Reading Readiness
Learning how to read English – certainly for young students who are learning to read their first language – critically depends upon their having a firm grasp of several basic elements. Without such reading readiness, learning to read will likely be a shaky endeavor focused largely upon rote memorization. If these students are indeed ready to read, then the process of learning to read can be an exciting adventure that opens a whole new world.
The Reading Readiness Assessment software component of Reading Buddy 2.0 evaluates students' proficiency levels for each of the critical pre-requisites for success in any learning to read instructional program.
Available in two versions, Abbreviated and Comprehensive, the assessment procedures determine students' mastery of the alphabetic letters (both lowercase and uppercase), 2-letter blends, the digits 1-10, and their ability to discriminate consonants and vowels. It taps students’ ability to name every letter and to produce the sound associated with every consonant.
The Abbreviated version presents a critical subset of these items so that teachers can quickly determine a student's readiness. If a student is sufficiently accurate, the teacher is advised to direct the student’s focus to the core of the Reading Buddy 2.0 software -- learning The 6 Secret Codes. When students do not achieve an appropriate score, the teacher is advised to administer the Comprehensive Reading Readiness Assessment that probes more fully and specifies which of the Reading Prep Games would be helpful in bringing those students up to speed.
Access to the Abbreviated version is available in both the free evaluation version and the fully licensed version of Reading Buddy 2.0. The Comprehensive Reading Readiness Assessment is provided only in the licensed software.
That children do not have sufficient reading readiness until they reach kindergarten age is an urban myth. Reading readiness does not depend upon a student’s chronological age. As long as students have mastered a few basic skills, they are ready to read. Reading professionals generally agree that the essential prerequisite skills evaluated in the Reading Buddy 2.0 Reading Readiness Assessment are the keys to success in learning how to read.
