We have been doing DIBELS to check progress since long before they had a website, additional progress monitoring materials were not available, and we used the same readings 3 times a year. I share that because we have done the whole pendulum swing thing. Before we had Reading Recovery in the building, speed was the focus. With 2 of us (along with others) pushing and pulling we got that turned around to, the reading should be fluent enough to make sense and sound right. We tell the kids that if they are too fast, the time on that reading will not be counted. It is easy to demonstrate how reading at 140 - 150 words a minute (give or take) should sound - and most of our kids (k-4) don't need to be reading new material any faster than that (even the exceptional ones) but should be making progress to be there by the time they move to 5th - because that makes their life easier. (If they can read at that rate it is much easier to get through any homework....) Time in the classrooms is spent on reading with understanding - and everything that makes that happen... A small amount of time is given to building fluency for those that benefit from extra rehearsal with that skill. (I do have a title group from 3 and 4 with a fluency focus - because that is the bit that is holding those kids back - and I do not use a package program, but pull from a variety of sources and activities.) Since DIBELS added readiness skills, we (as a group of professionals) have been tweaking the balance between teaching the test process and identifying those that are actually missing the skill. We have gone away from thinking of it as a OMG, if they aren't proficient, they will always have problems reading, to thinking of it as one snapshot of what that child was demonstrating that day with that tester. Progress monitoring (getting another snapshot) and/or practicing the testing skill may be all that is needed to move that child from additional intensive instruction... Having materials that check snapshots helps to identify most kids in a timely fashion. But if all you do with that information is test them again, then it is a waste of time. If you choose to use that information to choose which kids do or don't need to spend more time with short vowel sounds or saying words slowly or reading using all cue sources - even punctuation - whatever, then do that - progress monitor to see if what you are doing is making a difference - then make some more professional decisions. You have a lot more information in your head about that child, coupled with data from the testing - whatever it is - can give you permission (justification if needed) to do something to help that child. Overwhelming sometimes? Yes, but that is why I do what I do. And that is why I am reading listservs, professional materials, talking with colleagues, pushing back with some, supporting some, and asking for support from others. And why I ask, quite often in fact, when is this job going to get easier? I do appreciate the fact that I am not being forced to use a "program" for each deficiency - and that I work with people who give and take and tweak new ideas/suggestions - and share, share, share! We continue to look for cost/time effective, quick and easy, provide helpful information progress monitoring, though!!! Beth _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
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