Instruction-assessment connection of inference tasks for literacy-delayed students

The project will explore an instructional program in listening to develop inference abilities, higher levels of comprehension, for second graders who are eligible for a Chapter I reading program. In many cases, children who are not achieving in accordance with their estimated potential are viewed as having lower levels of intellectual abilities. Remedial readers are not necessarily poor thinkers. Usually, their listening ability reflects a higher level of thinking-language ability {Hansen, 1981). Because of the commonality in listening and reading tasks, instruction in listening supports emerging reading abilities {Smith, 1994; Cambourne, 1988). In this proposed project, instruction in inference tasks will be offered through the listening mode as a means of fostering delayed learners\u27 comprehension abilities. The children\u27s progress will be described through exhibits collected in a portfolio for each child