Nichole

This literacy profile reflects my assessment of Nichole�s literacy strengths and makes recommendations for instruction to improve literacy acquisition and achievement. Nichole is a 12-year-old female who has had a troubling childhood. She was born in Russia and lived there for the first six years of her life. At that time, a family from Texas adopted her. Nichole has two younger adopted brothers. Through a variety of circumstances with her adoptive family, she has been placed in long-term foster care. She currently lives in a group home in southwest Fort Worth with seven other middle school and high school �sisters�. Nichole and her family are hoping that she will be able to return home to live with them beginning this summer.
I currently tutor at the group foster home where Nichole lives. I have been tutoring there for three years and have known Nichole ever since she came to the home last June. Because Nichole lived in Russia as a young child, English acquisition is still a struggle for her. She is classified as an English as a Second Language (ESL) student at the school she attends in Fort Worth, but hates that label. She is working hard to do well enough in her classes and on her tests to be exited from the ESL program next year. She is an A-B student and is proud of the successes she has in school.
I first gave Nichole a traditional miscue analysis several weeks ago during an after-school tutoring session. After hearing back from Dr. Hirtle on what was expected on the miscue analysis assignment, I re-did the assignment and performed the assessment two weeks ago. We worked together Monday for 30 minutes, Tuesday for 15 minutes, and finished up on Thursday when we worked together for 30 minutes. Nichole had never seen the Ekwall/Shanker Reading Inventory (ESRI) before and was interested in results after each session that we spent together.

The first assessment I gave Nichole was the �San Diego Quick Assessment or Graded Word List (GWL)�. This section of the ESRI is to help determine a students reading level. This will help the teachers know which reading passage to begin with during the rest of the testing. Nichole�s independent reading level was at level five�this was the highest level where one or no words were missed. Nichole�s instructional reading level was at level six and seven�on these levels she missed two words. Nichole�s frustration reading level was level 8�this was the lowest level at which three or more words were missed. From these results I knew that I should start the reading passage portions of the test at the fifth grade level.

On the same day as the GWL was given, I also gave Nichole a chance to read from the basic sight word list. On this assessment, I put the twenty words from lists 6-9 on index cards. I flashed these cards for 1/2 second and asked Nichole to tell me the word. From Because of Nichole�s grade level, I began with list 6. Nichole read all 20 words correctly. On level six, Nichole got all twenty words correct. On list 7, Nichole missed the word �round�. On list eight, Nichole missed three words, �write, white, and drink�. When I went back and gave Nichole these three cards and asked her to read them to me, she did great, but she could not tell me these words using the 1/2 second flash. This tells me that although Nichole may not know all the sight words she is expected to know at her grade level, she has the decoding abilities needed to be able to succeed in a sixth grade classroom.

The final task I asked Nichole to complete on the first day was the reading interests survey. This survey asked open-ended question such as, �What are your favorite activities?� and �How do you feel about school?� The survey went on to ask questions about reading interests such as �What do you enjoy reading about?� and �What do you tend to read�books? Magazines? Newspapers? Internet?� The survey concluded with questions about Nichole�s reading experiences. This final section included questions such as, �Shat was the last book you read?� and �Do you think reading affects your life?� I watched Nichole as she completed this survey. I could tell that she was putting a lot of thought into answering these questions to the best of her ability. From the survey I know that Nichole reads every night before she goes to bed. The last book she read was Holes, which was read as a class this year in her reading classroom. Nichole likes to read and realizes that the more she reads the better reader she will become.

The first assessment I gave Nichole on the second day was the Oral Reading Passages Test. I began with the fifth grade level because of her performance on the GWL. Nichole did extremely well on the fifth grade level test making only 2 errors on a passage with 148 words. On the comprehension section of this test, she missed only one question. This passage was in Nichole�s independent reading level so we moved on to the sixth grade level test through the eighth grade level test. The results of the passages are as follows. Nichole�s independent reading level topped out at the sixth grade level where she made 2 errors and missed only one question for comprehension. Her instructional level was at level seven where she had seven word errors and missed two of the comprehension questions. Her frustration level was grade eight where she had 10 word errors and missed three comprehension questions. From the oral reading section of the ESRI I can tell that Nichole�s oral reading level is above where it is expected that a sixth grader should score.

The first section of the test that she took on the third day was the Silent Reading portion. Again I began with the fifth grade level test because of Nichole�s performance on the GWL. On this test, I timed Nichole as she read a passage to herself. I then asked her questions about the passage she read. On this section, I tested the fifth through seventh grade levels. The fifth grade level test is where Nichole was at her independent reading level. On this test she read at a medium rate (151 words in 52 seconds) and answered only one question incorrectly. The sixth grade level test is where Nichole found her instructional reading level. On this test she read at a medium rate (175 words in 64 seconds) and answered three questions incorrectly. On the seventh grade level test Nichole was at her frustration level. She read at a slow rate (162 words in 57 seconds) and answered 6 questions incorrectly. I could tell from her behavior that Nichole was frustrated on this level because some of the comprehension questions she did not even attempt to answer.

The final section of the test that was given was the Listening Comprehension test. I began with the fifth grade level again because of Nichole�s performance on the GWL. On this test, I read a passage aloud to Nichole and then asked her questions about what I read. On this section, I tested the fifth through eighth grade levels. The fifth and sixth grade levels were at Nichole�s independent level. On the fifth grade level passage Nichole did not miss any questions; on the sixth grade level passage, she missed only one. On the seventh grade level passage, Nichole reached her instructional level by missing two comprehension questions. On the eighth grade test, she reached her frustration level by missing five questions. Once again, she was so frustrated on this passage that she did not even attempt to answer some of the questions.

Because I screened Nichole three days after school, I wonder if being exhausted from a long day at school could have affected the results of these screenings. I never noticed Nichole unfocused, but I wonder if the test had given at school, would she have performed differently?
Nichole has the skills needed to become a great reader. Because of her ESL status, it is not a surprise to me that her listening level is a bit higher than her silent reading level. I believe that the more Nichole reads the better reader she will continue to become.
Nichole has good oral reading and decoding abilities. She can look at words that she might not know as sight words and figure out what they are. She struggles a bit with silent reading, but I wonder if this was because she knew she was being timed. I believe that if Nichole were encouraged to take her time and do her best when reading to herself, her silent reading comprehension scores would be higher. When Nichole hit her frustration level on all three of the reading passage tests, she tended to shut down and not even try to answer some of the questions. I believe that because of Nichole�s ESL status, her risk-taking component is lower than it should be. I believe that Nichole needs to be encouraged to take a chance and answer all questions to the best of her ability even though the answers she gives might not be correct.
In conclusion, I believe that Nichole�s reading abilities are right on target with where they should be as a second language learner in the sixth grade. I believe that Nichole�s continued exposure to the English language along with her ESL classes will give her the skills she needs to become an even stronger reader. From working with Nichole I know that her writing abilities are also a struggle for her. I have encouraged her to write in of a journal on a regular basis to practice getting her thoughts onto paper. I know that through Nichole�s desire to succeed and the tremendous opportunities she is given to become a better reader and writer, Nichole will continue to blossom and grow in literacy.