Final answer:
Basic phonological awareness issues can be overlooked by teachers in students beyond first grade, impacting reading and spelling fluency.
Step-by-step explanation:
Problems with basic phonological awareness may go undetected by teachers once students are past the first grade. This is option b of the multiple-choice question provided. Phonological awareness refers to the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds of spoken language, which includes phonemic awareness - the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in words. This understanding is crucial for reading and spelling fluency. Teachers may not always notice issues with phonological skills in older students because they expect these foundational reading skills to have been mastered in earlier schooling.