Kevin began school in an English-speaking environment, but due to family difficulties was taken out of his home and placed in foster care. He was then forced to go to a French school and speak only French at home. He decided at that point that he did not want to learn anything and became a behavioural problem in school.
Kevin quit school at 15 and spent his time on the road taking any kind of labour jobs he could get. He spent a few years in jail in his early twenties and has worked since then with his brother as a mechanic.
Now, in his late thirties, Kevin would like to be able to read well enough to increase his chances of getting a good job. He also does not want to have to depend on anyone to read his mail or help him with personal decisions.
Assessment
Word recognition
Kevin could recognize some words if they were presented in context, (e.g., stop
on a stop sign.) He could read only 70 per cent at the pre-primer level on a graded
word list.
Comprehension
Kevin was not able to read passages in his assessment, but when read to, he had a
very clear understanding of the story. His recall of details was very acute, as well
as his overall impressions of the stories.
Writing
Kevin was unable to write anything other than his name. He did reproduce the
alphabet but did not remember the exact order. Kevin did not feel comfortable in
this part of the assessment.
Summary
Kevin was a very well-spoken gentleman. He was most anxious to get started with his schooling, and displayed a keen awareness of the amount of work that would be involved. He did not appear to have unrealistic expectations of himself or the program. His comment was, “I want the chance to do it right this time.”
McCullough, C. (n.d.). Learner profiles: Pat, Chol Thung, Jill and Kevin. Calgary, Alberta: Bow Valley College. Training material. Used with permission.
Handout 6.7