ALTA Levels & Books

The ALTA Literacy Levels

Beginner Literacy

Unable to recognise all 26 letters and their individual sounds.  

Focus:
Letter recognition, handwriting, most frequent sight words, phonological awareness, phonics – individual letter sounds, reading phonetically regular words and predictable books.    

Only at community classes

Level 1Literacy

Struggle with all reading except infant texts.  (Approximate reading age 5) 

Focus:
135 sight words, phonics (individual letters) for word recognition and spelling, breaking up words, reading simplified real-life text.  

Level 2Literacy

Read and write but slowly and often haltingly. Unable to fully complete many forms or read and understand newspapers and text related to their skill or subject area.  

Focus: Phonics – letter combinations for word recognition and spelling, breaking up words, reading fluency (simplified real-life text), spelling strategies and writing.

Spelling Programme

Fluent readers who have difficulty making the right spelling choices and often have to stop and think before writing a word.  

Focus: Phonics for spelling, spelling rules and spelling strategies.

Only at ALTA-V

Level 3Literacy

Read and write fluently but have difficulty with spelling and Standard English grammar. ALTA students move into Level 3 after successfully completing Level 2 or Spelling Programme and move on to School Leaving or CSEC English Language.  

Focus: Reading fluency and comprehension, vocabulary, writing, spelling, punctuation, Standard English grammar. 

Only at ALTA-V

Where does a student start?

Community classes: The tutor assesses the student’s level on the first day.  

ALTA-V and ALTA Online: Students complete the ALTA Online Assessment Book.    

ALTA has no tests but awards a certificate upon mastery of a literacy level or the ALTA Spelling Programme.

I lived most of my life not able to read or write. When I joined ALTA it was like an explosion. The Online classes gave me the urge to learn.

Level 1 graduate Glen Ross proudly displays his ALTA Certificate