The assessment of stages described in this session provides survey data that can be useful in determining the point of a student’s achievement along a continuum of steps from pre-reading to mature skills. For instance, it is possible using stages data to determine that a student could delay vocabulary development while concentrating on decoding skills because the student cannot read most words in his/her existing vocabulary.

The stages of reading development examined in this session are based on those described by Chall (1983,1996). She identifies the following six stages: Stage 0/Pre-reading, Stage 1/Decoding, Stage 2/Confirmation, Stage 3/Reading to Learn, Stage 4/Multiple Viewpoints, Stage 5/Construction and Reconstruction.

Stage 0/Pre-reading

In this stage, the student has acquired the knowledge that letters have meaning, that letters when grouped together stand for words, and that words, groups of words, written stories, and books have meaning. The student, therefore, has an awareness of an association between letters, sounds, words, and stories.

Stage 1/Decoding

At Stage 1, the student is actually reading. Words are beginning to be sounded out based on an awareness of letter sounds. Reading, however, is slow and laborious. The student’s reading vocabulary is far behind the spoken vocabulary. The slow speed and limited reading vocabulary result in poor comprehension.

Stage 2/Confirmation

In Stage 2, the student reads with some fluency. New words are sounded out but many words are recognized without the need to break them into smaller parts. Comprehension is accelerating and the student can read and understand about one-third the number of words in their listening vocabulary. Reading is still slow and fluent text reading is a year or more behind the level of texts used in the classroom. Reading is painful.

Stage 3/Reading to Learn

At this stage, the mechanics of reading have advanced to the point that the student can read words that are not in his or her spoken vocabulary. Understanding lags behind the skill of reading. Poor comprehension results in student frustration and reduced effort.

Stage 4/Multiple Viewpoints

At this point, the student is beginning to take information from different written sources and points-of-view and create a more complex understanding of the issue.

Students can compare, contrast, and synthesize written information. Study skills and reporting still require development.

Stage 5/Construction and Reconstruction

At this advanced stage, the student reads fluently, understands most of what is read, can integrate with other life experiences, forms opinions, and creates new meaning.

At the secondary school level students with a learning disability and who are in alternative education read with skill that falls between stages 1 and 4. Specific stage related instruction will be described in the Reading Instruction Module.