I have taught third for the past five years and our district started
using DIBELS for 3-5 students. K-2 may use them also, but I am not
really sure. My biggest beef is that students entering third grade are
never really reading on grade level yet they are according to the
state's K-2 assessment (NC). I always have students who are at level
31-32 when they level second and yet when they test on the pre-EOG many
of them are below grade level. (Until recently I had no idea that the
K-2 assessment allowed teachers to prompt the students, etc. No wonder
it doesn't correlate with a standardized test given in the first two
weeks of school with no assistance of any kind!) We were also required
to do a Critchlow Vocabulary assessment and several group assessments
on spelling and comprehension. I am not sure how to answer the
question of what we do with all this information. We record it in
several different places and use it to make decisions involving
retention, further testing, etc.
Rosie
-----Original Message-----
From: hccarl...@comcast.net
To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group
<mosaic@literacyworkshop.org>
Sent: Wed, Jun 24, 2009 9:40 am
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Running Record/Reading Level Question(s)
Our district has used both Rigby, Fountas & Pinnell and the DRA. (Don't
ask me why; but teachers in this district have A LOT of autonomy.)
First grade teahers wanted to stick with Rigby even though we needed
the higher levels that are offered in the DRA kit. Then when F & P came
out, I asked some teachers to pilot it because we used the F & P
leveling system in our guided reading room.
You are absolutely correct in that ONE system should be used. I hoped
we could get to the point where a committee comprised of teachers who
used each of the leveling systems could come together to identify ONE
assessment for the district that would be admnistered two or three
times each year. I hoped that would be reported to the district, but,
alas, it wasn't. So, teachers really used the data for the classroom
which was great for the teachers, but the district couldn't identify
trends.
Jennifer is correct, though, in stating that the district needs to
identify how the data will be used. If it is just for the teacher, then
it doesn't really matter. However, if it is to track progress for the
district, then it is extremely important for the district to have one
system in place. We found great differences in the three assessments.
Also, I can't emphasize enough the importance of staff development. We
had first grade teachers who would assess the students just on the
running records and kind of ignore the comprehension part. When the
students entered second grade, there was a big discrepancy (even after
teachers took the loss of reading over the summer) between the
comprehension of the students. That's why I liked the F & P--it had
both fiction and non fiction and gave specific comprehension questions
with points for possible answers.
Now, however, we have a new administrative team in place. Teachers will
only be allowed to use the adopted basal testing program (Don't get me
started!) Also, the district uses MAPS for grades 2 - 8. To the
teachers' credit, they want to continue using running records because
it offered them so much information. (I retired because of the basal
issue.)
Carol
----- Original Message -----
From: "Angela Almond" <angela_alm...@scs.k12.nc.us>
To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 8:54:26 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
Subject: [MOSAIC] Running Record/Reading Level Question(s)
I apologize in advance for this very lengthy and somewhat rookie
question.
I have been teaching for 6 years. My first year I was told I needed to
complete running records on each student. That was it. No kit (didn't
even know there was such a thing at the time) and no benchmarks or
goals
as to what fourth grade students should be reading at. I went into the
Literacy Lab and made my own kit, pulling books from the leveled reader
library. I did running records on each student 3 times that year with
no
clear purpose or goal. My second year, a Literacy Facilitator was
hired.
When I asked her about it, she told me my kit was fine and gave me a
guide
as to what levels were expected at each grade level. I was told that
fourth grade needed to be reading at a level 40 by the end of fourth
grade. That said, our leveled readers only went up to Level 40. So I've
never been exactly clear as to what was expected of fifth grade.
A few years ago, we got a new Literacy Facilitator. She made new
levels.
Third grade students should be reading at a Level 32 by the end of the
year, fourth grade a Level 36, and fifth grade a Level 40. Once again,
I
thought this was terribly convenient, since our leveled reader library
only went to Level 40. Also, she told us to formally assess the
students
every month.
Suddenly, halfway through this school year, our principal decided
everyone
should have a kit for doing running records. He polled each teacher.
K-1
had one kit (not sure of which one), 2-3 had Rigby, I (fourth grade)
had
my own make-shift kit, and fifth grade had a DRA kit. One was ordered
for
me. It was Rigby. It only goes up to Level 30 so this year I could have
used it on a total of 2 students.
I became very confused and began researching. Everything I have seen,
says that students should be reading at a Level 38 by the end of third
grade.
I guess my questions are: Is it normal for schools to be so haphazard
with what assessment they are using? What (if they exist) are standard
expected levels for each grade? I am unfamiliar with DRA but the DRA
kit
that fifth grade uses has Level 24, 28, 34, 38, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80.
What about the in-between levels? Our North Carolina End-Of-Grade tests
are lexiled. Shouldn't the levels we expect our kids to be reading at
match the state tests?
I know all of this is very elementary and I should have probably
figured
this out before now. However, I am very confused about all of this (as
you may be able to tell in my ramblings) and have asked all of this to
our
Literacy Facilitator who keeps telling me to just keep doing what I've
been doing. Please help me understand this! If you have any great
books,
websites, or other resources, I don't mind learning on my own. I just
need some guidance because I just can't seem to wrap my mind around
this!
Angela Hatley Almond, NBCT
Fourth Grade
East Albemarle Elementary School
All email correspondence to and from this address is subject to North
Carolina Public Records Law which may result in monitoring and
disclosure
to third parties, including law enforcement.
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http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.
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