Rising 2nd grader not reading

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for all of the helpful feedback. The comments have confirmed that my suspicions are correct. He turned 7 in February so is not young for the grade. The school was very focused on social emotional learning this year and I would say didn’t focus on the issue. We will pursue private testing and consider other school options including public depending on what the assessment shows. I’m thinking if all of the other kids were able to learn it might not be the right school. He is very aware that he is behind.

My rising second grader is in a similar boat. We will be doing testing but the wit list is long so that won't be until September. I will be working with her on foundational phonics over the summer. I suspect some lild dyslexia.

When I really observed what she can and cannot do, it is like she stopped being able to learn to read when COVID hit in Kindergarten. So so we have worked so that she is doing much better with typical K level reading but now need to see what we can do for First Grade. Unfortunately our school marched forward as if the kids had learned everything they were taught during COVID and once they were back in person the reading was way past her. We will be moving to a new school in the fall which will be doing individualized instruction for Math and Reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm following this thread with great interest because I have a daughter who turned 7 in June, rising to 2nd, and is slow to read. She also was slow to pick up phonics. She recently got a 20/40 R/L and 20/30 bilateral vision so we are following up there. Where would we go for further evaluation and testing for possible dyslexia? We were virtual until March (a full year) and she didn't focus well in virtual despite our best effort to support her. I felt she easily got distracted and was shy to ask questions, often saying the teacher didn't see her, hear her, etc. We will keep reading a little each day. It's not her favorite activity. We are working on sight word reviews and I'm just trying to be patient and keep it positive. I would love testing referrals. In NW DC will commute anywhere.

Don't work on sight words. They will come as she reads. Work on phonics. Read phonetical readers like Bob books or Dear Dragon until she can sound out words. How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a great book, but there are other phonetic programs that work too.

It depends on the child. Some learn better with sight words, some better with phonics. Try BOTH ways. Mine was a sight reader.

About 30-40% of kids can learn by memorizing sight words. Clearly this post is about a child who is not in that group.

[Anonymous]

I know that the Springwell School in Silver Spring has just a space or two in their older class for the coming year. They use Montessori for reading and math that is tailored to the child's level and is a mastery approach. It is a new school and had a good first year last year.

[Anonymous]

Our child had similar issue. Not going to lie— he was well behaved and there was a lot of teacher turnover so I think he simply slipped through the cracks between JK-2nd. School was “surprised” by reading assessment conducted by independent specialist. Transferred for third to our local public (admittedly in a good district), and he was caught up within a year using reading specialist at school and a private tutor, and now headed to AAP next year. We will return to private for HS but found early childhood and elementary to just be a lot of fluff and specials in our K-8.

[Anonymous]

Don’t wait for the school to address it. Purchase the homeschool program called All About Reading. Work on it outside of school hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising second grader really cannot read (Bob books are a struggle). Our school has promoted him to second grade but I am starting to get concerned because he is way behind his peers who seem to all be reading chapter books (boys and girls). Would you press the school to keep him back a grade or consider holding back and sending to public? I can’t really blame virtual school because he was in person most of the year. I’m worried that school is going to become incredibly demoralizing next year and I’m not sure he will be able to catch up even with summer work. Should we give it another year at this private or act now?

Reading experts, based on data, will tell you learning to read prior to 4th grade varies greatly. And ahead of 4th grade when a child learns to read has no correlation to intelligence and how well they will do in school longterm. If the school isn't concerned, I wouldn't be.

This is nuts. My 4th grader had story problems in math, reading/writing in science, etc. How is a student supposed to function in other subjects if they can't read? And my 2nd grader had reading comprehension assessments.

I would expect a school, public or private, to be working pretty consistently with a first grader to get them on track or recommending evaluation, supports, etc. if they are not reading at or near grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm following this thread with great interest because I have a daughter who turned 7 in June, rising to 2nd, and is slow to read. She also was slow to pick up phonics. She recently got a 20/40 R/L and 20/30 bilateral vision so we are following up there. Where would we go for further evaluation and testing for possible dyslexia? We were virtual until March (a full year) and she didn't focus well in virtual despite our best effort to support her. I felt she easily got distracted and was shy to ask questions, often saying the teacher didn't see her, hear her, etc. We will keep reading a little each day. It's not her favorite activity. We are working on sight word reviews and I'm just trying to be patient and keep it positive. I would love testing referrals. In NW DC will commute anywhere.

FCPS has a list of tutors - you have to email them for it. I don't think you have to prove you are an FCPS parent. Maybe the DC schools have a list too.

https://www.fcps.edu/resources/family-engagement/tutors-and-tutoring/parent-resource-center-tutor-list

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Math basics and phonics are truly weak points in the areas private lower schools.

In general, I have found that the local private schools only do a really good job focusing on the academic and learning needs of kids within a developmental range of 4 grades. Schools get their reputation based on outplacement which means the majority of resources will go to the highest 4 grades at the school. What this means is that K-12 schools are great for high school, K-8 schools are good from 5th - 8th, K-6 schools are good from 3rd-6th. The early elementary private schools (PreK-2nd and PreK-3rd) are the only ones that do a good job with reading, writing, and math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm following this thread with great interest because I have a daughter who turned 7 in June, rising to 2nd, and is slow to read. She also was slow to pick up phonics. She recently got a 20/40 R/L and 20/30 bilateral vision so we are following up there. Where would we go for further evaluation and testing for possible dyslexia? We were virtual until March (a full year) and she didn't focus well in virtual despite our best effort to support her. I felt she easily got distracted and was shy to ask questions, often saying the teacher didn't see her, hear her, etc. We will keep reading a little each day. It's not her favorite activity. We are working on sight word reviews and I'm just trying to be patient and keep it positive. I would love testing referrals. In NW DC will commute anywhere.

FCPS has a list of tutors - you have to email them for it. I don't think you have to prove you are an FCPS parent. Maybe the DC schools have a list too.

https://www.fcps.edu/resources/family-engagement/tutors-and-tutoring/parent-resource-center-tutor-list

Many FCPS teachers aren’t actually trained in effective reading instruction. If they talk about balanced literacy/ sight words- run. They need to be talking about assessments to determine skills, phonemic awareness, and structured/ sequential phonics instruction for early reading intervention.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford private school you can afford a trained reading tutor at your home three times a week. Do not do this yourself. Do not wait on the school. Skilled instructors can teach even dyslexic children to read if the student is still young enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm following this thread with great interest because I have a daughter who turned 7 in June, rising to 2nd, and is slow to read. She also was slow to pick up phonics. She recently got a 20/40 R/L and 20/30 bilateral vision so we are following up there. Where would we go for further evaluation and testing for possible dyslexia? We were virtual until March (a full year) and she didn't focus well in virtual despite our best effort to support her. I felt she easily got distracted and was shy to ask questions, often saying the teacher didn't see her, hear her, etc. We will keep reading a little each day. It's not her favorite activity. We are working on sight word reviews and I'm just trying to be patient and keep it positive. I would love testing referrals. In NW DC will commute anywhere.

Don't work on sight words. They will come as she reads. Work on phonics. Read phonetical readers like Bob books or Dear Dragon until she can sound out words. How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a great book, but there are other phonetic programs that work too.

It depends on the child. Some learn better with sight words, some better with phonics. Try BOTH ways. Mine was a sight reader.

Teaching reading by sight words has been proven ineffective as kids lose the ability to keep up by memorizing words around grade 3. They peak and fizzle. It's important to teach phonics.

+1

Teachers kept telling us DC was a sight reader in 1st and 2nd grade. Turns out she was dyslexic and memorizing words, but still had a lot of trouble decoding them. Sight readers are inefficient readers, and without specialized intervention they will suffer in higher grades when kids move from learning to read to reading to learn.

YES!!!

[Anonymous]

I am not OP but I made comments with concerns about my rising 2nd grader that is slow to read.

- vision test still pending
- 1st grade teacher confirmed reading at F level, rising 2nd is JKL
- found reading specialist for 3 days a week for about 4 weeks over the summer and continue in September
- reading specialist is retired DCPS and OG certified $100/hr and worth every penny, confirmed books usually in 1st four weeks of 1st grade are too hard for her now
- reading specialist prepping me that she needs the catch up time but will catch up
- reading with mom and dad about 20 min a day and doing K and 1st summer skills for language arts
- DD loves having her come to help, and a big relief for me

[Anonymous]

You might consider having an eye exam to look for convergence issues in addition to acuity. Can have 20/20 acuity but have issues of convergence where literally one eye is looking at one line and the other eye is focused on another eye. We had this issue and after a lot of work corrected it and now in a top private HS doing great/honors classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Math basics and phonics are truly weak points in the areas private lower schools.

In general, I have found that the local private schools only do a really good job focusing on the academic and learning needs of kids within a developmental range of 4 grades. Schools get their reputation based on outplacement which means the majority of resources will go to the highest 4 grades at the school. What this means is that K-12 schools are great for high school, K-8 schools are good from 5th - 8th, K-6 schools are good from 3rd-6th. The early elementary private schools (PreK-2nd and PreK-3rd) are the only ones that do a good job with reading, writing, and math.

So true, so true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My rising second grader really cannot read (Bob books are a struggle). Our school has promoted him to second grade but I am starting to get concerned because he is way behind his peers who seem to all be reading chapter books (boys and girls). Would you press the school to keep him back a grade or consider holding back and sending to public? I can’t really blame virtual school because he was in person most of the year. I’m worried that school is going to become incredibly demoralizing next year and I’m not sure he will be able to catch up even with summer work. Should we give it another year at this private or act now?

You need to act now. The older kids get, the harder it will be to learn. Get in with a tutor or SLP who focuses on Orton Gillingham. Contact the school, express your concern, consider switching to school that has the resources to better support your child. Consider getting an evaluation.
-Educational Psychologist