Reading comprehension levels of profoundly, prelingually deaf students in Victoria

Abstract

In the recent ministerial report on deaf education in Victoria, the predicted outcome of deaf school leavers was that they would only achieve a grade three or four level of reading. One hundred and ninety five profoundly, prelingually deaf students from grade four to year twelve in Victoria were tested using the Stanford Reading Comprehension test. Although the results showed a wide range of reading ability among the students, the overall mean reading grade equivalent was grade 5.0 and over 40% were reading at average or above average levels. Sixty-nine percent of deaf "school leavers " were reading at higher levels than the grade four level assumed in the Victorian ministerial report and the average "school leaver" reading grade equivalent was at a grade 6.0 level.