Bill, This is such a tough question! My colleague, who is the most amazing Wilson reading teacher and I were talking about this very topic. She works on remediation of decoding disabilities and I work on comprehension disabilities. The kids coming from the elementary schools have the most confusing and unclear IEPs we've ever seen in years! We can't get a straight answer from anyone, so we've had to find our own "starting point" which is so difficult! She does simple Morris-McCall Spelling tests to get an idea of where their spelling skills are in terms of grade level. I'm starting with basic 5th grade spelling words to see if they've retained basic spelling rules from last year. One thing the kids all are clear on, reading and writing is such a challenge for them! I'm currently doing writing journals on a daily basis to get a starting point of where they are, and hopefully what areas I can help them with. I am currently requiring them to write a two-paragraph essay on their favorite journal topic. Sounds easy, right? Oh my gosh, the variation within my small group class (12 kids) is incredible. I'm anxious to read what other folks are doing. Thanks for posting such a great thought-provoking topic!
Laurie Wasserman, NBCT/TLN Grade 6 Special Needs Teacher Medford, Massachusetts [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
