The Slippery Slide of "Reading Comprehension"

Dick Schutz · Post by **Dick Schutz** » Mon Aug 29, 2016 7:47 pm

The slope is a long slide that is so tedious and strung out that your eyes glaze over along the way. It runs: Research/Theory-->Curriculum-->Test Framework-->Test-->Test Score. At each juncture, a bait-and-switch occurs, but the slide goes unrecognized. However, the meticulous documentation by the UK makes it possible to follow the trajectory. I’ve excerpted from the UK documents, but the detail is still eye-glazing. To follow the trajectory, just read the large text. A link to the document is provided if you want the "whole thing", but you can also just scroll out of the excerpt if you find your eyes glazing—just go on to the next large font.

Theory/Research
We’re all familiar with the “Simple View of Reading”: Reading Comprehension = (Decoding x Language Comprehension). So far, so good.

Curriculum
“Language Comprehension” is morphed into “Reading – Comprehension” and defined by a wish list. Each listing is reasonable, but together the definition is a dog’s dinner. Note that the listing for Yr 6 is the same as for Yr 2—just fancier terminology.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... 220714.pdf

KS1 National Curriculum, Reading - Comprehension
Pupils should be taught to:
 develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by:
 listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classic poetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently
 discussing the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related
 becoming increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories and traditional tales
 being introduced to non-fiction books that are structured in different ways  recognising simple recurring literary language in stories and poetry
 discussing and clarifying the meanings of words, linking new meanings to known vocabulary
 discussing their favourite words and phrases
 continuing to build up a repertoire of poems learnt by heart, appreciating these and reciting some, with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear
 understand both the books that they can already read accurately and fluently and those that they listen to by:
 drawing on what they already know or on background information and vocabulary provided by the teacher
 checking that the text makes sense to them as they read and correcting inaccurate reading  making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done
 answering and asking questions
 predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far
 participate in discussion about books, poems and other works that are read to them and those that they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say
 explain and discuss their understanding of books, poems and other material, both those that they listen to and those that they read for themselves.

KS2 National Curriculum, Reading-Comprehension
Pupils should be taught to:
 maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:
 continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
 reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
 increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions
 recommending books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices
 identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
 making comparisons within and across books
 learning a wider range of poetry by heart
 preparing poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience
 understand what they read by:
 checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
 asking questions to improve their understanding
 drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
 predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
 summarising the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas
 identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
 discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader
 distinguish between statements of fact and opinion
 retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction
 participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously
 explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary
 provide reasoned justifications for their views.

Test Framework
We have now morphed into “English Reading” Tests. There is a separate Framework for KS1 and KS2, but the documents are identical. I’ve combined the listings (i.e. 1 or 2). The categories represent test items that are easy to construct but impossible to teach or to learn as such.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... k_PDFA.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... DFA_V2.pdf

Pupils working at the expected standard are able to:

*identify the meaning of vocabulary in context (1a)
*show an understanding of the meaning of vocabulary in context (2a)

*retrieve and explain relevant details from fiction and non-fiction to demonstrate understanding of character, events and information (1b)
* retrieve key details and quotations from fiction and non-fiction to demonstrate understanding of character, events and information (2b)

*provide developed explanations for key information and events and for characters’ actions and motivations (2b)
*identify sequences of events in a range of straightforward texts (1c)
*accurately and selectively summarise main ideas, events, characters and information in fiction and non-fiction texts (2c)

*make simple and general inferences based on the text (1d)
*make developed inferences drawing on evidence from the text (2d)
*explain and justify inferences, providing evidence from the text to support reasoning (2d)

*make simple and general predictions based on the text (1e)
*make developed predictions that are securely rooted in the text (2e)

*identify / explain how information in non-fiction is related and contributes to meaning as a whole (2f)
*identify / explain how the sequence of events in narrative fiction contributes to meaning as a whole (2f)
*identify / explain how the choice of language enhances the meaning of texts (2g)
*make accurate and appropriate comparisons within texts (2h)

Tests
I’ve commented on the tests in a previous thread. The tests can be accessed from that thread: "Full range of England's primary phonics, grammar, punctuation and spelling, and maths tests freely available"

Test Score
Reading status has been reduced to a “Scale Score” in which the distribution of scores has been forced into a bell-shaped “normal” distribution. Scores on all tests have the same mean of 100, irrespective of a student’s reading status.

End of slippery slide, but the consequences of the slide are enormous for students, teachers, and citizenry. England provides documentation of the slide, but the same trajectory exists in every Anglo country.