Clackmannanshire Study
The literacy progress of 300 children has now been followed from grade 1 to grade 7.
Group 1 were taught traditional (synthetic) phonics.
Group 2 were taught analytic phonics. (footnote)
Group 3 were taught analytical phonics plus some phonological awareness training.

Training for each group consisted of 20 minutes per day for 16 weeks starting in early grade 1.
After 16 weeks children taught traditional phonics were;
* reading words 7 months ahead of their chronological age;
* reading words 7 months ahead of both group 2 and group 3;
* the best group at reading irregular words;
* the best group at reading words by analogy;
* spelling 8 months ahead of chronological age;
* spelling 7 months ahead of groups 2 & 3.

Children from the other 2 groups were then also introduced to the traditional phonics programme, completing it by the end of grade 1.

6 years later , by grade 7 the authors found that;
* the children taught the traditional phonics from the outset have maintained their superior reading and spelling performance.
* The phonics-first approach had also eliminated the literacy failure in males usually associated with analytic phonics.
* The phonics-first approach had significantly reduced the literacy failure normally associated with having a low socio-economic background.

These findings are consistent with VAS Theory expectations.

Traditional Phonics (also called Synthetic Phonics): Reading words by blending letter sounds & syllables (supported by the rules of spelling and grammar). Teaching is direct & content is structured & sequenced.

Analytic Phonics: The incidental teaching of first letter cues, word families etc. to support Whole Language learning, for example, while reading a ‘Big Book’ or during ‘Story Conferencing’.
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