Reading and Writing Levels in New Zealand
“When I told my teachers I wanted to be a writer, a lot of them encouraged me to lower my expectations and to be more realistic. So I rode away on my magical, winged horse, spraying faerie dust behind me, and laughing maniacally as I went.” M. E Vaughan.
At Summit, we don’t cherry pick a solution for your child’s reading and writing. We look at their development across the critical periods and transitions where evidence-based research shows that improvements can be made to increase equity and excellence.
Only working on an isolated or piecemeal intervention is not going to make a difference, and neither is using the same intervention over and over again, without testing for mastery.
There are four sensitive periods and three transitions in your child’s reading and writing. At all stages, we assess formally and informally to assess strengths and challenges in detail.
| Period or Transition | Factors | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| ‘Emergent literacy period’ before formal schooling begins at around age five. | Literacy and language profiles differ vastly for every child. These come about from individual neurological profiles, as well as exposure opportunities to literacy. | Reading with children; telling and retelling stories; and the use of progress and quality measures in early learning services |
| Transition to school | These individual profiles are not always understood in mainstream schools. | We assess formally and informally to assess strengths and challenges in detail. |
| Period of Years 1 - 3. | A child’s initial differences in literacy knowledge and skills can become more obvious. | Structured phonological awareness, shared (or dialogic) reading; guided (instructional) reading; shared and instructional writing; personalised high quality dialogue; and home reading and writing. |
| Transition around Year 4 | A child’s literacy progress typically slows down at this stage. | We use further screening and diagnostic tools to inform effective teaching and resources for learning needs. |
| Period of Years 4 - 8 | Literacy skills needed for specific subjects put on more pressure, like Science and Maths. Again, more exaggerated differences can be seen. | Structured phonological awareness, shared (or dialogic) reading; guided (instructional) reading; shared and instructional writing; personalised high quality dialogue; and home reading and writing. A high literacy ‘diet’ in specific subjects. |
| Transition from primary to secondary schooling | These individual profiles are not always understood in mainstream schools. | We provide detailed and accessible student data records and narrative reports. |
| Period of Years 9 - 11 | Analysis and critical literacy skills become even more important, as well as high level subject-specific literacy skills. | Structured phonological awareness, shared (or dialogic) reading; guided (instructional) reading; shared and instructional writing; personalised high quality dialogue; and home reading and writing. A high literacy ‘diet’ in specific subjects. |
Testimonials
"We were desperate to help our son’s self-esteem and confidence. Enrolling him at Summit Point restored his belief in himself."
"Being encouraged to demonstrate his knowledge using educational technology has helped remove barriers to my child’s learning and made him less anxious about tests and assessment."
"The teachers at Summit Point go above and beyond to nurture the different learning styles of students."
"Rebecca supported us to understand our child’s strengths and challenges and find a way to foster his love of learning."
"We have been working with Summit for almost a term and my word, our daughter has come a long way since she started at the school."
"It’s a hard decision sending your child to a ‘special’ school, but now we’re out the other side, we realise how much our daughter needed the attention and environment that Summit Point offers."
"Her time at Summit gave our daughter the space and time to learn at her own pace, be recognised for her talents and participate in the running of the school."
"Graduating from Summit, our child is a confident learner and has a range of strategies which have helped her transition to high school."