Stages of Reading
Development - Monolingual English
The following chart is a representation of how students progress
through the process of learning to read in English. This chart
reflects the stage indicators for readers of English as a
first language.
|
Stage |
Reading
Stages Indicators |
| Learning
to Read |
| Pre-Reading
Stage
Pre-Stage 1 |
Oral Language
Development. The Monolingual American English learner:
- is growing though the process of native language
development
- relies on their non-visual information and contextual
knowledge to begin reading
- knows the alphabet (if available in environmental
context)
- uses logographic information to make guesses about
words
|
Initial
Reading Stage
Stage 1 |
Decoding
- knows that letters represent speech sounds
- understands that speech sounds can be represented
by letters
- attempts to break the written language code
|
Confirmation
and Fluency Stage
Stage 2 |
Reading
Fluency
- reads orally
- reads written text with increasing fluency
- consolidates knowledge graphophonic English elements
and contextual meaning depending on the level of background
knowledge in monolingual American English
- progressively acquires orthographic knowledge of
words.
- reaches automaticity in word recognition
Note: Chall often calls this stage
as "more of the same", the learner needs the
opportunity to sharpen the skills of reading - translating
graphic symbols into meaningful language. |
| Reading
to Learn |
Reading
for Learning the New Stage
Stage 3 |
Reading
to Learn
- reads is to learn new information
- reading FLUENCY and GRAPHOPHONICS have been mastered
in English as L1.
- expands vocabulary
- builds background knowledge
|
Multiple
Viewpoints Stage
Stage 4 (high school) |
Multiple
Viewpoints
- analysis written expository and narrative text
critically
- analyzes what has been read and reacts critically
to the different viewpoints encountered
- reader deals with learning from multiple viewpoints
- understands multiple points of view
|
| Construction
& Reconstruction Stage
Stage 5 (college) |
(Re)
Construction
- reading serves to integrate one's knowledge with
that of others, to synthesize it
|
L1 – Primary/Native Language
L2 – Second language
Adapted from: Chall, J. (1983). © by
Professor Maria de Lourdes Serpa (1983,2005).
To learn more: Chall’s
Stages of Reading Development
Stages of Reading Development
for Spanish and Portuguese Speaking Students who are
Learning English
Students who read in Spanish or Portuguese at the Reading
for Learning the New Stage already know how
to read. Learning to read only happens once. These students
access reading in English as a new language at the Confirmation
and Fluency Stage for oral reading and Reading for Learning
the New Stage for silent reading.
The following chart represents how students progress through
the process of transferring reading skills from Spanish or
Portuguese to English. This chart reflects the stage indicators
for readers of English as a first language. The grayed-out
areas indicate the stages that students who read at the Reading
for Learning, the New Stage in Spanish or Portuguese,
have already achieved.
|
Stage |
Reading
Stages Indicators |
| Learning
to Read |
| Pre-Reading
Stage
Pre-Stage 1 |
Oral
Language Development in the FIRST LANGUAGE – The
student:
- is growing though the expected process of his/her
native language development (a monolingual American
English learner)
- relies on their non-visual information and contextual
knowledge to begin reading
- knows the alphabet (if available in environmental
context)
- uses logographic information to make guesses about
words
|
Initial
Reading Stage
Stage 1 |
Decoding
– The student :
- knows that letters represent speech sounds
- understands that speech sounds can be represented
by symbols letters
- attempts to break the written language code
- knows how print represents language and, therefore,
does not need phonics instruction again
- needs to be allowed to go through the developmental
process of acquiring English in order to transfer
reading skills to the new language in a way that is
consistent with reading as meaning-making
Note:
The Spanish- or Portuguese-literate student is at Stage
3 in his or her first language, and at the Beginning
level of English Proficiency. This type of student: |
Confirmation
and Fluency Stage
Stage 2 |
Reading
Fluency – The student:
- reads written text with in creasing fluency
- consolidates knowledge of graphophonic elements
in English and contextual meaning depending on the
level of background knowledge in monolingual American
English
- progressively acquires orthographic knowledge of
words
- reaches automaticity in word recognition
Note: The Spanish-
or Portuguese-literate student is at Stage 3 in his
or her first language, and at the Beginning level of
English Proficiency. This type of student:
- reads orally with the pronunciation
patterns and linguistic influences of Spanish or Portuguese.
(Linguistic influences from Spanish or Portuguese
are predictable.)
- doesn’t sound fluent
and appears to be a struggling to read This doesn’t
mean that the student doesn’t know how to read.
This only means that he or she is using the reading
skills from Spanish or Portuguese to access English
reading
- has a consolidated knowledge
of the graphophonic system of Portuguese or Spanish
- reads silently and understands
written text equivalent to his/her background knowledge
and level of English proficiency even though he/she
is not yet able to pronounce the English words orally
|
| Reading
to Learn |
Reading
for Learning the New Stage
Stage 3 |
Reading
to Learn – The student:
(Note:Spanish- and Portuguese-literate
students at the Beginning Level of English Proficiency
will access English at this stage.) – This type
of student:
- reads to learn new information (equivalent to their
development and background knowledge)
- will transfer fluency and graphophonics to English
as a new language. (Reading fluency and graphophonics
have been mastered inSpanish or Portuguese)
- expands his/her vocabulary
- builds cultural and linguistic background knowledge
|
Multiple
Viewpoints Stage
Stage 4 (high school) |
Multiple
Viewpoints – The student:
- analyzes written expository and narrative text
critically
- analyzes what has been read and reacts critically
to the different viewpoints encountered
- reader deals with learning from multiple viewpoints
- understands multiple points of view
|
| Construction
& Reconstruction Stage
Stage 5 (college) |
(Re)
Construction – The student:
- reads to integrate his/her knowledge with that
of others, to synthesize the information
|
Adapted from: Chall, J. (1983 ). ©
by Professor Maria de Lourdes Serpa (1983,2005).
Reading Assessment in
a Multilingual Context
Assessment of reading in a multilingual context can be conceptualized
in many different ways. Among them is the idea of developmental
reading stages, which describe reading performance indicators
that can be clear, descriptive and understood across many
languages.
Dr. Serpa’s favorite model is the one proposed by Jeanne
Chall, as described in the book Stages of Reading
(1983). Dr. Serpa has adapted and used that model in her assessment
practice since the book was first published in 1983.
For Dr. Serpa, the grade level descriptor was too vague and
difficult to operationalize in reading for different languages.
For example, as a teacher of Portuguese reading in Portugal,
she observed that almost all her first- grade students achieved
the Reading for Learning, the New Stage,
in first grade. She observed the same thing in a Portuguese
Bilingual Reading classroom in the United States when linguistically
responsive methodology was used.
The same applies for Spanish-literate students
who are learning to read in English. This is a very important
finding in the age of standards. Recognizing this fact clarifies
that students bring funds of knowledge to their reading, a
fact which has significant impact on their reading achievement.
|
