Question 1

Which standardised assessment does PLD recommend? Is there a list which can guide schools in their selection process?

Accepted Answer

**When investigating the options to assess single word reading and spelling skills, there are many testing options available on the market. The list below provides some of the basic tools available to schools that are relatively easy to access, are cost effective and relatively time efficient to administer. **

Different tests source different information. For any test you need to know what information you need & select the range available. Unfortunately, PLD does not provide this type of advice to schools.

None of these assessments can be purchased through PLD. It is recommended that schools contact ACER or the company providing these assessments directly. ACER has education consultants available to provide information on the specific tests. The consultants are available on the following email: sales@acer.org or on the toll free number: 1800 338 402

| Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Tests:

Heggerty Phonemic Awareness assessments features assessments tailored to Australian schools. These assessments contain a baseline, mid year and end of year assessment across all years and can be downloaded free of charge from the Heggerty website. The assessments reflect the typical progression of teaching through the Heggerty program, and provide a helpful overview of student phonemic awareness skills. Each assessment varies in length, between 35 to 45 questions in total.

[Phono

Question 2

What is the difference between base words and root words?

Accepted Answer

What is the difference between a base word and a root word?

Base words are similar to root words, but they are not exactly the same.
A base word is a standalone English word that can also form other words by using prefixes and suffixes (whereas, root words cannot always be used as an independent word).

| Root Words:

Root words come from Latin or Greek.
They aren’t usually words that can stand alone in English.
For example: For example,** _aud _**is a Latin word root that means to hear or to listen.
**Aud **doesn't mean anything on its own in English — that is, you can't use it as a stand-alone word.
It is the root of common English words like auditorium, audio, audience, and audition, all of which have to do with hearing someone or something. | Base Words
Base words, on the other hand, are always words that can stand alone in English. These words have meaning on their own, but they can also have prefixes and suffixes added to them to make new words.
For example, cycle is a full word in English, but it can function as the base of other words when affixes are added. Modern linguists suggest that a base is any form you can add affixes to.
Cycle is the base word, or the simplest form of the word without any prefixes or suffixes added.
Prefixes can be added to make words like bicycle, tricycle and motorcycle.
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Question 3

There is so much confusion surrounding sight words. Do you have any tips?

Accepted Answer

Sight words are a special high frequency category of words that students are instructed to recognise automatically. The term ‘sight word’ can mean several different things: high frequency words; phonetically irregular words; or familiar words that require no effort to recall (orthographic lexicon or sight vocabulary). When educators refer to sight words they are usually referring to high frequency words, some of which may be phonetically irregular. When learning high frequency words, instant recognition is important due to the frequency at which these ‘sight words’ occur. While the end goal is that most words become automatic and firmly embedded in a child’s orthographic lexicon, how this ability is developed and how sight words are instructed are often a cause of confusion.

| How does combining phonics and sight word instruction benefit our beginning readers? It is well established that students require simultaneous instruction of phonics and sight words. Both sets of skills have been shown to assist beginning readers develop a better understanding of the text. Research tells us that the process by which words become a part of the orthographic lexicon is through orthographic mapping which builds on the skills of phonemic segmentation (sounding out) and letter-sound knowledge. Automatic recognition of the words by ‘sight’ is the end product that is achieved through systematic and explicit teaching.

A complication with sight word instruction is that a proportion of the sig

Question 4

What does PLD stand for?

Accepted Answer

| PLD stands for Promoting Literacy Development, which we do with our resources which deliver outcomes across 3 core areas: ${color}#000000, ${color}[#000000](Oral Language )and ${color}[#000000](Movement & Motor).

In the early years of PLD, this stood for Preventing Literacy Difficulties. Today, we operate as PLD, which stands for Promoting Literacy Development

PLD provides an Australian, evidence-based approach to Structured Synthetic Phonics (SSP) for primary school educators. Aligned with the Science of Reading, PLD’s SSP approach extends from the junior primary years through to upper primary years and thereby facilitating a whole school approach.

PLD’s method is derived from the disciplines of speech pathology, occupational therapy and education. As an Australian publisher and professional development provider, PLD advocates that literacy and learning outcomes are maximised for children when their Literacy, Oral Language and Movement & Motor skills are targeted.

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You can learn more about PLD here.

Additional readings related to who is PLD? https://pld-literacy.org/pld-wins-2018-primary-publisher-of-the-year/ [https://pld-literacy.org/wp-content/upload

Question 5

PLD Screening tools? Which tests do I use?

Accepted Answer

In line with PLD's Teaching Sequence Manuals, the PLD Screening & Tracking Manuals outline:

What to screen?
When to screen?
How to screen?
How to report on the data collected?

Download the year level specific manuals here: Early Years Foundation Year 1 & 2 Year 3, 4, 5 & 6

Question 6

Can I request the PLD excel tracking sheets to enhance the school’s implementation of PLD by tracking student performance each term?

Accepted Answer

For a comprehensive guide to using the PLD Screens and Tracking Sheets, as well as demonstration videos presented by Diana Rigg, please see the year level specific pages:

Early Years including the Screening & Tracking Manual along with a training video Foundation including the Screening & Tracking Manual along with a training video Year 1 & 2 including the Screening & Tracking Manual along with a training video Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 including the Screening & Tracking Manual along with a training video

Time-efficient screening and tracking of student development is central to the PLD process. The termly screens will assist teachers to determine the range in ability evident within the classroom, cluster students into three targeted teaching groups and set targeted learning foci for the term ahead. PLD advocates tracking from the Early Years to Year 6. To assist this process, PLD supplies school-wide tracking sheets that have already been set up for use.

The sheets that have been set up in the document include:

A tab labelled "Read this first" with instructions on how to download the document.
A sheet for tracking skill development in the Early Years.
A sheet for tracking pre-lit

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