This paper considers the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA), long out of use in the United States. It was developed by Sir James Pittman in England in 1959 as a plan of reading instruction with a simplified phoneme-grapheme correspondence that stressed consistency between symbol and sound. The paper lists the advantages and disadvantages of the ITA…

In assessing the effectiveness of the initial teaching alphabet, a survey included the professional opinions of British teachers who have used i.t.a. and a searching critical analysis of the published experimental research on i.t.a. (Author/RK)

Teaching beginning reading using the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.) was experimented with in a project which had the dual purpose of (1) providing educators with the opportunity to observe the use of i.t.a., and (2) determining the effectiveness of i.t.a. with Mexican American bilingual children. Twenty i.t.a. demonstration classes…

The purpose of this project was to test the effectiveness of i.t.a. in teaching reading to first grade students in the Portland Public Schools. Some of the elements of the experimental design included the following: one experimental--i.t.a.--and one control--traditional orthography (TO)--class was formed in each of ten schools; teachers and…

A two year pilot project studied difficulties of kindergarten-primary children learning to read via materials printed in the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA) who, because of immaturity, late development, low ability, or inability to speak English, were expected to experience reading difficulty. Of 39 children in the first year of the study, 20 used…

Discusses the hazards that the English language contains for children learning to read, reports the Bullock Report's recommendation to judge I.T.A. on its merits, and describes research findings suggesting that the probability of reading failure is considerably greater when T.O. is used than when I.T.A. is used. (GT)

To investigate the effect of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA) on spelling proficiency, a study was devised whereby seventh grade students who had been taught reading in the first and second grade using ITA were compared with students who had been taught in the traditional manner. Each group of students was tested on the spelling sections of two…

AN EVALUATION OF THE I/T/A READING PROGRAM AT THE LAKEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS CALLED FOR AN INVESTIGATION OF THE IMMEDIATE AND LONG TERM EFFECTS OF I/T/A INSTRUCTION IN READING AND VARIOUS AREAS OF LANGUAGE ARTS. AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP OF 93 PUPILS WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS, DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF I/T/A INSTRUCTION GIVEN. ONE GROUP HAD 1 1/2…

This longitudinal study compared the longterm effects of beginning reading instruction in traditional orthography (TO) and the initial teaching alphabet (i.t.a.) on two pupil populations comparable in intelligence, socioeconomic status, and preschool experience. Teacher and school factors were rigorously controlled. A continuous comparison of…

For student success in reading achievement, recognition needs must be met--each person desires to be recognized for things well done and for improvement over previous performances. This paper discusses how this can be done in the teaching of reading. The paper first enumerates and reports on selected past methods of reading instruction: initial…

The use of television as an aid for teaching the initial teaching alphabet is discussed with programing recommendations. (RK)