Students with Reading Difficulties
Diagnostic Testing
In recent years, early identification of students with reading difficulties has been emphasized to provide intervention programs to support their learning. Teachers who have been trained to use various diagnostic tools administer tests in Hebrew and Arabic according to curriculum benchmarks to identify reading difficulties among students. Specifically, Grade 1 teachers use nationally developed reading tests to diagnose reading difficulties and develop individually adjusted remedial programs. Additionally, an internal diagnostic test (Amit) aimed at mapping students’ learning skills is administered in many lower secondary schools at the beginning of Grade 7.8
Instruction for Children with Reading Difficulties
The policy for students with reading difficulties is to enable teachers to retain them in regular classes. For example, schools may divide large classes into smaller ones for part of the week, work with certain students individually to promote their reading competency, or provide students with reading difficulties with three additional hours of instruction per week by regular classroom teachers or teaching assistants. Students generally are directed to special education classes or one of the country’s few special education schools only as a last resort.