Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised his school did not bring this up throughout the year. Did they express concern about his reading especially given that he is aware he is behind his peers? If not, it does not sound like the school is adequately meeting nor informing you of his needs.

I think this situation shows just how easily kids can skip through the cracks with virtual learning. Next year will certainly be eye-opening.

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.

That sounds like a good approach. You can also request an evaluation through your public school district. I would tutor and plan a move to public at your earliest opportunity.

Anonymous wrote:Also lots of privates have reading specialists. Maybe ask school if he can get extra help?

I can give anyone the title of “reading specialist.” The question is whether that person has had specific coursework and training in dealing with reading problems. In VA, all public schools have to have a reading specialist that has specific training in dyslexia.

I'm surprised his school did not bring this up throughout the year. Did they express concern about his reading especially given that he is aware he is behind his peers? If not, it does not sound like the school is adequately meeting nor informing you of his needs.

Also lots of privates have reading specialists. Maybe ask school if he can get extra help?

I would certainly get outside testing if you can and try to address is this summer. If your child is a bit immature for his grade, it would be fine to hold him back but if he’s average maturity for grade level and you make him go back to 1st, he’ll be in school with kids just finishing an iffy year of kindergarten which may be too young for him socially.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was my son. Diagnosed with dyslexia. Don’t waste too much time with tutors. If you think there’s a wide gap between his reading and his intelligence (judging yourself by vocabulary, attention span, interest when being read to, curiously, or just your gut) then pay for the psycho educational testing. Tutoring for dyslexics is very different than regular tutoring and you’ll waste very valuable time (and money) if you just start tutoring without knowing about possible learning disability.

I agree. At this point you could even hire a tutor to use materials designed for dyslexic kids (for example, a Wilson certified tutor). It will work even if your son isn’t dyslexic and may be the only thing that will work if your son is. Don’t spin your wheels for 2 months, start with dyslexic materials.

If you want to try to do it yourself at home, look into Barton. $$$ but it does work.

+1 This is our school’s strategy. If a child is really struggling by mid first grade, they start talking about a tutor; by the end of first grade they would recommend a tutor trained in Orrin Gillingham methods. The theory is that if the child isn’t dyslexic, it may not be necessary but will still help, and if they are dyslexic and as-yet undiagnosed, it is likely the only thing that will help. We saw this make a huge difference for some of my daughter’s friends.

The McLean school has a Summer Reading program that is specifically for kids with a similar profile that starts next week. If it is affordable and within a commutable distance I would look into it:
Lower School Reading Intensive Summer Camp Program | SummerEdge
https://www.summeredge.org/program/intensive-programs-lower-school-reading/

OP, as the parent of a dyslexic child, I highly recommend you spend the money to get formal testing now. Any trained reading tutor will need the results to even know where to begin.

And don’t despair! Child with reading struggles are often very intelligent but need done one to unlock their learning potential,

Take a good look at the instruction and home support and then decide. If you think both have been intensive enough, then please have him evaluated. If things have been off kilter in his school and you can't do much at home then perhaps beef those up before deciding. What feedback have you had from the teachers to date?

My very young DD was solidly through much of Gr. 1 (Catholic school, strong phonics and literacy program so it wasn't't that. Plus the wannabe homeschool mother in me was printing off sight word games and stories to help at home) and nothing was clicking. She'd know all her words, go to bed, and wake up look at them like they were Greek. She was into Gr. 2 before it came together. Happy ending - she became a voracious reader and excels now!

Anonymous wrote:

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 not backed by evidence. Children who are still struggling after two years of formal reading instruction rarely catch up with their typical peers without specialized intervention. That’s why Maryland and other states have passed mandatory dyslexia screening in public schools starting in K.

+1. There absolutely is a correlation. It may not be 100%--sure some kids who aren't reading by 2nd grade go on to Harvard and some early readers peak early or hit other struggles. But by 2nd grade you do start sorting out kids who are going to have a long and difficult struggle with reading and, as a result, formal education as a whole.

OP, this is the summer to get your kid the skills for an explosive growth in reading next school year. Get a tutor and work with him daily. We had a wiggly kid, so we did 20 min before work and 20 min before bed, rather than one longer session. See how much progress you can make. If you aren't seeing progress, absolutely get him tested for learning Dx.

This sounds like me! I didn’t learn to read until 2nd grade after a dyslexia diagnosis. I started going to a learning center and something clicked. I was reading chapter books by the end of the school year.

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 not backed by evidence. Children who are still struggling after two years of formal reading instruction rarely catch up with their typical peers without specialized intervention. That’s why Maryland and other states have passed mandatory dyslexia screening in public schools starting in K.

I agree with the PPs that say do not hold him back instead get a reading/phonics tutor over the summer. You'll be surprised how much that will help unless it turns out there is a learning disability. My DS was behind in reading at the beginning of 1st grade and was not picking up the phonics/decoding skills as quickly as most of his peers. Our private gave him 1 on 1 tutoring in reading/phonics and it's made a huge difference.

Some kids just need more help with reading skills.

OP - DD had a terrible time reading through 3rd grade. We started reading every night together for 30’ and worked on phonics independently. She started reading more with friends and talking about books at school and developed a live of reading. Testing in 6th confirmed she is dyslexic. I wish we could go back in time and do the testing earlier. Still loved reading now.
I would not repeat the grade.