a student than to be set at too low a level, doing activities they know are too easy for them. The student will quickly become bored and feel like it is a waste of time. Equally, a student who is set at too high a level can rapidly lose confidence and become unresponsive. Knowing that the program is tailored to their own personal level creates an encouraging environment in which to work for students.
Who wouldn’t want an easy way to make sure learning is accurate, tailored, targeted, time-efficient and confidence boosting.
Hannah worked as a Dyslexia & Literacy Specialist at Dyslexia Action for many years and now works with the Units of Sound development team. She has considerable experience working with and providing advice, training and support to schools, colleges, community centers and parents. Units of Sound has a home version, Literacy that fits, which is designed to get parents/guardians supporting their child at home without all the training that is involved with most intervention tools used in schools.
