Before
you start, remember the power of your attitude. Our lives are not
determined by what happens to us, but how we react to what happens; not
by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.
A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events,
and outcomes. It is a catalyst…a spark that creates extraordinary
results.”
So that you may see extraordinary results, let’s get started.
The first thing you need to do is determine what level your child is currently
reading on successfully. You cannot take anyone’s opinion on this.
Even if someone else has tested your child, you must make the determination.
The only exception to this rule would be if someone with a Ph.D., who has
no connection to your child’s school, actually did the testing. Unfortunately,
schools sometimes inflate test scores so that parents at least think their
child is learning. This is not an official policy, individuals within
the system do this. Most often, the test examiner is the same person
responsible for teaching the student. The teacher helps the student
with the test sometimes not even being aware that they are doing this.
In over five hundred and fifty cases that we have tested, five hundred and
forty four were not accurate. One hundred percent of the inaccuracies
were inflated none were deflated.
The other problem with testing is that most often teachers and others in
the school system receive little if any training in test administration.
If they get any training at all, they might get a couple of hours of lecture.
This is not enough training. If it is true that you need more than
a couple hours of training why would we suggest that you, someone that
most likely has zero training, administer the test. The answer is
simple; the test that we are asking you to give is designed with that in
mind. If it errs, it will err on the side of prudence. You are the
one most interested in this system working, you would not hamper that by
"cheating" on the test.
Since it is
always better to start easier than harder, the tests take this into account
and start you where you should start. To test your child, use the
tests in Appendix A. Which test do you give? If you have an idea
at what level your child is reading on, like second grade, start there.
From there, move forward or backward to determine where your child fits.
If you don't have a clue, start one level below your child's actual grade
placement. Each test lists what is considered passing and what is
considered failing.
These are informal
tests, they should be used for what they are intended to be used, finding
a starting point. They are not designed and they should not be used
to determine anything else. If they err at all they will err on the
low side. Continue to give the tests until you determine the highest
level of test that your child can pass. It is important to start
your child in the right place, follow the directions given in Appendix
A.
After you have
determined where to start, you will need to order books. The Houghton
Mifflin Company publishes the books that we recommend. In grades
kindergarten through third grade they are printed in black and white with
no color pictures. We like these books for many reasons. First
they are well thought out and contain the “high frequency” words that are
so important to beginning readers.