Early Assessment Is Key

It begins with reading. Taught right, other subjects fall into place when the reading lightbulb comes on. But in too many California schools, average and even smart children, improperly taught, are being wrongly assigned to special education classes. Their talents then languish and their futures are too often stunted. A Times series on these and other failures of special education starts today. Among its findings: Perhaps one-third of children in California’s special education system are not truly “learning-disabled” but rather casualties of poor or inappropriate teaching and belated identification of largely preventable reading problems.

When children do not learn to read by the end of the third grade, a critical academic benchmark, their reading problems will worsen. They will have fallen far behind by the fifth or sixth grade, by which most school systems have placed students in special classes. Often taught there by untrained teachers, they continue to fail.

According to “Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children,” the landmark 1998 report of the National Research Council, placing students with reading problems in special ed classes is common. But most of these students can be taught to read if they get early intervention on a daily basis for a full school year. Poor readers also need extra instructional time for writing, multiple activities that involve reading, systematic writing instruction, appropriate reading materials, regular assessments and a well-trained teacher.

Intense instruction should start by kindergarten for children at risk. That requires early recognition of problems, but most school systems do no diagnostic testing until after the primary grades. Those that assess children early, like the Elk Grove school system near Sacramento, are getting promising results. Many school districts, including the Los Angeles system, have increased the time spent on reading in the primary grades. Extra time is most effective when an experienced reading teacher uses research-based methods such as repetitive, explicit phonics-based instruction; unfortunately, high-caliber teachers are too often not available for the children who need the most help.

Help is on the way, however. The state Board of Education is now requiring textbook publishers seeking state approval to include daily lessons that will keep struggling readers on track academically. These changes are still a few years off, but it’s the right start toward helping problem readers early on, and in regular classrooms.

California, with a few pilot programs, is also beginning to hold special education accountable for results, as required by federal law. No longer can districts simply dump children into special education without ensuring they learn to the greatest degree possible what other students are required to learn. Even truly learning-disabled students who cannot read because of the way they process information can progress if their problems are assessed early and treated correctly.

By shifting attention--and some resources--toward catching problems early before students fail, more can become competent readers. Special education is an expensive service and the wrong choice for children with long-ignored reading difficulties.