Point Pleasant Did Something about Reading!

Abstract

eye specialists of the county for the necessary corrections. Intelligence tests were given to determine the individual's mental ability, and the administration of reading achievement tests revealed the reading-grade level of each child in Grade III through VIII. For instructional purposes each of these grades was divided into three groups: above-average, average, and below-average reading levels. In addition to the daily reading programs in their respective classrooms, each group received special clinical instruction weekly. Group meetings were held over a period of several weeks for teachers from Grade I through high school. At these meetings the theory of reading, from the initial approach through the developmental stage, was presented, and an explanation was made of the function and the anomalies of the eyes and their relation to reading. Practical suggestions for classroom procedures and the importance of leisure reading were discussed, and references to materials for further professional study were provided. A room in the elementary-school building was adequately equipped as a clinic for both diagnosis and instruction. Shelves were built and stocked with a variety of instructional materials. A flashmeter, with supplies for making slides, was purchased to teach quick perception, a greater span of recognition, and speed in reading. The Betts telebinocular was provided for the purpose of ascertaining whether a pupil could see sufficiently well to read without difficulty. When the eyes of all pupils had been tested, the eye specialists of the county were invited to a conference at which the purposes 562