What can cause a sudden regression in kriah fluency?

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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling

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amother

OP ↓

Thu, Jul 18 2024, 9:56 pm

Please help me try to figure this out. My first grader tested above grade level in kriah fluency up until around March. I didn't know anything was up until the end of the school year when I got a phone from the principal letting me know that he's now below grade level which was very surprising to me. He told me to practice kriah daily religiously this summer and get a tutor if it doesn't improve. I'm doing that and its pretty slow going but we're trying. It's not sitting right with me though, he had a the skills and they did daily kriah practice in Yeshiva all year. Any idea what can cause this? I'm worried.

amother

Daphne

Thu, Jul 18 2024, 10:01 pm

Do you have any idea where the breakdown occurred? Sometimes kids get stuck as things get harder. What was the class reading when he started to fall behind?

amother

Violet

Thu, Jul 18 2024, 10:01 pm

Exactly the same for my son. As soon as he started reading in English his kriah fluency dropped. I really think he’s just not interested anymore in kriah.

amother

Cinnamon

Thu, Jul 18 2024, 10:05 pm

Have his eyes checked

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Jul 18 2024, 10:16 pm

So they completed all kriah rules in pre-1A last year and this year they just spent some time every day on practice. So he was reading fluently for the first half of the year, its not like he got stuck on some of the rules or anything.

I do have an eye exam scheduled bc I noticed that he rubs his eyes while reading sometimes, but not while reading English.

cbsp

Thu, Jul 18 2024, 11:37 pm

amother OP wrote:

Maybe ask the provider doing the eye exam if they check vertical tracking. Hebrew has nekudos which require the eyes to look above and below the letter before moving horzontally whereas English doesn't. Then there's also the differences in direction of how each language is read... If you're going to a Jewish doctor explain what you're seeing in terms of the differences in the languages.

Could also be related to the size of the print, font, white space on the page, space between letters/words, distance the print it held while reading, etc

amother

Ecru

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 1:34 am

Did you know that the official way they test fluency is based on words per minute during a timed assessment?

My daughter was doing above age level and then suddenly dropped below age level. I was alarmed and brought her to a friend’s relative who does kriah assessments in a nearby school to see if she agreed with the assessment.
We discovered that my daughter’s school (as many schools do) kept the assessments low-pressure by not actually informing the girls that they were being timed word per minute. Since she genuinely had no idea that timing made a difference, my daughter casually took her time during the assessment: She leisurely read while also looking around at the posters hanging in the room, the view out the window, the morahs boots, etc

Since the assessments were final until mid year, Her school insisted on sending her out to kriah groups which she loved because she got prizes without effort needed.

In anticipation of another assessment, I told her that if they ever call her to a random kriah Morah to hear her read, she should show them how fast she can go.

The school tested each girls progress mid year and my daughter made sure to read fast. The person who did the assesment was amazed , she never saw such a leap in kriah fluency progress before.

amother

Antiquewhite

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 1:48 am

I would look for a physical reason like eye exam but not only!
OTOH maybe give it some time to readjust to now being able to read in both languages and it will even out

cupcake123

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 7:00 am

Any other things happen at the same time? Any other regressions? I'll get hugged but pandas kids can have a major regresion in skills ...I hope that's not the case

oohlala

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 7:50 am

If the school uses a screening tool like madyk or similar (similar to dibels) the benchmark scores rise over the school year and the level of fluency may have not been enough to get your kid in the “on level” zone.
I would just work on fluency if this is the case and not worry too much as long as the child is accurate. My daughter tested below benchmark in first grade for kriyah and I was surprised because she was quite accurate. But it was because she was slow and reading words in syllables and not blending fluidly. She’s in fifth grade now and her kriyah is fine. Her school has a review program and there is kriyah hw three times a week grades 2-5. You gotta use it or lose it, so don’t give up on the practice. Def also get the eyes checked just in case.
(I am a literacy coach/specialist, but I generally do not deal with kriyah)

SYA ↓

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 8:02 am

Have you tried Torah for Children’s Kriah Evaluation to help pinpoint where the kriah difficulty may be?
Torah4children.com/evaluation

* It must be done on a desktop. It does not work on a mobile device.

You can also call the number on their website for a private evaluation.

↑ SYA

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 8:03 am

For the younger grades daily Kriah practice is very important. Even 2 minutes of reading can make a huge difference in retaining the skills and picking up fluency.

amother

DarkGreen

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 9:00 am

I agree with the eye exam. Make sure it includes assessing tracking and convergence. And we read differently with our main language, fill on the gaps more naturally, etc.

teachkids

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 9:26 am

It probably wasn't a regression, just not a progression to the new expectations. So yes, deal with it, but don't panic

amother

Aqua

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 9:35 am

cupcake123 wrote:

Any other things happen at the same time? Any other regressions? I'll get hugged but pandas kids can have a major regresion in skills ...I hope that's not the case

This was my thought too, but only if it's an obvious regression meaning actual loss of skills, not just on a screening or some other sort of exam.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 9:47 am

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. We were able to push his eye exam up to today so I'll update iyh on the results. Will definitely mention the tracking, and the dr is frum so hopefully we'll get some answers soon!

amother

↑ OP

Fri, Jul 19 2024, 10:09 am

amother Ecru wrote:

Funny that you mention it bc I made them retest for this reason. This happens to be a very laid back kid and he never rushes even when he's asked to. So retesting the score improved somewhat but still below grade level, when earlier in the year it was about 10 wpm faster without rushing. That's what puzzles me the most is that he had the fluency and lost it.

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