Development of Curriculum Based Measures in Arabic to Identify Pupils with Reading Disabilities in Grades 1-4 in Oman

Acquisition of well-developed literacy skills is a critically important developmental landmark for children. A substantial body of research highlights the drawbacks associated with delayed or disordered acquisition of reading skills (Al-Otaiba Fuchs, 2006). Children who are poor readers tend to continue to struggle with literacy skills, and read less than their peers who are more skilled in reading. As a consequence, children who are poor readers tend to receive less practice in reading and less exposure to content knowledge, vocabulary, and other language skills than do children who are more skilled in reading (Lonigan, Alan, Lerner, 2011). Reading and reading-related skills are likely to remain stable from an early point in school (Wagner et al., 1997). Longitudinal studies indicate that children who are poor readers by the end of the first grade almost never acquire average-level reading skills by the end of elementary school without substantial and sustained remediation efforts (Al-Otaiba Fuchs, 2006). Reading Disabilities (RDs) refer to a number of difficulties in reading related-processes which pupils experience due to neurological related causes, atypical brain functioning as well as atypical informal processing. Known as the most common learning disability (LD), RDs have severe academic, social and emotional consequences on pupils. In western contexts, epidemiological studies show that the number of pupils with LDs in schools ranges from 15% to 30% of the pupils' population. Of all pupils with LDs 70%-80% have deficits in reading (Christo, Davis, Brock, 2009; Veuillet et al., 2007; Silver et al., 2007). In general, diagnostic models of pupils with RDs have been informed by several competing models, the most important of which are the discrepancy and the Response to Intervention (RTI) models. Given the increasing number of pupils with RDs in early years of elementary schools in Oman and the fact that identification and diagnostic practices have been inadequately shaped by mere labeling as guided by the discrepancy model, the purpose of the current research project is to adopt a different approach in identifying pupils with RDs (Emam Kazem, 2014). The new approach is grounded in the RTI model which relies on simple and easy to administer procedure for screening and identifying pupils with RDs. The procedure is known as curriculum based measurement (CBM). As such the current research project aims to develop Omani curriculum based measures that both LD and general education teachers can use to screen for RDs in grades 1-4.