Hi, Linda. I have a question. Maybe in Canada there's a different version of
the BAS, or could it be that your school is using another system? Maybe the
Rigby? There is 1 Fiction and 1 Nonfiction text at each level of the F&P BAS
system, with no alternate texts. The DRA had an alternate text, and the
Rigby PM assessment kit had a couple of sets. Just curious. Thanks. Cathy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda Rightmire" <linda_rightm...@yahoo.ca>
To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group"
<mosaic@literacyworkshop.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 9:26 AM
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] fountas & Pinnell BAS
Hi Jacqueline,
Our school is smaller (1 or 2 classes per grade level). Without looking up
the current F & P info -- the set we have included an 'alternate' binder so
that you could make sure the student was working with unseen text (a new
little book, that is, new to him or her). At that, one set (including the
second binder) was adequate, in that they were housed on a shelf in one
primary classroom. Because of the pressure during the several weeks prior to
report card periods (due dates), you need to manage your class time well to
get individual assessments done and get the binder back to its 'home' shelf
each day. We keep the originals of the recording sheets in a separate small
binder and plenty of copies (perhaps ten) in sleeves with each small
assessment book in the big binder. So each teacher was probably in and out
of that shelf several times over a three week period. People did need to
mindful of the needs of others and there was pressure on the system in being
the demand for the actual binder. Sometimes a teacher will just take out a
group of ten or so of the books (plus sleeves with assessment pages),
knowing that's the range they'd be working in that day, to leave the rest
free for another teacher. There is a fair bit of informal communication
between classrooms and over the staff room lunch table as to who is using
what.
To sum up, it took some good will and cooperation -- but the one set (with
alternate) was adequate. It sounds like a school your size would need two?
It was easy to use (if you are used to running records) . By data management
you probably mean the single sheet on which a student's "level" is tracked
over several years -- yes we used that. These were required by admin, but
they were easy to keep up and also very useful.
Only one cautionary note -- just occasionally you'd have a student whose
home background was limited and he may need 'the alternate', being that
maybe he's never been skating or what have you -- something a little too
unfamiliar to be a fair assessment.
Hope that helps,
Linda Rightmire
South central British Columbia, Canada
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