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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1985-10-16, Page 24• • Tests found to re invalid By Alan Rivett CLINTON - Many elaborate psychological tests designed to predict learning problems in children are inaccurate, says a professor and researcher in the field of early school failure in children. According to Dr. Marvin Simper, an associate professor' of Psychology at the University of Western Ontario, kits such as the dial test and the Miller Assessment Test, used in the U.S. and Canada, have been found through research to be invalid in predicting if a child is at risk of early school failure. He says they're long, taking an average of 90 minutes to administer, and based on myths about learning problems. Dr. Simner was the guest speaker at the ninth annual meeting' of., the Huron -Perth Centres for Children and Youth held at the Clinton Town Hall. The need for an early identification pro- gram is great, he says. A study carried out by the London Board of Education three years ago found 16 per cent of children in elementary school had failed one of more grades with the failure rate being the greatest in Grade 1. He advocates a more simpler method of screening pre-school children. It takes one to two minutes per child and involves both the teacher acid parent. "These other methods take time. Some people believe you have to have a lot or spend a lot of phoney for it to be worthwhile. But there are supple things you can do and be just as effective," he said in respect to how a child will do in set tool. The methods are called teacher and parent inventory. 'Che parent inventory in- volves three questions concerning the child, while the teacher inventory consists of five different 'areas in which the students are assessed. he said. The first sign of a child with a potential learning problem is one who is easily distracted or has a short'attention span. The second sign is a child who lacks verbal fluency. Dr. Simner says this is not the size of the vocabulary, but how a child uses con- cise words to describe an.abstract idea. in- • terest and participation is also considered when assessing the child. If the child is en- thusiastic and eager to participate in school, they are highly unlikely to have learning problems. How we11 a child knows the alphabet before entering Kindergarten is also an irn- . port ant warning sign. The Kindergarten ag- ed child should know the alphabet in random order. If the child knows less than 25 per cent of the alphabet, there is the potential for problems later • on in school. he said. • Printing errors are, also used in the evaluation of the child. Distortions of the. yerall shape of the letter to the c'itent that they are no longer recognizable are clear signs a learning problenms will develop, said Dr. Simner. Printing traits once thought to be sure signs of learning problems such as Township of Tuckersmith RATEPAYER'S MEETING will be held on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22 at the HURON CENTENNIAL SCHOOL RRUCEFIELD Commencing at 8:00 p.m. All Ratepayers Welcome J.R. McLACHLAN ' Clerk -Treasurer Township of Tuckersmith HURON CUSTOM SERVICES *Custom Combining *Corn;*Soybeans Ready To Serve 'You GRAINBUGGY . TRl'CKS AVAILABLE Will Quote Any lob • Competitive Rates DONALD GEIGER OR HOWATT BROS. 236-4865 523-4500 Campbell Appliances Your local Central Vacuum Certfres DON'T LUG A VACUUM - PWG INA BEAM! Central Vacuum Sales 8. Service Centre Beam Systems are: 1) Quieter 4) Healthier 2) Cleaner 5) Quicker 3) Easier 6) Able to clean any surface And will last a housetime tool t(heck with us for th s ,nonth'. spoon') . Come and si'p them at Campbell Appliances 63 Main St. Exeter (Lower Level) Phone: 235-1501 1)r. Margin Shinier reversals I b's for d's 1 or writing names backwards have very little bearing on how a child will do in school. III order for the teacher. to assess the students, a scale of one to five is used for each of the five categories. if a child scores in the 11, 12 in. 13 range, the odds are 2:1 of early school failure. If a child scores lower than 11, the chance of failure increase to 7:1. He says researcli has proven,this system to be accurate with 85 per cent of the children who are at the bottom end of the scale will have trouble in school. The parent ,assessment is similar to the one used by the teacher, but it only consists of three items that are used to dcterniine at - risk childrent. He says the.inforniation gain- ed from tis method of evaluation is 70 to 80 per cent accurate in predicting early school failure. The three questions Included in the assess- ment are: -How many books appropriate to your child are available at home'? If a parent says one to five books, the chances are greater for learning problens early in school. -How many letters of the alphabet can your child name correctly? If the child can only name one to five letters, he is likely to have problems in school. Dr. Sininer said sr,to,' parents don't teach their pre-schoolers the ' alphabet because they may become bored in Kindergarten. However, this works in the .reverse. The child who has done some learn= ing before entering school, is less likely to be bored. .-I1nty do 'you think your child will do in school in relation to other children'' If a parentrates their child as average, the child will likely be at the bottom of the class whereas a child rated above-average will likely be in the middle of the class. Dr. Simner says these methods of assess- ment are still in the infant stages. The manual for the teacher and parent inven- tories are yet to be published but the positive feedback from educators and its ac- curacy in predicting children with learning problems should make it a more viable system than is Currently being used in schools. Some misinformation has been written about children with learning pro- blems, especially in the press, says Dr. Simner. Slow learners are not those who are clumsy or born late it the year. They are not typically male and•are not the last born. He says there are now a number of pro- grams in place to help the child at risk of early school failure. These programs have been in place in the United States since the early '60s and a nutlber of key principles have been found over the years to work with Ute best results. The material to be taught should be carefully organized and in the proper se- quence in order for the child to learn. Children also work better on a one to one basis with the teacher or in small groups of two or three. The instructions in the classes should be kept supple and the leacher must get the attention of the child and keep it if t hey arc to learn. "If a child is going to learn you have to have their attention on what you want theta to learn," he said. One particular program in remedial education called Distal- places the emphasis on getting the child to be attentive, he said. In a Distal- classroom, the children are close around the teacher who is dynamic and told to be dynamic in order to hold the children's attention. The children are frequently called to,answer questions and the classroom is neat and orderly so there is nothing Io distract the children. When they are work- ing on a project, work is done on rugs which serve as a confined work area to further limit distractions. Dr. Simner says this type of program is' available in some schools, but some remedial teachers are not comfortable with the "drill -sergeant" approach to education. Also important ' to remedial training is having the child involved in the learning process. The more the child is involved the mire lie -she will pick up, he says. Consistent use of positive reinforcement also increases the amount of learning the child ac- complishes. Remedial programs should be started as early as possible and children should be kept in the program as long as possible. Research has.':shown that the earlier the child is in the program and the lunger he -she stays init, the better they will do in school. Most importantly, says Dr. Simner, is not Turn to page 6A GUNTON NEWS-REt O D. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1.6,1985—Pa As A. Homeowner There Are Many Ways To Lose Big. Protect yourself against most kinds of loss. Call about the Homeowners' package policy. lf' • SOUTH EASTHOPE FARMERS' MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY STEVE MURRAY INSURANCE BROKER LTD, .R.R. 112, Dublin, 345.2172 e3A Township of Stanley NOTICE OF NOMINATIONS • Notice is hereby given to the Municipal Electors of the Township of Stanley that Nomination Papers may be filed in the office of the clerk commencing Thursday, October 17 and concluding Monday, October 21 at 5:00 p.m. for the position of: A) • REEVE B) • 1 MEMBER TO THE HURON COUNTY • DEPUTY -REEVE BOARD OF EDUCATION • 3 COUNCILLORS for the Township of Stanley and the Village of Bayfield Each of the members so nominated, if elected, are to serve a 3 year term, 1986- 1987-1988. The required Nomination Forms may be obtained from the Clerk's Office and must be completed filed with and accepted by the Clerk by the above deadline. For further information regarding the procedure under the Election Act, contact Mel Graham CLERK TOWNSHIP OF STANLEY R.R. 1 - VARNA 482-7907 Deliver your 1985 Soybeans and Corn to your closest W.G. Thompson Elevator Fast unloading, with a complete marketing system backed by our own Brokerage Department. All branches ready to serve you with extended hours ensall 262 2527 348.843 Grantor, 2252360, A xsfar Cr!>q .293.4222 Pari. ..Albert '294901: 7901