What does Reading and Spelling Age Tell Us?

INFORMATION SHEET NUMBER 16

By Penny Allcock

What does Spelling Age and Reading Age tell us?

• Can act as a guide to an individual’s success in learning objectives.
• Can help understand a pupil’s attitude in class.

Reading Ages and Spelling Ages below 8 years.

• Very low RA usually relates to very low SA.
• Basic rules for literacy have not been absorbed with maturity.
• Pupils will have very low self-esteem and low self-confidence.
• They will worry about being asked to read aloud.
• Reading back notes copied from the board will be impossible.
• Any information given during a writing task will not be known because writing needs all their concentration.
• Copying may be letter by letter and the lines may be confused so there may be many errors.
• Many pupils would rather be seen as clowns or lazy or just awkward, avoiding public failure.
• Keywords and diagrams will be easier to access for revision.
• Information on tape or video would retain interest.
• Alternate lines of different colours will make copying easier.

RA and SA between 8 and 10 years.

• Some pupils move forward with reading skills but their problems with spelling are still evident.
• They can access simple text without hidden meanings, so may appear to manage with TA and peer support.
• These pupils are still preoccupied with literacy skills and will miss large chunks of information and understanding unless they are frequently checked orally.
• Praising the efforts and successes of this group is just as necessary as understanding the needs of the first group.
• Pupils reading under 10 years are eligible for a reader at GCSE. This is the only way they can demonstrate subject knowledge.
• Keywords with diagrams will be helpful.
• Encouraging questions and answers will raise confidence and self-esteem.
• Words with more than 2 syllables will be very difficult.

RA above 10 years but below 14

• These pupils will not want to be noticed in class.
• They realise that their literacy skills are limited.
• Managing strategies will have been developed but their skills are not good enough to reflect the true level of understanding.
• Not eligible for readers or writers in examinations unless their handwriting speed is slow (see handwriting info).
• Almost certainly these pupils will have problems interpreting written questions in a stressful situation.
• Strategies developed probably revolve around the beginnings of words and so the difference between chloroform and chloroplast may not be noticed without help.

The readability level on last year’s GCSE foundation English Language paper was 14years and a PE paper from an earlier year was 17 years.

It may be helpful for you to be able to work out readability levels: Find 10 consecutive sentences, count the number of words with 3 or more syllables. Multiply the number by 3 then find the closest square number. Take the square root, add 8 and you have the readability level!!!!