national reading test question analysis – initial...

National Reading Test question analysis – initial indicator for specific learning difficulties (SpLD)

GuidanceGuidance document no: 131/2014 Date of issue: November 2014

Audience Local authorities, schools.

Overview The National Reading Tests were designed to allow as many learners as possible to have access to them. The tests have been standardised against the population in Wales and will therefore provide a useful baseline to identify learners that are falling behind.

This guidance provides advice on how the National Reading Tests can be used as an initial diagnostic tool to identify learners who may have specific learning difficulties (SpLD) and who may require additional support.

Action Mainstream teachers to use the advice to help analyse the results required of National Reading Test questions to identify learners who may be

at risk.

Further Enquiries about this document should be directed to:information Paul Jones Support for Learners Division Department for Education and Skills Welsh Government Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NQ Tel: 029 2082 3003 e-mail: [email protected]

Additional This document can be accessed from the Learning Wales copies website at learning.wales.gov.uk

Related National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (2013) documents National Support Programme (2013) National Literacy Programme (2012)


Digital ISBN 978 1 4734 1024 4 © Crown copyright 2014 WG21387

http://learning.wales.gov.uk

Introduction 2

Using the National Reading Test questions as an initial indicator for SpLD 3

2013 Reading test – EA1 5

2013 Reading test – EB1 7

2013 Reading test – EC1 9

2013 Reading test – ED1 11

2014 Reading tests 13

Contents

2

Introduction

The philosophy behind the Welsh Government’s National Literacy Programme (Welsh Government, 2012) is that all learners should be taught well the first time, but if learners start to fall behind, each school should have a contingency plan in place to support those who require additional support to catch up. Much of this catch up will be possible within regular learning and teaching and will involve:

• identifying the particular literacy issue that the learner is finding difficult• providing opportunities for the learner to focus on and resolve the issue by means of

practising and reinforcing the skill in different contexts• re-evaluating whether the learner continues to find skill acquisition difficult despite

suitable practise and reinforcement• identifying other ways that a learner might approach skill acquisition, e.g. by having

access to coping strategies.

The National Literacy Programme identifies two significant innovations that are intended to improve standards of literacy in Wales. The National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (Welsh Government, 2013) was developed as a planning tool to help teachers identify the requirements of high-quality teaching and to set year-on-year expectations. The year-on-year expectations will help teachers identify learners who are falling behind in specific aspects of literacy and numeracy, so that catch-up procedures can be focused and quickly implemented.

The National Reading and Numeracy Tests, designed for learners in Years 2 to 9 in all maintained schools in Wales, were implemented on a statutory basis in May 2013. They were designed to support both pedagogy and school improvement, generating data from which teachers can gain an accurate picture of where a learner is in terms of their skills.

The National Reading and Numeracy Tests have been developed to allow as many learners as possible to have access to them and there is, therefore, an expectation that the great majority of learners will do so. The tests have been standardised against the population in Wales and because of this will provide a useful baseline to identify where learners are falling behind and to help the teacher identify how best to support them.

There is much to be said for teachers using the tests as a diagnostic or screening tool. Analysis of learner errors can be very informative to the mainstream teacher as a means of identifying specific issues that can be addressed in the classroom or that need further investigation. This guidance focuses on identifying the question types within the National Reading Tests that could be used as an initial indicator that a learner might have specific learning difficulties (SpLD) and may require further support.


3

Using the National Reading Test questions as an initial indicator for SpLD

Part of the role of the teacher is to observe learner behaviour in an informed and sensitive way in order to identify difficulties that might already be emerging as part of classroom teaching. Teachers are considered to be good judges of learner progress and can pick up when a learner is struggling with a particular aspect of literacy development. However, some of the issues experienced by learners who have SpLD will not directly relate to reading and comprehension per se; instead, they will focus on additional issues which if not recognised might impede the learner’s general progress.

The grids on pages 5–20 focus on the potential issues that learners with SpLD might experience when sitting the tests. These potential issues have been organised around the following broad descriptions.

Phonological awareness

The ability to identify the sounds in words and manipulate them.

Working memory

The ability to temporarily store multiple pieces of information in the mind.

Verbal memory

The ability to retain, in the very short term, words heard, read and thought.

Fine motor movement/hand–eye coordination

The ability to both coordinate information received through the eyes and to perform muscle acts that together produce controlled movements such as writing and drawing.

Sequencing/organisation

The ability to effectively arrange words in order of succession.

Social imagination

The ability to see a situation from an alternative point of view.

Comprehension

The ability to perceive and understand the meaning or importance of something.

Attention and concentration

The ability to selectively focus on one aspect of work while ignoring other things. This issue is not directly addressed in the grids, but is an observable behaviour that should also be considered.


4

These descriptions are not sufficiently focused to support diagnosis of SpLD, but can be used in the context of the reading tests to help identify learners who may be ‘at risk’ of falling behind and who may require additional support. It should be noted that while these issues have been defined separately, they may co-occur and the severity of an issue can only be judged on an individual basis. An uneven profile of skills can also be an indicator of possible SpLD. It is important to be aware that learners with SpLD may, due to the specific nature of their difficulties, have strengths in some of the elements examined by the test.

The grids on pages 5–20 identify the issues that do not relate to reading and comprehension per se, but are additional issues that learners with SpLD might face. The first column of the grid provides a broad description of potential SpLD issues, such as poor phonological awareness or poor working memory. The second column in each grid provides a summary of possible learner errors that might occur in relation to particular question types and the third column identifies the questions that demonstrate a specific issue.

It is expected that teachers will use this analysis of the 2013 and 2014 National Reading Tests to identify the question types that are likely to cause learners with SpLD the most difficulty. If on analysis of the different question types a teacher finds that a learner has experienced specific difficulties then this will be an indication that further investigation, support and monitoring is required.

If intervention strategies are implemented to support the learner who is experiencing a particular issue, it is hoped that the issue will be resolved. However, if the problem persists after significant intervention then referral to a specialist practitioner may be required.


5

2013

Rea

ding

tes

t –

EA1


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

ons

Phon

olog

ical a

war

enes

sTh

e m

ajor

ity o

f que

stio

ns fo

cus

on b

eing

abl

e to

dec

ode

wor

ds. T

he

chal

leng

e of

dec

odin

g co

mes

whe

n qu

estio

ns u

se w

ords

:

• be

ginn

ing

with

the

sam

e le

tter (

‘bur

n’, ‘

blue

’, ‘b

ulb’

)p.

4, q

.1;

• w

ith th

e sa

me

prefi

x (‘e

xact

’, ‘e

xcite

’, ‘e

xit’)

p.5,

q.8

;

• w

ith th

e sa

me

suffi

x (‘s

lurp

ing’

, ‘sli

ppin

g’, ‘

sleep

ing’

)p.

4, q

.4;

• w

ith th

e sa

me

root

(‘sin

g’, ‘

sang

’, ‘s

ong’

, ‘sin

ging

’)p.

5, q

.7;

• th

at a

re p

olys

yllab

ic (‘i

ntel

ligen

ce’,

‘inst

rum

ents

’, ‘in

stru

ctio

ns’)

p.5,

q.1

0;

• th

at s

ound

the

sam

e, b

ut a

re s

pelle

d di

ffere

ntly

(‘bea

dy’,

‘gre

edy’

).p.

13, q

.10

Wor

king

mem

ory

The

maj

ority

of ‘

find

and

copy

’ que

stio

ns re

quire

wor

king

mem

ory

beca

use

of th

e ne

ed to

rem

embe

r and

tran

sfer

the

shap

e of

lette

rs, t

he o

rder

of

lette

rs a

nd th

e or

der o

f wor

ds.

p.7,

q.c

; p.9

, q.2

; p.

10, q

.3; p

.11,

q.6

; p.

12, q

.7

The

maj

ority

of t

rue/

false

que

stio

ns re

quire

lear

ners

to s

can

the

text

and

th

en in

terp

ret a

nd re

mem

ber t

he c

orre

ct a

nsw

er. S

omet

imes

the

ques

tions

ar

e ph

rase

d in

a d

iffer

ent w

ay (i

nste

ad o

f tru

e/fa

lse th

e qu

estio

n m

ight

re

quire

lear

ners

to id

entif

y w

hat i

s ‘ea

sy to

see

’ or ‘

diffi

cult

to s

ee’).

p.7,

q.d

; p.8

, q.1

; p.

19, q

.9

Verb

al m

emor

yTh

e re

adin

g te

st it

self

does

n’t r

equi

re v

erba

l mem

ory,

but w

hen

aske

d to

id

entif

y rh

ymes

the

lear

ners

nee

ds to

be

able

to h

ear t

he s

ound

s ‘ou

t lou

d’

or ‘i

n th

eir h

ead’

.

p.13

, q.1

0

Fine

mot

or m

ovem

ent/

hand

–eye

coo

rdin

atio

nTh

e m

ajor

ity o

f ‘m

atch

ing’

que

stio

ns re

quire

fine

mot

or m

ovem

ent/

hand

–eye

coo

rdin

atio

n.p.

7, q

.f; p

.10,

q.4

; p.

18, q

.7

Sequ

encin

g/or

gani

satio

nTh

e m

ajor

ity o

f ‘se

quen

cing’

que

stio

ns re

quire

wor

king

mem

ory

and

com

preh

ensio

n.p.

7, q

.e; p

.13,

q.1

1;

p.16

, q.4

;

Som

e di

agra

ms/

tabl

es re

quire

seq

uenc

ing/

orga

nisa

tion.

p.18

, q.8

6 National Reading Test question analysis – initial indicator for specific learning difficulties (SpLD)

SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

ons

Socia

l im

agin

atio

n (in

cludi

ng ta

king

thin

gs

liter

ally)

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• un

ders

tand

the

use

of in

fere

nce

(the

text

doe

sn’t

men

tion

‘spa

de’)

(the

phra

se ‘I

t’s th

e SE

A,’ h

e sa

ng, I

t’s th

e SE

A!’ i

ndica

tes

that

the

turtl

e is

happ

y) (‘

hand

was

hing

’ is

impl

ied)

(the

text

ask

s w

hich

of t

he a

nim

als

‘are

eas

y to

see

’/‘di

fficu

lt to

see

’, bu

t all

the

anim

als

are

easy

to s

ee in

th

e pi

ctur

es p

rovi

ded)

p.14

, q.1

; p.1

3, q

.9;

p.17

, q.6

; p.1

9, q

.9;

• un

ders

tand

the

idio

m (‘

full

of li

fe’).

p.15

, q.3

Com

preh

ensio

n/

effe

ctiv

e co

mm

unica

tion

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• di

stin

guish

bet

wee

n di

gits

and

num

bers

writ

ten

in te

xt (s

teps

1–7

, m

illio

ns o

r thr

ee).

p.16

, q.5

Addi

tiona

l iss

ues

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• re

ad w

hite

text

on

blac

k an

d re

ad te

xt a

t an

unco

nven

tiona

l ang

lep.

8, q

.1;

• un

ders

tand

cer

tain

con

vent

ions

suc

h as

why

text

mig

ht b

e w

ritte

n in

bo

ld fo

nt. T

hey

will

also

be

requ

ired

to d

istin

guish

bet

wee

n bo

ld a

nd

regu

lar f

onts

.

p.15

, q.2

7

2013

Rea

ding

tes

t –

EB1


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

ons

Phon

olog

ical a

war

enes

sTh

e te

xt a

nd q

uest

ions

requ

ire le

arne

rs to

dec

ode

effic

ient

ly. Th

e ch

alle

nge

of d

ecod

ing

occu

rs w

hen

ques

tions

use

:

• co

nson

ant b

lend

s (tc

h- ‘t

witc

hes’

, ght

- ‘m

idni

ght’)

(tch

- ‘pi

tch’

) (tc

h-

‘twitc

h’, ‘

itch’

)p.

6, q

.5; p

.6 q

.7;

p.6,

q.8

;

• sim

ilar s

ound

, diff

eren

t spe

lling

(ch-

‘pin

ch’,

‘sna

tche

s’) (

s- ‘f

ascin

atin

g’,

‘impr

essiv

e’, ‘

simpl

y’)

p.9,

q.3

a; p

.10,

q.8

;

• w

ith th

e sa

me

suffi

x (‘s

tayin

g’, ‘

findi

ng’)

p.10

, q.5

;

• us

e of

pol

ysyll

abic

wor

ds (‘

impr

essiv

e’, ‘

inno

vatio

n’).

p.10

, q.5

Wor

king

mem

ory

The

maj

ority

of ‘

find

and

copy

’ que

stio

ns re

quire

wor

king

mem

ory

beca

use

of th

e ne

ed to

rem

embe

r and

tran

sfer

the

shap

e of

lette

rs, o

rder

of l

ette

rs

and

orde

r of w

ords

.

p.2,

q.c

; p.

5, q

.2 a

nd q

.4;

p.6,

q.7

and

q.8

; p.

9, q

.3b

and

q.4;

p.

10, q

.6b

and

q.8;

p.

13, q

.1; p

.14,

q.6

;

The

maj

ority

of t

rue/

false

que

stio

ns re

quire

lear

ners

to s

can

the

text

and

th

en in

terp

ret a

nd re

mem

ber t

he c

orre

ct a

nsw

er.

p.2,

q.d

; p.7

, q.9

; p.

11, q

.10

Fine

mot

or m

ovem

ent/

hand

–eye

coo

rdin

atio

nTh

e m

ajor

ity o

f ‘m

atch

ing’

que

stio

ns re

quire

fine

mot

or m

ovem

ent/

hand

–eye

coo

rdin

atio

n.p.

3, q

.f; p

.6, q

.5;

p.13

, q.3

Sequ

encin

g/or

gani

satio

nTh

e m

ajor

ity o

f ‘se

quen

cing’

que

stio

ns re

quire

wor

king

mem

ory

and

com

preh

ensio

n.p.

3, q

.e; p

.14,

q.8


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

ons

Socia

l im

agin

atio

n (in

cludi

ng ta

king

thin

gs

liter

ally)

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• un

ders

tand

use

of s

imile

s (‘l

ike

a su

nny

day

umbr

ella

’) (‘b

lack

as

pitc

h’)

(‘dar

k as

the

big

blac

k clo

ak o

f Dra

cula

’)p.

5, q

.4; p

.6, q

.7;

• un

ders

tand

use

of i

diom

s (‘a

s ha

ppy

as L

arry

’) (‘o

ver t

he m

oon’

)p.

6, q

.8;

• un

ders

tand

the

use

of im

ager

y (‘t

hey

seem

ed to

hav

e lig

hts

in th

em’)

p.13

, q.4

;

• un

ders

tand

the

use

of in

fere

nce

to d

eter

min

e th

e co

rrect

ans

wer

.p.

10, q

.7; p

.11,

q.9

Com

preh

ensio

n/

effe

ctiv

e co

mm

unica

tion

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• di

ffere

ntia

te m

eani

ngs

of s

imila

r-sou

ndin

g w

ords

(‘di

p’, ‘

loop

’, ‘z

ip’,

‘sw

oop’

)p.

5, q

.2;

• un

ders

tand

that

a c

olle

ctio

n of

wor

ds c

an b

e su

mm

arise

d by

a s

ingl

e ph

rase

(‘sw

ift a

nd e

nerg

etic’

des

crib

es ‘d

ip’,

‘loop

’, ‘z

ip’,

‘sw

oop’

)p.

5, q

3;

• un

ders

tand

com

plica

ted

phra

sing

(‘wor

k ou

t the

sol

utio

ns to

som

e ve

ry

com

plica

ted

prob

lem

s’ is

the

sam

e as

’the

y ca

n so

lve

prob

lem

s’).

p.9,

q.1

Addi

tiona

l iss

ues

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• di

stin

guish

bet

wee

n fo

nts

p.13

, q.2

;

• un

ders

tand

cer

tain

con

vent

ions

suc

h as

:

–th

e fre

quen

t use

of i

mag

ery

and/

or rh

yme

in p

oetry

p.5,

q.4

; p.

6, q

.7 a

nd q

.8;

–no

vel w

ays

to e

nd a

text

p.11

, q.9

;

–w

hy it

alics

mig

ht b

e us

ed in

an

intro

duct

ion.

p.13

, q.2

9

2013

Rea

ding

tes

t –

EC1


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

ons

Phon

olog

ical a

war

enes

sTh

e te

xt a

nd q

uest

ions

requ

ire le

arne

rs to

dec

ode

effic

ient

ly. Th

e ch

alle

nge

of d

ecod

ing

occu

rs w

hen

ques

tions

use

:

• ha

rd- a

nd s

oft-s

ound

ing

lette

rs (g

- ‘fra

gran

t’, ‘s

age’

, ‘gi

nger

’)

(c- ‘

delic

ious

’, ‘c

ubes

’, ‘s

pice

s’)

p.5,

q.3

;

• w

ords

with

com

plex

spe

lling

s (‘r

ecip

e’) (

‘thym

e’) (

‘equ

ipm

ent’,

‘s

auce

pan’

, ‘sie

ve’,

‘kni

fe’)

(‘ecs

tasy

’) (‘e

ther

eal’)

(‘sil

houe

tte’)

p.5,

q.1

; p.5

, q.3

; p.

6, q

.6; p

.10,

q.7

; p.

13, q

.5; p

.14,

q.6

;

• do

ublin

g le

tters

for p

rese

nt/p

ast c

ontin

uous

ver

bs (‘

chop

ping

’, ‘c

uttin

g’)

p.6,

q.9

;

• us

e of

pre

fixes

(‘un

wan

ted’

, ‘un

dese

rved

’, ‘u

nhur

ried’

, ‘un

expe

cted

’)p.

10, q

.8;

• po

lysyll

abic

wor

ds (‘

impo

rtant

’, ‘p

repa

ratio

n’, ‘

ingr

edie

nts’

) (‘o

ccas

iona

lly’,

‘con

tinuo

usly’

).p.

7, q

.10;

p.7

, q.1

1

Wor

king

mem

ory

The

maj

ority

of ‘

find

and

copy

’ que

stio

ns re

quire

wor

king

mem

ory

beca

use

of th

e ne

ed to

rem

embe

r and

tran

sfer

the

shap

e of

lette

rs, o

rder

of l

ette

rs

and

orde

r of w

ords

.

p.2,

q.c

; p.6

, q.6

; p.

10, q

.7; p

.13,

q.1

;

The

maj

ority

of t

rue/

false

que

stio

ns re

quire

lear

ners

to s

can

the

text

and

th

en in

terp

ret a

nd re

mem

ber t

he c

orre

ct a

nsw

er. S

omet

imes

the

ques

tions

ar

e ph

rase

d in

a d

iffer

ent w

ay (‘

True

’/’Fa

lse’)

(‘pos

itive

’/’ne

gativ

e’).

p.2,

q.d

; p.5

, q.1

; p.

9, q

.4

Fine

mot

or m

ovem

ent/

hand

–eye

coo

rdin

atio

nTh

e m

ajor

ity o

f ‘m

atch

ing’

que

stio

ns re

quire

fine

mot

or m

ovem

ent/

hand

–eye

coo

rdin

atio

n.p.

3, q

.f; p

.11,

q.1

0;

p.14

, q.6

Sequ

encin

g/or

gani

satio

nTh

e m

ajor

ity o

f ‘se

quen

cing’

que

stio

ns re

quire

wor

king

mem

ory

and

com

preh

ensio

n.p.

3, q

.e; p

.6, q

.7;

p.11

, q.9

;

Som

e di

agra

ms/

tabl

es re

quire

seq

uenc

ing/

orga

nisa

tion.

p.10

, q.5


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

ons

Socia

l im

agin

atio

n (in

cludi

ng ta

king

thin

gs

liter

ally)

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• un

ders

tand

com

plex

phr

asin

g (‘Y

ou w

on’t

belie

ve it

unt

il yo

u se

e it,

but

on

ce y

ou s

ee it

you

’ll n

ever

forg

et it

’)p.

15, q

.12;

• un

ders

tand

use

of i

diom

s (‘g

ood

for n

othi

ng’,

‘not

hing

wro

ng w

ith y

our

eyes

’)p.

9, q

.4;

• in

terp

ret m

ovem

ent/a

ctio

ns (‘

appr

oach

ed’,

‘wen

t out

’, ‘le

ft fo

od’,

‘bac

k in

side’

, ‘en

tere

d’).

p.11

, q.9

Com

preh

ensio

n/

effe

ctiv

e co

mm

unica

tion

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• un

ders

tand

alte

rnat

ive

mea

ning

s of

wor

ds (‘

mon

oton

y’/’b

ored

’) (‘f

urtiv

e’/’u

neas

y’) (

‘hap

py’/’

elat

ed’)

p.10

, q.5

; p.1

0, q

.6;

p.10

, q.7

;

• un

ders

tand

cha

lleng

ing

voca

bula

ry (‘

furti

ve’)

(‘ecs

tasy

’) (‘e

ther

eal’)

p.10

, q.6

; p.1

0, q

.7;

p.13

, q.5

Addi

tiona

l iss

ues

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• un

ders

tand

cer

tain

con

vent

ions

suc

h as

: –ho

w th

e st

ruct

ure/

focu

s of

text

s he

lps

to d

eter

min

e th

e au

dien

ce a

nd

purp

ose

of th

e te

xtp.

11, q

.11;

p.1

4, q

.7a,

q.

7b a

nd q

.8;

–us

e of

labe

ls.p.

15, q

.10

11

2013

Rea

ding

tes

t –

ED1


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

ons

Phon

olog

ical a

war

enes

sTh

e te

xt a

nd q

uest

ions

requ

ire le

arne

rs to

dec

ode

effic

ient

ly. Th

e ch

alle

nge

of d

ecod

ing

occu

rs w

hen

ques

tions

use

:

• co

mpl

ex w

ord

spel

lings

(‘sc

ent’)

(‘he

ritag

e’) (

‘ben

ign’

, ‘ed

ifice

’) (‘h

ygie

nic’

) (‘d

roug

ht’)

(‘pio

usly’

)p.

5, q

.4; p

.6, q

.6;

p.9,

q.2

; p.9

, q.4

; p.

10, q

.6; p

.14,

q.6

;

• su

ffixe

s (‘c

arel

ess’

, ‘ca

refre

e’)

p.5,

q.3

;

• po

lysyll

abic

wor

ds (‘

over

whe

lmed

’).p.

6, q

.7

Wor

king

mem

ory

The

maj

ority

of ‘

find

and

copy

’ que

stio

ns re

quire

wor

king

mem

ory

beca

use

of th

e ne

ed to

rem

embe

r and

tran

sfer

the

shap

e of

lette

rs, o

rder

of l

ette

rs

and

orde

r of w

ords

.

p.2,

q.c

; p.5

, q.2

;

The

maj

ority

of t

rue/

false

que

stio

ns re

quire

lear

ners

to s

can

the

text

an

d th

en in

terp

ret a

nd re

mem

ber t

he c

orre

ct a

nsw

er. S

omet

imes

the

ques

tions

are

phr

ased

in a

diff

eren

t way

(‘Tr

ue’/’

False

’) (‘f

act’/

’opi

nion

’) (‘a

gree

’/’di

sagr

ee’).

p.3,

q.d

; p.7

, q.9

; p.

10, q

.8;

p.11

, q.9

; p.1

5, q

.10;

p.

15, q

.12

Sequ

encin

g/or

gani

satio

nTh

e m

ajor

ity o

f ‘se

quen

cing’

que

stio

ns re

quire

wor

king

mem

ory

and

com

preh

ensio

n.p.

3, q

.e;

p.7,

q.1

1;

Som

e di

agra

ms/

tabl

es re

quire

seq

uenc

ing/

orga

nisa

tion.

p.11

, q.1

0


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

ons

Socia

l im

agin

atio

n (in

cludi

ng ta

king

thin

gs

liter

ally)

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• un

ders

tand

idio

ms

(‘pay

sm

all f

ortu

nes’

)p.

10, q

.6;

• un

ders

tand

var

iatio

ns o

f com

mon

idio

ms

(‘tha

t is

not t

he w

ay it

is’)

(‘we

do fo

r ani

mal

s w

hat w

e ha

ve d

one

for o

urse

lves

…’)

p.14

, q.7

; p.

15, q

.11;

• un

ders

tand

that

the

text

is im

plyin

g a

diffe

rent

mea

ning

(‘an

imal

s in

the

wild

are

“ha

ppy”

bec

ause

they

are

“fre

e”’ h

as th

e op

posit

e in

tent

ion)

p.13

, q.5

;

• (‘w

e ca

ll it

wat

er’ i

s m

eant

to s

urpr

ise th

e re

ader

) (‘w

ater

see

m d

ull a

nd

unin

tere

stin

g’ h

as th

e op

posit

e m

eani

ng).

p.10

, q.5

; p.

10, q

.7

Com

preh

ensio

n/

effe

ctiv

e co

mm

unica

tion

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• un

ders

tand

alte

rnat

ive

mea

ning

s of

wor

ds (‘

dead

ly’, ‘

leth

al’,

‘mur

dero

us’)

(‘bra

nche

s’, ‘

limbs

’)p.

9, q

.2; p

.13,

q.3

;

• un

ders

tand

cha

lleng

ing/

tech

nica

l voc

abul

ary

(‘sta

te’/‘

form

s’) (

‘pol

lute

d’,

‘hyg

ieni

c’, ‘

deca

ying’

, ‘de

stru

ctiv

e’) (

‘pio

usly’

) (‘c

ompr

esse

d te

rrito

ry’).

p.9,

q.3

; p.9

, q.4

; p.

14, q

.6; p

.14,

q.9

Addi

tiona

l iss

ues

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• un

ders

tand

cer

tain

con

vent

ions

suc

h as

how

the

stru

ctur

e/fo

cus

of te

xts

help

s to

det

erm

ine

the

purp

ose

of th

e te

xt.

p.13

, q.1

13National Reading Test question analysis – initial indicator for specific learning difficulties (SpLD)

2014

Rea

ding

tes

ts

SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

on t

ypes

Phon

olog

ical

aw

aren

ess

Th

e ab

ility

to id

entif

y th

e so

unds

in w

ords

and

m

anip

ulat

e th

em.

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

dec

ode:

• w

ords

that

beg

in w

ith th

e sa

me

lette

r •

polys

yllab

ic w

ords

with

com

plex

spe

lling

s, e.

g.

hard

‘g’ i

n ‘m

anag

er’ a

nd ‘c

h’ w

hich

sou

nds

like

a ‘k

’ in

‘mec

hani

cal’.

The

doct

or g

ave

me

____

____

___

to m

ake

me

feel

bet

ter.

man

ager

____

____

med

icine

____

____

m

emor

ial_

____

___

mec

hani

cal_

____

___

mea

sura

ble_

____

___

(EA2

, p.4

, q.6

)

• w

ords

with

dou

ble

lette

rs, e

.g. ‘

toba

cco’

, ‘c

essp

its’,

‘alle

rgie

s’•

soft-

soun

ding

lette

rs, e

.g. ‘

cess

pits

’, ‘a

llerg

ies’

• vo

wel

ble

nds,

e.g.

‘med

ieva

l’, ‘e

xhau

st’

• w

ords

end

ing

in ‘e

’, e.

g. ‘f

umes

’•

plur

al e

ndin

gs, e

.g. ‘

alle

rgie

s’.

Com

plet

e th

e ta

ble

belo

w to

sho

w w

heth

er th

e fo

llow

ing

heal

th is

sues

men

tione

d in

the

text

re

late

to m

edie

val t

imes

or m

oder

n tim

es.

Med

ieva

lM

oder

n

toba

cco

smok

e

over

flow

ing

cess

pits

dust

alle

rgie

s

open

fire

s

exha

ust f

umes

(ED2

, p.5

, q.3

)


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

on t

ypes

Wor

king

mem

ory

The

abili

ty to

tem

pora

rily

stor

e m

ultip

le p

iece

s of

in

form

atio

n in

the

min

d.

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• re

mem

ber a

nd tr

ansf

er th

e sh

ape

of le

tters

, the

or

der o

f let

ters

and

wor

dsLo

ok a

t the

who

le s

ea s

hant

y.

• re

view

the

who

le te

xt, w

hich

inclu

des

turn

ing

over

pag

es, t

o fin

d th

e in

form

atio

nFi

nd a

nd c

opy

two

plac

es w

here

Cap

tain

Ca

rado

g sle

pt.

(EA2

, p.2

1, q

.8)

• sc

an th

e te

xt a

nd th

en in

terp

ret a

nd re

mem

ber

the

corre

ct a

nsw

er.

Put t

icks

to s

how

whi

ch s

tate

men

ts a

re tr

ue a

nd

whi

ch a

re fa

lse.

True

Fals

e

All s

nake

s ar

e go

od s

wim

mer

s.

Adde

r did

not

see

wha

t the

Be

ast l

ooke

d lik

e.

Som

e of

Add

er’s

scal

es w

ere

torn

.

Adde

r hid

on

the

botto

m o

f the

st

ream

.

The

Beas

t fol

low

ed A

dder

into

th

e st

ream

.

(EC2

, p.1

1, q

.11)


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

on t

ypes

Verb

al m

emor

y Th

e ab

ility

to re

tain

, in

the

very

sho

rt te

rm, w

ords

he

ard,

read

and

thou

ght.

The

read

ing

test

itse

lf do

es n

ot re

quire

ver

bal

mem

ory,

but w

hen

aske

d to

iden

tify

rhym

es th

e le

arne

rs n

eeds

to:

• be

abl

e to

hea

r the

sou

nds ‘

out l

oud’

or ‘

in th

eir

head

’.Lo

ok a

t the

se w

ords

from

the

sea

shan

ty. D

raw

th

ree

lines

to m

atch

the

wor

ds th

at s

ound

the

sam

e.

Wal

es

afloa

t

boat

ga

les

slee

p de

ep

(EA2

, p19

, q.3

)


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

on t

ypes

Fine

mot

or m

ovem

ent/

hand

–eye

coo

rdin

atio

n Th

e ab

ility

to b

oth

coor

dina

te in

form

atio

n re

ceiv

ed th

roug

h th

e ey

es

and

to p

erfo

rm m

uscle

ac

ts th

at to

geth

er p

rodu

ce

cont

rolle

d m

ovem

ents

su

ch a

s w

ritin

g an

d dr

awin

g.

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

use

:

• ha

nd–e

ye c

oord

inat

ion

Draw

thre

e lin

es to

mat

ch e

ach

ques

tion

with

its

answ

er.

How

man

y eg

gs d

oes

a pu

ffin

40

la

y at

a ti

me?

Abou

t how

man

y da

ys d

oes

a

6 pu

ffin

egg

take

to h

atch

?

Abou

t how

man

y w

eeks

doe

s a

1

baby

puf

fin s

tay

in th

e bu

rrow

?

(EA2

, p.1

1, q

.7)

• w

ritin

g sk

ills.

Look

at v

erse

thre

e.

Find

and

cop

y tw

o w

ords

or p

hras

es th

at

sugg

est t

he li

tter-p

icker

’s to

ol w

as li

ke a

real

ha

nd.

1.__

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

2.__

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

(ED2

, p.1

1, q

.7)


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

on t

ypes

Sequ

enci

ng/o

rgan

isat

ion

The

abili

ty to

arra

nge

wor

ds e

ffect

ivel

y in

ord

er

of s

ucce

ssio

n.

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

use

:

• w

orki

ng m

emor

y (p

artic

ular

ly w

hen

turn

ing

over

th

e pa

ge)

Num

ber t

hese

sta

tem

ents

1 to

5 to

sho

w h

ow to

w

rite

a w

et p

aper

mes

sage

.

• co

mpr

ehen

sion

skill

s to

asc

erta

in th

at

‘sub

mer

ge’ c

orre

late

s to

‘soa

k’, a

nd ‘s

moo

th’

corre

late

s to

‘pla

ce’

One

has

bee

n do

ne fo

r you

.

put d

ry p

aper

ove

r wet

pap

er

____

___

soak

a s

heet

of p

aper

1

writ

e on

the

dry

pape

r __

____

_

leav

e th

e w

et p

aper

to d

ry

____

___

plac

e th

e w

et p

aper

on

a w

indo

w

____

___

(EB2

, p.1

4, q

.6)

• se

quen

cing,

wor

king

mem

ory

and

com

preh

ensio

n.Pu

t the

se e

vent

s in

ord

er b

y nu

mbe

ring

them

fro

m 1

to 6

.

Pred

ator

s ar

rived

in N

ew Z

eala

nd.

____

___

Som

e bi

rds

lost

thei

r abi

lity

to fl

y. __

____

_

Bird

s in

New

Zea

land

live

d sa

fely

w

ithou

t thr

eat.

____

___

Flig

htle

ss b

irds

wer

e at

risk

. __

____

_

Bird

s’ d

ieta

ry a

nd e

xerc

ise h

abits

ch

ange

d.

____

___

Bird

num

bers

redu

ced.

__

____

_

(ED2

, p.1

5, q

.10)


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

on t

ypes

Soci

al im

agin

atio

n Th

e ab

ility

to s

ee a

sit

uatio

n fro

m a

n al

tern

ativ

e po

int o

f vie

w.

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• un

ders

tand

the

use

of in

fere

nce

Look

at t

he ‘J

uice

mes

sage

’ sec

tion.

‘coo

k’

Why

has

this

wor

d be

en p

ut in

inve

rted

com

mas

, lik

e ‘th

is’?

beca

use

you

shou

ld n

ot e

at th

e ju

ice

mes

sage

__

____

_

beca

use

it is

not r

eal c

ooki

ng

____

___

beca

use

you

need

to b

e a

good

co

ok to

do

this

____

___

beca

use

no h

eat i

s in

volv

ed

____

___

(EB2

, p.1

4, q

.5)

• un

ders

tand

wha

t is

impl

ied

in th

e te

xt,

e.g.

the

text

doe

sn’t

say

that

the

auth

or is

the

‘nin

e-ye

ar-o

ld b

oy’.

How

old

was

the

writ

er w

hen

he

‘cau

ght’

the

octo

pus?

__

____

_

(EB2

, p.9

, q.2

)


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

on t

ypes

Com

preh

ensi

on

The

abili

ty to

per

ceiv

e an

d un

ders

tand

the

mea

ning

or i

mpo

rtanc

e of

so

met

hing

.

The

lear

ner i

s re

quire

d to

:

• un

ders

tand

alte

rnat

ive

mea

ning

s of

wor

ds,

e.g.

‘jou

rney

’ has

an

equi

vale

nt m

eani

ng to

‘m

issio

n’, ‘

trave

l’ an

d ‘c

ircui

t’

Look

at t

he te

xt in

the

box

belo

w.

Und

erlin

e th

ree

othe

r wor

ds th

at a

re u

sed

inst

ead

of ‘j

ourn

ey’.

Ger

ald

did

not d

o it

alon

e. H

e w

as p

art o

f a

grou

p fo

r whi

ch h

e w

as th

e ‘fi

xer’

(org

anise

r) an

d tra

nsla

tor.

It w

as a

dau

ntin

g m

issio

n. G

eral

d ha

d es

timat

ed th

at W

ales

was

abo

ut e

ight

day

s’ tr

avel

in

leng

th a

nd fo

ur d

ays’

in b

read

th. A

com

plet

e cir

cuit

shou

ld th

eref

ore

have

take

n 24

day

s…

In fa

ct, t

he g

roup

spe

nt a

tota

l of 5

1 da

ys o

n th

e jo

urne

y, tra

velli

ng, s

topp

ing

and

rest

ing,

then

se

tting

off

agai

n. Th

e to

tal d

istan

ce th

ey ro

de o

ver

the

mud

and

sto

nes

of W

ales

was

abo

ut 1

000

mile

s, ro

ughl

y eq

uiva

lent

to ri

ding

from

Wal

es to

Ita

ly.

(EC2

, p13

, q.4

)

• un

ders

tand

met

apho

rs s

uch

as ‘s

wee

t hon

ey

from

the

ston

e’ a

nd ‘o

il fro

m th

e ro

ck’

Wha

t did

Ger

ald

pred

ict a

bout

the

futu

re?

Ever

yone

wou

ld b

e ab

le to

writ

e.

____

___


SpLD

des

crip

tion

s Po

ssib

le le

arne

r er

rors

in

Nat

iona

l Rea

ding

Tes

t qu

esti

on t

ypes

Ex

ampl

e qu

esti

on t

ypes

• un

ders

tand

com

plex

phr

asin

g su

ch a

s ‘na

ture

’s ric

hes

lie s

till h

idde

n’, ‘

undi

scov

ered

as

yet’,

‘c

aref

ul e

nqui

ry o

f lat

er g

ener

atio

ns’ a

nd ‘w

ill

no d

oubt

reve

al th

em’

Map

s of

his

jour

ney

wou

ld b

e ke

pt.

____

___

The

reso

urce

s of

the

earth

wou

ld

be u

sefu

l. __

____

_

Trav

ellin

g w

ould

bec

ome

muc

h

easie

r. __

____

_

(EC2

, p.1

5, q

.9)

Addi

tiona

l iss

ues

• un

ders

tand

con

vent

ions

suc

h as

ast

erisk

s.br

eam

*

An a

ster

isk(*

) has

bee

n us

ed to

sho

w…

ther

e w

ere

not m

any

brea

m

____

___

that

an

expl

anat

ion

has

been

giv

en

____

___

mor

e th

an o

ne s

pelli

ng o

f bre

am

____

___

this

is an

impo

rtant

wor

d __

____

_

(EB2

, p.9

, q.5

)

national reading test question analysis – initial...

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