In addition to testing the reading skills of ABE learners, the ARCS researchers administered a lengthy questionnaire, so we can give you more information about the people in Profile 3.

• Eighty (80) percent are Native Speakers of English (NSE).
  
  
• The average age is 35.
  
  
• The average number of grades completed is 9.

• Profile 3 learners read orally (not timed) with accuracy at a group average of GE 8.7.

  Readers are usually able to decode words more accurately in reading passages, where they can use meaning and sentence structure to recognize familiar words, than when reading words from word lists where there are no contextual clues to aid decoding. Differences between these two forms of oral reading exist for all Profiles except for those composed of the weakest readers (Profiles 9, 10, and 11), who read text word-by-word as if reading words on a list.
  

• Receptive (Listening) Vocabulary: (as measured by the PPVT-III)
  
  
  • The PPVT-III scores of Profile 3 learners range from "moderately low" to "low average." The PPVT-III assesses word knowledge by asking the learner to pick out one of four pictures that best tells about a word spoken by the examiner. This level of verbal ability has allowed them to comprehend text to their level, GE 10.9, even with limited word recognition ability. Their average GE of 7.1 on the DAR word meaning subtest (a test of elicited word meanings), "Tell me what X means," is also high enough to support their silent reading comprehension.
  
  
  
• Phonemic Awareness (PA): (sound deletion, as measured by the (Test of Auditory Analysis Skills (TAAS)
  
  
  • This group's average on the TAAS indicates only first level competence with phoneme deletion tasks. Only 20% are successful with all of the 13 consonant deletions tasks. They can delete the first and last consonant in a word, e.g., responding with "gay"  when asked: "Say game. Now say it again, but don't say /m/, " but most cannot delete a consonant that is part of a blend, e.g., responding with "lay" when asked: "Say play. Now say it again but don't say /p/." (A letter within bars, /m/, denotes the sound of the letter 'mmm', not the name.)
  
  
  
• Phonological Development: (pseudowords, as measured by the (Woodcock Reading Mastery Test - Word Attack subtest)
  
  
  • We would expect to find phonological awareness skills below mastery level.
    
    
  • 53% are unable to read nonsense syllables and words composed of regular phonetic letter and syllable combinations, e.g., zoach, phat, snolaker, and common non-phonetic letter and syllable combinations, e.g., igh beyond the "moderately low" range of difficulty.
    
    
  • Poor spelling is additional evidence of insufficient phonological development (and use of visual memory).

The average age of learners with this profile is 35. They have used their present approach to written material for many years. With such poor print (alphabetics) skills (word recognition and spelling), how do they read silently with comprehension at the average of GE 10.9? They probably have relied on support of context, known vocabulary, and background knowledge to read with understanding as well as they do. However, in the absence of stronger print (alphabetics) skills, this approach will not permit them to read more difficult text that will have unfamiliar words that may not be surrounded by known words or other clues to their meaning.

This group needs further instruction and practice in the recognition of individual words in isolation as well as in connected text. Profile 3 learners show a lack of the development of the foundations for reading acquisition and fluency: phonemic and phonological awareness. Their deficiencies highlight a need for mastery of basic decoding skills.

Browse Profile: Menu
	Description of the ARCS Comparison Profile 3
	Suggestions for Instruction for Profile 3 Learners
	Additional Profile 3 Information from the Research
	Comparison of the Three Profiles in the GED Group
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