Assignment 7 - CASE STUDY FINAL PROJECT (100 Points)

(BENCHMARK ASSIGNMENT)

An in-depth, comprehensive assignment designed to reflect 10 4 weeks of work.

Application of a Reading Fluency Methodology:

1. Select a student who needs assistance with reading fluency and reading rate.
The student that I selected was "Timmy".

2. Select a method or methods to use to document progress (e.g., CBM, charting results, one
minute timings. Great Leaps).
The method that I used to document progress was charting results. (see chart file)

3. Write a measurable IEP goal for a 10-week-period.

When given ten survival words, he will be able to correctly read nine words when measured by
me with weekly assessments using a word list, by April 30th, 2015.
Baseline: Five words correct out of ten.

4. Provide instruction to the student for 15-30 minutes 3 times a week (if possible) for 10
weeks.
I was able to provide instruction once a week for fifteen minutes over a four week period, pulling
him aside in the classroom during stations at a table to work privately with me.

5. Prepare a written summary. For the summary:

a. Write a brief description of the student and his or her reading difficulties. Include any
past history that would be relevant.
"Timmy" is a fifteen year old seventh grader in a self-contained classroom receiving aide
assistance for functional academics. His area of eligibility is a moderate intellectual disability.
Thomas can be very cooperative when he wants to be, but has many breakdowns in behavior,
especially after lunch. I mention this only because his behavior can significantly and adversely
affect his progress in the general curriculum. Some days he genuinely tries his best, and other
times I am told that he comes to school in a foul mood, and it persists throughout the entire
school day. He is prone to refusing to do as he is asked, and is known to throw things, such as his
personal belongings, out of anger. He likes to be in charge and takes pleasure in being the center
of attention. When things are not going his way he has a tendency to shut down, and just say, "I
don't know." or "I don't care."

He is able to express himself verbally to get his needs and wants addressed, but tends to use
simple, short "me" sentences that lack proper grammar and/or syntax when attempting to answer
questions. He is able to read a few survival words (bus, boy, stop, go, girl), and match pictures to
simple survival words (nine out correctly). He is at a picture level for comprehension, and is able
to label some letters. He needs to continue to work on identifying letters of the alphabet. He also
needs to improve on his comprehension skills using picture cues, as he tends to guess or just pick
what he wants and not necessarily what is the correct answer. He requires computer programs,
iPad activities and the use of pictures to enhance his learning.

b. Select a method or methods for building reading fluency.

The method that I used was to make and show flash cards with survival words printed on them
(see attached) to Timmy and work with him to sound out and/or recognize the words correctly. I
would show them one at a time, and then go through the ones he missed a second time.

c. Implement the method.

I worked with Timmy once a week for fifteen minutes over a four week period. I showed him the
flash cards, and helped him to recognize and read the words aloud.

d. Discuss the effectiveness of the method(s) with the student.

The flashcards were very effective with Timmy. He was very eager to please me, so he worked
hard and focused on the task at hand. He seemed to pick up at least one word a week, but
sometimes he would backtrack, and we would have to relearn a word over again.

e. Make a recommendation for further instruction.

I would recommend that he continue building his fluency by learning and practicing new
survival words. He responds very well to one-on-one instruction, and would benefit from weekly
individual activities that enhance his classroom vocabulary work.

f. Write a revised IEP goal based on the results.

When given fifteen survival words, he will be able to correctly read thirteen words when
measured by a teacher or aide with weekly assessments using a word list, by May 30th, 2015.
Baseline: Nine words correct out of ten.

yes

no

in

out

on

off

go

stop

up

down