Achievement

Informal Data

STUDENT's informal academic achievement data was reviewed. He is currently passing all courses as indicated below:

Description PR1 PR2 Q1 PR3 PR4 Q2 PR5 S1

ELAR 82 81 80 86 83 82 71 81

Math 93 86 87 86 88 88 91 88

Soc. Studies 88 91 92 88 86 81 75 87

Science 93 90 90 82 84 84 80 86

Math teacher reports that STUDENT is below average when it comes to reading materials aloud. He was rated above average with performing math computations at expected proficiency. Retains instruction from week to week, exhibits organization in accomplishing tasks and completes tasks on time were all rated as average. His math teacher stated that STUDENT does not struggle in math or science other than handwriting and needing assistance with reading. Math is definitely a strength for him. With word problems, he does great with reading assistance. She also reported that his written tasks are completed in allotted time.

Reading teacher reports that Wyatt is able to acquire basic reading skills; he is 'a little behind' but making progress. She rated him average in the following areas: comprehends material read, retains information from week to week, exhibits organization in accomplishing tasks and completes tasks on time. His writing was rated poor and spelling was rated as below average. His reading teacher also noted that the interventions guided reading ability group and individual tutoring are helping. At times, he's even leading his guided reading group.

Parent reports that she is concerned with STUDENT's reading and writing. When asked 'what do you think is causing the problem', she reported having the same reading teacher for first and second grade did not help.

Formal, Norm-Referenced Achievement Test Data

Norm-referenced tests compare the student’s performance with that of peers and reports how the student performed when compared with the “average” student in the pre-established test group.

NWEA Measures of Academic Progress MAP is an online assessment that is aligned to the state standards. These computerized tests are adaptive and offered in Reading, Language Usage, Science, and Mathematics. When taking a MAP test, the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers all of the previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions become more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions become easier. In an optimal test, a student answers approximately half the items correctly and half incorrectly. The final score is an estimate of the student’s achievement level.

On the middle of the year MAP assessment, most students in third grade are expected to obtain a RIT score of 196 on the Reading assessment, STUDENT scored a RIT of 189 which was a 10 point growth from his fall score. He is in the 67th percentile for growth and the 35th percentile for achievement. On the Math assessment, most students should obtain a RIT of 198 and STUDENT scored a 206 which is indicative of a middle of 4th grade score. He is in the 67th percentile for growth and 35th percentile for achievement.

Overall, his MAP data indicates he is performing relatively similar to his same aged peers and is expected to Approach Reading STAAR and Meet Math STAAR. According to MAP, STUDENT has a strength is Foundational Language Skills and should take advantage of this strength when learning new material.

Woodcock Johnson Achievement – IV

The WJ IV is a broad-scope assessment system that is based on state-of-the-science tests for individual evaluation of academic achievement, cognitive abilities, and oral language. It includes 20 tests for measuring four broad academic domains: reading, written language, mathematics, and academic knowledge. Determination of academic strengths and weaknesses and comparison of achievement scores to academic knowledge provides comprehensive academic evaluation.

(Insert achievement chart- see below)

Mathematics

STUDENT’s math abilities are scattered. His performance on math calculation which involves computational skills and automaticity with basic math facts is average-Calculation=101. He was successful at basic addition, basic number concepts, and writing numbers in a sequence. He is just beginning to understand the concept of regrouping. STUDENT’s performance on Math Fluency=77, is in the low range. He is required to rapidly recall or calculate single digit addition, subtraction and multiplication facts. He had noticeable problems with speed which impacted his accuracy. The errors he made were due to not attending to the operation (adding instead of subtracting and vice-versa). Due to the significant scatter between these two measures, the overall cluster should be interpreted within the context of additional information from classroom assignments and assessments. Ms. Smith shared that Joe does better on computations when she allows him extra time. His most recent math fluency drills, when extra time was allowed, STUDENT scored 36/100; 46/100; and 57/100. With the extra time, his scores are similar to his peers. For math reasoning (mathematical knowledge and reasoning) is evaluated by two different measures. The first requires him to analyze and solve mathematical problems, Applied Problems=91-average. He was able to add coins, recognize shapes, and solve a problem read to him involving simple addition. When he was required to apply mathematical concepts and analyze numerical operations he struggled, Quantitative Concepts=82, low average. These findings suggest that Joe can perform appropriate grade level math with accommodations that support his reading deficit.

Reading

Basic reading skills require him to identify letters and words and he was not required to know the meaning of them (word identification=82) as well as the requirement of him to apply phonics and structural analysis skills in reading nonsense words (word attack=89). STUDENT can decode words, however, not quickly or with automaticity. He was also required to read simple sentences and determine if the statement is true or not for reading fluency (=78). As with other fluency measures, STUDENT is slow in responding. Reading comprehension is reading vocabulary and the ability to comprehend. While reading a short passage (sentence), STUDENT was required to identify a missing key word that makes sense in the context of the sentence (passage comprehension=84). He was also required to read words and provide synonyms, antonyms, and read three words of an analogy and provide a fourth word to complete it (reading vocabulary=84). His reading speed was slow and laborious. Many of his incorrect responses were due to inaccurately reading the stimulus word. Ms. Smith shares that STUDENT does select books of interest while at the library, can successfully read some basic sight words, 58/100 on the most recent assessment while peers are reading between 78/100 and 84/100. These findings suggest that Joe has a deficit in the academic processes of reading vocabulary and the ability to comprehend while reading.

Writing

STUDENT struggled with writing, the production of written text, including spelling ability, writing fluency, and the quality of written expression. His spelling by writing orally presented words is low average (spelling=83). He attempted to spell words phonetically which slowed his attempts to spell the words. STUDENT’s ability to write sentences when given stimulus pictures and a set of three words within a time limit is also low (writing fluency-78). His sentences were correct and appropriate however, written slowly. His ability to produce written sentences that are not evaluated for spelling or punctuation is a struggle (writing samples=83). Although spelling errors did not count, STUDENT did make errors such as; egea for egg, huting for hunting, bild for build. These findings suggest that Joe has a deficit in the academic processes of production of written text, spelling ability, and quality of written expression. Due to his difficulties with basic reading and writing skills, an additional measure that requires him to write nonwords was given. (spelling of sounds=89). This along with word attack=89, gives a score for Phoneme-Grapheme Knowledge 88. These scores help to understand that his reading and writing difficulties are not due to phonic or orthographic elements. Ms. Smith also shares that STUDENT struggles with printing letters the proper size and spacing. He also has not mastered any grade-level writing assignments.

The student is below grade level in reading. STUDENT’s letter sound skills were progress monitored in Kinder. He did make some improvement yet he continued to fall below the 10th percentile compared to others in his grade. Interventions continued in 1st grade for reading fluency and monitored over the course of multiple interventions. Data shared by his teacher indicates that his progress rate was extremely low and his skills continue to fall below the 10th percentile, compared to other 1st graders.

Determination of Dyslexia

Texas Education Code (TEC) §38.003 defines dyslexia and related disorders in the following way: “Dyslexia” means a disorder of constitutional origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and sociocultural opportunity. “Related disorders” include disorders similar to or related to dyslexia, such as developmental auditory imperception, dysphasia, specific developmental dyslexia, developmental dysgraphia, and developmental spelling disability. According to page 30 of the Dyslexia Handbook (2018), the following areas must be assessed when evaluating for Dyslexia:

Academic Skills

• Letter knowledge (name and associated sound)

• Reading words in isolation

• Decoding unfamiliar words accurately

• Reading fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody are assessed)

• Reading comprehension

• Spelling

Cognitive Processes

• Phonological/phonemic awareness

• Rapid naming of symbols or object

The worksheet below addresses STUDENT's scores as they pertain to the Academic and Cognitive Areas above:

(Insert chart - see below)

Based on the analysis of the test results, STUDENT scored in the average range in all domains assessed. Therefore, he does not meet the criteria for the condition of Dyslexia.

Determination of Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a written language disorder in serial production of strokes to form a handwritten letter. This involves not only motor skills but also language skills—finding, retrieving and producing letters, which is a subword-level language skill. The impaired handwriting may interfere with spelling and/or composing, but individuals with only dysgraphia do not have difficulty with reading (Berninger, Richards, & Abbott, 2015). A review of recent evidence indicates that dysgraphia is best defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder manifested by illegible and/or inefficient handwriting due to difficulty with letter formation. This difficulty is the result of deficits in graphomotor function (hand movements used for writing) and/or storing and retrieving orthographic codes (letter forms) (Berninger, 2015). Secondary consequences may include problems with spelling and written expression. The difficulty is not solely due to lack of instruction and is not associated with other developmental or neurological conditions that involve motor impairment.

STUDENT's classroom teachers described his writing behavior as follows:

Never or Rarely Poor pencil grip, difficulty with visual-motor integrated sports or activities, inadequate pressure during handwriting

Sometimes Inability to recall accurate orthographic patterns for words

Often b/d reversals beyond developmentally appropriate at times (during the informal evaluation with the examiner, Wyatt wrote b for d and quickly joked "I almost wrote boctor" and corrected the mistake), inability to copy words accurately (while with the examiner, he was able to perform this task adequately), inability of student to read what was previously written, slow or labored written work (however when given a teacher information form, both reading and math teacher noted that Wyatt performs written tasks in allotted time)

Very Often Poor formation of letters, improper letter slant, excessive erasures, poor spacing between words/letters, overuse of short familiar words such as 'big', student misspells words they are able to read, student's stamina and legibility deteriorate over time (few of these items were observed during formal/informal assessment with the examiner)

STUDENT's mother described his writing behavior as follows:

Rarely letter and number reversals beyond early states of writing, awkward, inconsistent pencil grip, mixing lower and uppercase letters within same word, unfinished or omitted words

Often Variably shaped and poorly formed letters, excessive erasures and cross-outs, poor spacing between letters and words, heavy pressure and hand fatigue, slow writing and copying

Don't Know Mixing printed and cursive letters within the same word

Based on informal information, while some handwriting struggles are evident, STUDENT does not meet the criteria for Dysgraphia. STUDENT's formal spelling, writing and working memory scores are within the average range and teacher and parent information states that STUDENT does display adequate skills in: recalling orthographic patterns, pencil grip, completing written work in allotted time and does not reverse letters/numbers or mix upper and lowercase letters within the same words.