Milton Keynes Dyslexia Policy

Guidance on the assessment of dyslexia and other reading and spelling difficulties

May 2017

This document links with MK Dyslexia Policy (2016)

Compiled by Janet Probert, Specialist Teacher, IITand Paula Williams, Senior Educational Psychologist, EPS

Contents:

1 Introduction

2 The definition of dyslexia

3 Good quality first teaching

4 Key features in defining dyslexia

5 Gathering relevant information Assessment of reading accuracy Assessment of reading fluency Assessment of spelling Reading and/or spelling difficulties are priority areas of need Measuring severity of difficulties Evaluating persistence

6 The provision of appropriate learning opportunities

7 The role of support services

8 Parental involvement

9 Pupil involvement

10 The Assessment of other Literacy Difficulties Comprehension Handwriting

Appendix 1: References

Appendix 2: Resources

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1 Introduction

This guidance has been prepared to assist schools in developing their assessments of pupils with literacy difficulties. It has been developed in response to requests for advice on the use of standardised assessment for diagnostic purposes, target setting and programme planning. It should be read in conjunction with the range of guidance on curriculum entitlement for pupils with special educational needs.

When planning for pupils with special educational needs, teachers need to ensure that they set suitable learning objectives. The SEN Code of Practice 2015 (CoP) specifies that schools have a duty to identify pupils’ needs and make appropriate provision. The role of the Teachers and SENCo is to identify pupils making less than expected progress given their age and individual circumstances. This is characterised in the CoP 6.18 (2015) by progress which:

is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline

fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress

fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers

widens the attainment gap

This includes the assessment of pupils who have specific learning difficulties, some of whom may have dyslexia (CoP 6.31).

This guidance assists schools in carrying out detailed literacy assessments for pupils with dyslexia and other literacy difficulties. It considers the use of National Curriculum and other curriculum-based assessments and when standardised tests may be appropriate. It also addresses the issue of selecting relevant and valid measures to supplement other curriculum-based assessments.

The guidance on assessment supplements Milton Keynes Dyslexia Policy (2016) and Dyslexia: Information for Parents (2016). Milton Keynes Dyslexia Policy was developed to clarify the role of schools in assessing pupils with significant difficulties in literacy that may be classified as dyslexia.

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2 The Definition of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is evident when accurate and fluent word reading and/or spelling

develops very incompletely or with great difficulty. This focuses on literacy

learning at the ‘word level’ and implies that the problem is severe and

persistent despite appropriate learning opportunities. It provides the basis of a

staged process of assessment through teaching.

Milton Keynes Dyslexia Policy (2016) and British Psychological Society (1999).

3 Good Quality First Teaching

All children should have access to regular good quality teaching (CoP 6.19). The

first response to identifying a child making lower than expected progress is to

provide high quality teaching targeted at their areas of weakness. Where

progress continues to be less than expected the class or subject teacher,

working with the SENCo, should assess whether the child has SEN. This will

involve:

gathering relevant evidence (including the views of the pupil and their

parents)

putting in place extra teaching or other rigorous interventions designed to

secure better progress, where required

assessing the pupil’s response to such support to help identify their

particular needs

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Every action should be taken to remove barriers to learning and put effective

special educational provision in place. This SEN support should take the form of

a four-part cycle through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited,

refined and revised with a growing understanding of the pupil’s needs and of

what supports the pupil in making good progress and securing good outcomes.

This is known as the graduated approach. It draws on more detailed

approaches, more frequent review and more specialist expertise in successive

cycles in order to match interventions to the SEN of children and young people

(CoP 6.44).

The ASSESS - PLAN - DO – REVIEW cycle

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4 Key features of dyslexia

When assessing whether a pupil has dyslexia the following key features must be considered (taken from the Rose report 2009):

The pupil has difficulties in reading accuracy and fluency.

The pupil has difficulties in spelling accuracy.

Difficulties in word reading and/or spelling are one of the priority areas of

need.

Difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal

processing are common.

The difficulties are severe despite good quality first teaching. Milton

Keynes Dyslexia Policy uses the criteria of at least two cycles of assess –

plan- do- review. Interventions have been planned and delivered to meet

individual needs and have been reviewed to inform the next stage of

intervention.

The difficulties are persistent and the pupil has received effective additional

provision.

The pupil has received appropriate learning opportunities through quality

first teaching.

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5 Gathering background Information

The school needs to consider the following areas when checking why a child might be making lower than expected progress:

Factors to consider Some questions to ask CheckedAbsence from school

How much schooling has the pupil missed?

Changes of school How many schools? When did the changes occur?

Changes of staff Has the pupil’s education been disrupted by several changes of teacher?

Quality of learning and teaching

Has the teaching been of a consistently high quality? Have evidenced based interventions been used? Was the impact of interventions measured?

Early development What early experiences may have contributed to learning disruption? Illness; emotional issues?

Family history Are there any family reasons why the pupil may not have acquired literacy skills? Separation? Bereavement? Is there a history of dyslexia within the family?

Sensory impairment

Many pupils who experience early literacy difficulties have had sensory issues.Hearing – when was their last test; what was the result? Do they have frequent colds or waxy ears?Vision – when did they have their last eye-test? Have they had regular eyesight checks (these are free at the opticians and recommended every two years)?

English as an additional language

Can the pupil read in their first language? Are the scripts and grammar from the first language similar or is the pupil having to learn new rules about the language?

Medical conditions Are there any reasons why the pupil may not be acquiring literacy? Have they missed days through illness?

Social, emotional and mental health issues

Are emotional difficulties preventing the pupil from listening, attending and progressing? Has their behaviour disrupting their learning?

Engagement and motivation

What is the pupil’s attitude towards reading? Is the perception the same for reading at home as at school?

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6 How to assess key features of dyslexia

A detailed analysis of reading needs to include the assessment of: Phonic knowledge, including decoding skills Accuracy of reading Types of errors made Pace Expression Comprehension

Analysis of spellings needs to include: Phonological awareness Encoding skills Assessment of types of errors made Fine motor skills / handwriting Visual discrimination skills

These are set out in more detail below

Reading and/or spelling difficulties must be the priority areas of needIt is recognised that some pupils may have additional difficulties that accompany dyslexia. Difficulties with phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing are frequently associated with dyslexia. It is also common for pupils with dyslexia/literacy difficulties to have a history of speech and language difficulties and conductive hearing loss (glue ear). In particular, it is common for pupils with dyslexia to have a history of speech and language difficulties. A common underlying factor in dyslexia is poor phonological processing. See below for assessing and responding to phonological difficulties.

Measuring severity of difficultiesThe pupil would be receiving additional provision in school but continues to make slow progress. It is expected that progress would be thoroughly monitored through regular assess-plan-do review cycles, with increased intensity of interventions or a change of action should a pupil not be responding/ making progress.

Evaluating persistenceThe difficulty may be described as persistent if the pupil has received effective provision at SEN support. The pupil’s progress has been evaluated, over at least three assess-plan-do review cycles.

7 Provision

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In order to use the term dyslexia, the pupil needs to have had access to:

‘Quality First Teaching’: the effective inclusion of all pupils in classes where

high-quality literacy has been taught. This would include ensuring that

materials are accessible, age appropriate and conceptually relevant. Schools

may be working towards establishing dyslexia friendly classrooms. See

Dyslexia Friendly schools in the resources section, for more information on

this.

SEN Support: Specific targeted approaches for individual pupils identified as

requiring SEN intervention.

Pupils at SEN support may have particular needs related to literacy, or needs

associated with other barriers to their learning. Provision at SEN support may

draw on specialist advice. It may involve the adjustment of learning

outcomes and teaching styles, and/or additional provision. It aims to reduce

gaps in attainment and facilitate greater access to the curriculum.

Pupils at SEN support will be part of a regular cycle of assess, plan, do and

review. Some pupils at SEN support may have received small group provision

in the past, e.g. ELS, ALS or specific literacy interventions. All schools have to

produce an SEN report detailing the provision they offer and must evaluate

the effectiveness of interventions.

Suggestions for strategies can be found in the resources part of this guidance.

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8 The role of support services

The Inclusion and Intervention Team (IIT)

The Inclusion and Intervention Team works in partnership with schools and

other settings to increase their capacity to teach pupils who have SEN and/or

a disability. IIT support is based on the needs of individual pupils, broader

school issues and issues across groups of schools. IIT aims to:

contribute to raising achievement by promoting inclusive practice through

which barriers to learning are overcome, suitable challenges set and

pupils’ diverse needs met

develop the knowledge, skills and expertise of practitioners and work

collaboratively with other divisions and agencies

encourage early intervention

The Educational Psychology Service

Educational Psychologists work through a consultation framework to:

support schools to meet children and young people’s complex needs

evaluate interventions and projects

work closely with parents/carers

This work would be commissioned by the school.

An Educational Psychologist will always be involved if the Local Authority is

making a statutory assessment of a pupil’s special educational needs.

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9 Parental involvement

Parents/carers should be involved in discussions when there are concerns

about progress in literacy. The information that they can contribute to

assessment can be valuable in identifying their child’s needs and possible

ways forward. Parents/carers need to be aware of the actions the school is

taking and their role clearly stated. Schools should refer parents/carers to the

leaflet ‘Dyslexia: Information for Parents’ available on the Local Offer.

E: local.offer.feedback@milton-keynes.gov.uk

www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/SENDlocaloffer/

Facebook : www.facebook.com/mksend

10 Pupil involvement

The pupil should be involved in the setting, involvement and monitoring of

their learning targets. During the assessment process, they are likely to have

some insights into what their strengths are, what helps them to learn, and

what barriers they are experiencing. This information could be presented in a

one page profile – these are best done collaboratively with the child/young

person taking a lead on the content and the adults who know them well

adding additional information (see resources).

All of the information gathered from the child, parents/carers and staff

should be used in the planning and reviewing of the intervention.

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11 The Assessment of other Literacy Difficulties

The definition adopted in this policy proposes that dyslexia primarily involves

difficulty with reading and/or spelling at the word level. However, reading is a

complex process that involves both word level recognition and language

comprehension. This is illustrated in the diagram of the simple view of

reading (Gough 1986). Some children and young people experience

difficulties in language comprehension and other areas that affect their

progress in literacy.

Simple model of reading. Gough and Turner, 1986

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Comprehension

Reading comprehension can only be assessed at text level. Informal

assessment can be carried out using a range of reading books, curriculum

texts, magazines, etc. taking into account a pupil’s interests. Some

standardised text-reading tests include miscue analysis, which provides useful

information about the particular strategies being used. These can provide

ideas for programme planning.

Many children and young people who have problems in reading

comprehension have difficulties in language development. Advice is available

to schools from support services including the Speech and Language Therapy

Service.

Handwriting

Some pupils with literacy difficulties have problems in developing handwriting

skills.

Handwriting speed needs to be assessed for special arrangements for GCSEs

and in some circumstances for SATs.

For assessment and Intervention strategies please refer to the resources

section.

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Appendix 1

REFERENCES

Backhouse, G. and Morris, M. (2005) Dyslexia? Assessing and Reporting: The Patoss Guide Hodder and Murray, London

British Psychological Society Division of Educational and Pupil Psychology (1999) Dyslexia, Literacy and Psychological Assessment. Report by the Working Party, British Psychological Society, Leicester

DfE (2015) SEN Code of Practice

Milton Keynes Dyslexia Policy (2016) Milton Keynes Council

Dyslexia: Information for Parents (2016) Milton Keynes Council

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Checklist to gather relevant information

PRIMARY PUPIL (taken from the National Strategies 2014)Name of Pupil Year Group Age Date

History CheckFamily history of Specific Learning Difficulties/dyslexiaHistory of ear infections or hearing lossLate to start talkingClassroomSlow in processing instructions/informationProblems with sequencing, e.g. getting dressed for PEPoor concentrationDoes not retain concepts from one lesson to the nextProblems with fine or gross motor skillsWritingMixed left/right hand preferencePoor handwritingReverses some letters when writing, e.g. b/d, p/q, m/wOlder child does not write cursivelyWriting badly arranged on the pageNo spaces between wordsSlow writing speedProblems copying from the boardSpellingsInaccurate spellingOmits letters within wordsErrors in discriminating individual sounds, e.g. middle soundLetters in words in the wrong orderUnusual spellingsWritten workContent does not reflect abilityGood at thinking of ideas, but cannot get them down on paperUses simple ideas and vocabulary that do not reflect verbal abilityWritten work often not completedReluctant to writeDifficulties in structuring written workProblems with grammar, e.g. tenses or words muddledProblems sequencing ideas, e.g. when writing a storyIdeas not logically linked together – rambling styleInaccurate punctuationOther comments:

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SECONDARY PUPIL (taken from the National Strategies 2014)Name of Pupil Year Group Age Date

History CheckFamily history of Specific Learning Difficulties/dyslexiaHistory of ear infections or hearing lossLate to start talkingLearning support at primary schoolClassroomSlow in processing instructions/informationProblems with sequencing, e.g. times tablesPoor concentrationDoes not retain concepts from one lesson to the nextProblems with fine or gross motor skillsWritingMixed left/right hand preferencePoor handwritingReverses some letters when writing, e.g. b/d, p/q, m/wDoes not use a cursive scriptWriting badly arranged on the pageNo spaces between wordsSlow writing speedProblems copying from the boardSpellingsInaccurate spellingOmits letters within wordsErrors in discriminating individual sounds, e.g. middle soundLetters in words in the wrong orderUnusual spellingsWritten workContent does not reflect abilityGood at thinking of ideas, but cannot get them down on paperUses simple ideas and vocabulary that do not reflect verbal abilityWritten work often not completedReluctant to writeDifficulties in structuring written workProblems with grammar, e.g. tenses or words muddledProblems sequencing ideas, e.g. when writing a storyIdeas not logically linked together – rambling styleInaccurate punctuationOther comments:

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Assessments

The list below is not an exhaustive list but is aimed at giving teachers and SENCos some guidance when choosing assessments.

Phonological SkillsSkill AssessmentsOral/ aural blending and segmenting skills

Sounds-Write and Playing with Sounds screening materials.

Letters and Sounds Phonographix exercises PhAB Alliteration and Rhyme tests

Word ReadingSkill AssessmentsPhonically regular words Phonics screener

Phoneme/Grapheme correspondence (Hear to write)

Grapheme/phoneme correspondence (See to say)

High frequency wordsSight vocabulary

Running record of natural reading High and Medium Frequency word lists (list 1 and

2) TOWRE 2 sight word efficiency WRAT 4 Reading

Reading regular words and non-wordsConfuses words that are visually similar (e.g. was/saw)

TOWRE 2 phonemic decoding efficiency sub-test PhAB non-word reading test Decoding task (Playing with Sounds) Words from schemes, e.g. Sounds-Write

Poor tracking of words/loses place

Running records TOWRE 2 sight word efficiency sub-test Tracking activities

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FluencySkill AssessmentsFormal assessmentThis may be described as rate/speed or pace of reading

NARAII reading fluency York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension

(YARC) Miscue analysis SATs Reading Comprehension

Informal assessment Running record of natural reading

ComprehensionSkill AssessmentsReading comprehension NARAII reading comprehension

NFER progress tests: Reading Comprehension SATs Reading Comprehension York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension WRAT4

AttitudeSkill AssessmentsReading attitude Running record – to illustrate number of

words read accurately Precision monitoring Elementary Reading Attitude Scale – McKenna

and Kear Reader Self Perception Scale – Henk and

Melnick

SpellingsSkill AssessmentsHigh frequency wordsSight vocabulary

Letters and Sounds National Curriculum lists

Regular words Encoding Phoneme/Grapheme correspondence

(Hear to write) Regular words from schemes Randomised alphabet Wide Range Achievement TestIII (WRAT 4) Single Word Spelling test (NFER)

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APPENDIX 2 Information on Individual resources

Title Date Authors Publisher Age RangeLetters and Sounds 2007 DFES KS1Neale Analysis of Reading Ability, 2nd revised British edition (NARAII)

1989 Neale, M D NFER-Nelsonhttp://www.nfernelson.co.uk/catalogue

6 – 12 years 11 months

Reading Reflex (Phonographix)

1998 McGuinness, C and McGuiness, G

Penguin 5 -11 years

Phonological Assessment Battery 2 (PhAB 2)

2014 Gibbs and Bodman

GL Assessment 5-11 years

Sounds-Write 2004 Case, S; Philpot, D and Walker, J

Available locally after training

5 -11 years

Single Word Spelling

2000 Sacre, L and Masterson, J

NFER-Nelson 5 - 15 years 2 months

Test of Word Reading Efficiency 2 (TOWRE 2)

1999 Torgesen, J K; Wagner, R K and Rashotte, C A

Pro-Ed (from Harcourt Assessment)

6 -24 years 11 months

Vernon Graded Word Spelling Test

1997 Vernon, P E Hodder and Stoughton

6 - 18 years

Wide Range Achievement TestIII (WRAT 4) Reading, Spelling and Arithmetic

1993 Wilkinson, G S Wide Range Inc (from Harcourt Assessment)

5 - 18 years

York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension

2012 York University GL-Assessment P - 6-11S - 12-18

This list is not offered as a definitive list but as guidance of commonly used resources in MK.

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