Reading Assistant Plus User Guide. For educators, providers, and parents using MySciLEARN

Reading Assistant Plus User Guide For educators, providers, and parents using MySciLEARN October 2017

Copyright 1996 through 2017 Scientific Learning Corporation. All rights reserved. This document is supplied subject to the terms of the Scientific Learning Corporation license agreement. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Names, data, and other information used in examples and exercises herein are fictitious. Trademarks Fast ForWord and SciLEARN are registered trademarks of Scientific Learning Corporation, registered in the U.S. and certain other countries. MySciLEARN and Reading Assistant are trademarks of Scientific Learning Corporation. Third-party trademarks Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, Mac, ipad, iphone, and itunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. ATOS is a registered trademark of Renaissance Learning, Inc., and its subsidiaries, registered, common law, or pending registration in the United States and other countries. Lexile is a trademark of MetaMetrics, Inc., and is registered in the United States and abroad. Other brands and their products are trademarks of their respective holders. Trademark symbols are used only in the first occurrence of a trademarked name. Contact us Scientific Learning Corporation 1956 Webster Street, Suite 200 Oakland, CA 94612-2040 888-665-9707 510-444-3580 (fax) www.scientificlearning.com Customer Support 888-358-0212 (US & Canada) 520-917-1200 (International) www.scilearn.com/contact

Contents Contents 3 About this guide 5 Using this guide 6 PDF guides & manuals 7 More resources 8 1 About Reading Assistant Plus 9 About the program 10 About the science 10 About implementation 11 About the activities 12 2 About Reading Assistant Plus content 13 Content structure and design 14 Reading levels 15 High interest/low reading level content 16 Reading Assistant Plus content list 17 3 Explore Reading Assistant Plus 18 Explore the library 19 Explore a reading 21 Check progress 22 More tools 23 4 Word Wall activity 25 About the Word Wall activity 26 How students work on Word Wall 27 How Word Wall rewards progress 29 How students complete Word Wall 29 5 Step 1 Preview and Read activity 30 About the Preview and Read activity 31 How students use Preview and Read 32 How Preview and Read rewards progress 35 How students complete Preview and Read 36 3

Contents 6 Step 2 Read and Record activity 37 About the Read and Record activity 38 How students work on Read and Record 39 How students get help while recording 40 How students complete a reading and play a recording 41 How Read and Record rewards progress 44 How students complete Read and Record 45 7 Step 3 Take the Quiz activity 46 About the Take the Quiz activity 47 How students work on Take the Quiz 48 How Take the Quiz rewards progress 50 How students complete Take the Quiz 50 8 Review student progress 51 Reading Assistant Plus achievement goals 52 Points report 55 Fluency report 58 Selection report 62 9 Complete Reading Assistant Plus content 64 Complete a training session 65 Complete an activity 68 Complete a selection 69 Complete a library 70 Glossary 71 4

About this guide About this guide Learn how this guide is organized, what's new, and how to get more help. What's in this chapter Using this guide 6 PDF guides & manuals 7 More resources 8 5

About this guide Using this guide The Reading Assistant Plus User Guide is for educators, providers, and parents who would like to understand how learners use the Reading Assistant Plus product within MySciLEARN. It includes the following information: An introduction to the science of Reading Assistant Plus and how it works. A detailed review of the student s experience while using Reading Assistant Plus, including in-depth descriptions of the various reading activities within the program. Simple steps on how students can view their progress and success in Reading Assistant Plus. To learn how to implement student training sessions, see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. 6

About this guide PDF guides & manuals MySciLEARN provides the following user guides and teacher manuals, accessible in MySciLEARN Help. You can also browse our extensive MySciLEARN Toolbox library for documents on how to successfully implement the programs. General user guides MySciLEARN User Guides: Administrator and Teacher User Guides MySciLEARN Reports User Guides: District, School, and Teacher User Guides MySciLEARN System Requirements MySciLEARN Content Server Guide MySciLEARN Student Update Administrator Guide Fast ForWord Program User Guide Fast ForWord Program ipad User Guide Fast ForWord Program ipad User Guide - Parents Reading Assistant Plus User Guide Reading Assistant User Guide Reading Assistant ipad User Guide Reading Assistant ipad User Guide - Parents Reading Assistant Plug-in Install Guide Offline resources for English learners Fast ForWord Offline Resources for English Learners Reading Assistant/Reading Assistant Plus Offline Resources for English Learners (Elementary) Teacher manuals Fast ForWord Language v2 Teacher Manual Fast ForWord Language to Reading v2 Teacher Manual Fast ForWord Literacy Teacher Manual Fast ForWord Literacy Advanced Teacher Manual Fast ForWord Reading Readiness Teacher Manual Fast ForWord Reading Level 1 Teacher Manual Fast ForWord Reading Level 2 Teacher Manual Fast ForWord Reading Level 3 Teacher Manual Fast ForWord Reading Level 4 Teacher Manual Fast ForWord Reading Level 5 Teacher Manual Reading Assistant Teacher Resource Guide Reading Assistant Plus Use the Offline Resources for English Learners as a resource guide 7

About this guide More resources MySciLEARN provides several methods for getting help. MySciLEARN Help Use the Help link at the top of any page in MySciLEARN to access MySciLEARN Help, which provides user-specific help topics and downloadable PDF guides. PDF manuals Prefer documents to online help? Download our user guides, specifications, and teacher manuals in PDF format. Access MySciLEARN Help to download them. MySciLEARN Toolbox MySciLEARN Toolbox provides access to all program training information, including teacher materials, video tutorials, and staff training. Access it from http://help.scilearn.com/toolbox. Knowledge base Our knowledge base provides troubleshooting articles and tips on using the software. Go to http://scilearn.force.com/support. Support If you need further assistance or have more questions, contact Scientific Learning Customer Support. Customer Support Web Email Phone Hours www.scilearn.com/company/contact-us support@scilearn.com 1-888-358-0212 (US & Canada) 1-520-917-1200 (International) Monday - Friday 5 AM - 5 PM PT 8

1 About Reading Assistant Plus 1 About Reading Assistant Plus Use the following topics to learn the basics about the Reading Assistant Plus program. What's in this chapter About the program 10 About the science 10 About implementation 11 About the activities 12 9

1 About Reading Assistant Plus About the program Reading Assistant Plus is the new, enhanced version of Reading Assistant, our digital guided reading tool. In addition to the features available in the first generation of the program, Reading Assistant Plus provides new student and teacher resources to deliver an even greater comprehensive guided reading experience at school or at home and includes brand new content, with hundreds more passages planned for future releases. Feature Patented speech verification technology that provides real-time corrective feedback Automatic calculation of words correct per minute (WCPM) Reading Assistant Reading Assistant Plus Comprehension and vocabulary reports Word Wall academic vocabulary preteaching activity Reading selections assigned by reading level and/or genre New content and genres Infinite scroll e-book layout For recommendations on how to integrate Reading Assistant Plus into your current implementation plan, see MySciLEARN Toolbox. For Reading Assistant Plus instructional plans and lessons, use the Reading Assistant offline lessons for English learners, available in MySciLEARN Help. About the science Reading Assistant Plus pairs advanced speech recognition technology with scientifically-based reading interventions to help students strengthen their reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. First, Reading Assistant Plus guides the student as he/she previews vocabulary, listens to a model fluent reading of the selection, reads the selection silently, and then responds to comprehension checks. Then, using patented, research-validated speech recognition and verification technology, Reading Assistant Plus listens as the student reads a passage aloud, providing immediate feedback when a student mispronounces or struggles with a word. Finally the program assesses the student s understanding of the passage by asking questions designed to close the student s comprehension skill gaps. For an in-depth look at how our speech recognition technology works, see our whitepaper Reading Assistant Plus Technology for Guided Oral Reading. To learn more about the activities in the program, see About the activities. 10

1 About Reading Assistant Plus About implementation Scheduling the program As a general rule, students should use the Reading Assistant Plus program for 20 to 40 minutes a day, three days a week, with more time recommended for older students. When planning your implementation, choose the scheduling method that's right for you. Let Reading Assistant Plus set and manage how many minutes a student spends using the program each day. The program will automatically let the student know when it's time to stop. Choose how long you want the student to use the program each day (20, 30, or 40 minutes), then let Reading Assistant Plus manage your student's time. Opt out of the Reading Assistant Plus schedules entirely and manage the student's time on your own. For more details on schedules and how to change them, see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. Tip: For recommendations on how to integrate Reading Assistant Plus into your current implementation plan, see MySciLEARN Toolbox. Completing the program Students complete Reading Assistant Plus in several stages. See Complete Reading Assistant Plus content to learn how students complete a training session, an activity, a reading selection, and a library. 11

1 About Reading Assistant Plus About the activities When using Reading Assistant Plus, students practice three critical reading activities plus a vocabulary preview while reading a wide variety of content. To learn more see About Reading Assistant Plus content. Word Wall activity. Before a student starts the main activities in a selection, Reading Assistant Plus lets students explore important words from a selection. This vocabulary preview helps English learners build comprehension and fluency while learning the pronunciation of some important English words from the upcoming activities. Step 1 Preview and Read. Reading Assistant Plus invites the student to listen to a model fluent reading of a text, to read silently at his or her own pace, and to review word definitions. To improve the student s comprehension of the selection, the activity includes Think About Its questions and activities based on the current text. Step 2 Read and Record. Using research-validated speech recognition and verification technology, the software monitors a student as he or she reads aloud, providing the much needed practice that benefits all readers. If necessary, the software provides assistance when the student is challenged by a word. Step 3 Take the Quiz. After reading the selection aloud, the software challenges the student to answer comprehension questions about the text. When using a recommended progression method (locked or student-selected), the student must complete an activity before moving on to the next activity, and must complete all activities in a selection before moving on to a new selection. The student can return to a completed activity at any time to work on it again. Instructions language Reading Assistant Plus provides English instructional text within the activities. As an alternative, you can choose to present this text in Spanish. To learn more see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. 12

2 About Reading Assistant Plus content 2 About Reading Assistant Plus content Use the following topics to learn how Reading Assistant Plus organizes student content. What's in this chapter Content structure and design 14 Reading levels 15 High interest/low reading level content 16 Reading Assistant Plus content list 17 13

2 About Reading Assistant Plus content Content structure and design Based on age and reading ability, learners have a wide range of reading needs. To address these needs, Reading Assistant Plus provides engaging content across a variety of levels, including: Hundreds of leveled reading selections aligned with state standards, including science, history, and social studies A range of reading levels to allow for differentiated instruction A variety of genres to support elementary to high school curriculum, including both literature and informational text at all reading levels High interest/low reading level selections across a variety of reading levels, for students in middle school and beyond needing intensive reading support Use the following table to get familiar with the basics on content structure and design. Library Reading level Selection Activity Content progression Schedule A set of selections (texts) that can be assigned to a student. Reading Assistant Plus lets you create your own libraries within assignments. The difficulty level of the selections within a student s library. See Reading levels. An individual text to be read by the student.to learn more see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. A set of required tasks within a selection. Each selection includes three main activities: Preview and Read on My Own, Read and Record, and Take the Quiz; along with a short Word Wall activity to preview vocabulary within the selection. See About the activities. How a student moves (progresses) through the content in their assigned library. Locked only lets the student move through the content as it is ordered within the library. Student-selected lets the student choose the order in which they move through the selections. Unlocked lets teachers demo the program, providing access to any activity in any selection at any time for classroom instruction.to learn more see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. The length of time a student spends using Reading Assistant Plus each day. You can choose which schedules your students use, if any. To learn more see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. 14

2 About Reading Assistant Plus content Reading levels Because every classroom includes students with a range of reading abilities, each selection in Reading Assistant Plus has been carefully evaluated for readability and then leveled using the following widelyadopted leveling systems. ATOS grade equivalent The Lexile Framework for Reading Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Level ATOS grade equivalent To help identify the complexity of the readings, each selection has been assigned a grade equivalent from Renaissance Learning s ATOS Readability Formula. For example, a grade equivalent of 1 identifies text that is suitable for a typical first-grade reader, while a grade equivalent of 2.5 identifies text that is suitable for a typical second-grade reader who is halfway through the year. The ATOS Readability Formula may not be as accurate for selections with fewer than 150 words. Those selections show an asterisk within the program. The Lexile Framework for Reading The text of each selection in Reading Assistant Plus has been analyzed by MetaMetrics to determine the Lexile text measure. Each Lexile text measure is based on two strong predictors of a text s difficulty: word frequency and sentence length. The text-analyzing software assigns a Lexile measure based on these analyses: Text that contains many common or high-frequency vocabulary words yields a low Lexile measure. Text that contains words that do not occur frequently in common usage, such as subject-specific academic words, yields a higher Lexile measure. Sentence length is a general predictor of difficulty. The analysis software counts the number of words in each sentence and calculates an average sentence length. Text with a shorter average sentence length yields a lower Lexile measure than text with a longer average sentence length. Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Level Each selection in Reading Assistant Plus has been associated with a Guided Reading Level based on the widely accepted research done by Fountas & Pinnell, as presented in Leveled Books, K 8: Matching Texts to Readers for Effective Teaching (Heinemann, 2005). Guided Reading Levels A Z with A being least difficult are determined through an analysis of the text with respect to genre, text structure, content, themes and ideas, language and literary features, sentence complexity, vocabulary, words (length and complexity), illustrations, and text features. Reading Assistant Plus includes a few selections that exceed the highest Guided Reading Level (Z). Those selections are leveled as NA within the program. 15

2 About Reading Assistant Plus content More about reading levels Non-prose text such as poetry cannot be analyzed and leveled according to the same criteria as prose, so non-prose selections are labeled NP. To help you create assignments that include non-prose text, only those NP selections that fall approximately within the chosen reading level range will appear. This way, high school students won t be assigned nursery rhymes and first graders won t be reading Charles Bukowski. Because reading levels do not correlate across readability measures, you may notice some slight variations across the measures. The reading levels for a selection will vary across the measures. For example, a selection might have an ATOS level of 7.5 (the middle of 7th grade), a Lexile measure of 950 (7th - 8th grade), and a Guided Reading Level of NA (high school to adult). The number of selections in a reading level range will often vary across the measures. For example, the default ATOS range includes approximately 20 selections while the default Lexile measure includes approximately 30 selections. High interest/low reading level content Reading Assistant Plus provides high interest/low reading level selections across a variety of reading levels, for students in middle school and beyond who need intensive reading support. For example, the selection Skateboarding! includes content designed to appeal to an older student, but written at a 3rd grade reading level to accommodate a struggling reader in middle or high school. This is also referred to as high/low or hi/lo content. You can choose to include high/low content while making new student libraries. 16

2 About Reading Assistant Plus content Reading Assistant Plus content list You can view the selections available in Reading Assistant Plus, along with their associated reading levels and complete texts, during the assign process. Follow these steps: 1. In MySciLEARN Manage section, click the Students tab to access the Students page. 2. Choose a student from the list and click the student s name to open that student s profile (it s OK if they have a Reading Assistant Plus assignment, but they cannot have a Reading Assistant assignment). For students without an assignment, click the New Assignments button in the Assignments section and choose Reading Assistant Plus. For students with an existing assignment, click the Edit button to open the student s Reading Assistant Plus assignment. 3. Choose Make New Library from the Choose a Library menu, then select any reading level measure: ATOS GE, Lexile Measure, or Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Level. 4. Move the reading level sliders all the way to the left and right so that all selections are in view. 5. Select Include High/Low selections (high interest/low reading level). 6. Scroll through the selections to see the titles and the associated reading levels for all three measures. Use the Filter by Genre menu to see how the selections are classified. Click a selection title to view the entire selection text. 7. Click Cancel to exit the assignment without making changes. 17

3 Explore Reading Assistant Plus 3 Explore Reading Assistant Plus Learn how students navigate their assignments while using Reading Assistant Plus. What's in this chapter Explore the library 19 Explore a reading 21 Check progress 22 More tools 23 18

3 Explore Reading Assistant Plus Explore the library When a student logs in to Reading Assistant Plus, the Library screen opens. Serving as a home base for the student, the Library provides access to all of the reading content within the student s assigned library. The student can choose to work on their assignment, check their progress and points, and access tools as needed. Progress through selections. The content progression method chosen for the student s assignment determines how the student can access the selections and activities in their library. To learn more see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. Locked. The student must start with the first selection in the library assignment, then continue through the selections in order. Within each selection, the student must complete each activity, in order, before moving to the next selection. Student-selected. The student can choose any selection in the library; however, once a selection is started, the student must complete all activities, in order, before moving to another selection. Note: Unlocked progression lets teachers demo any activity within any selection, in any order, and move on to a new selection or activity at any time. This mode is not suitable for students, as it does not require the student to do any work. Go to current reading. When the student exits the selection or program, Reading Assistant Plus saves the student s place including the last selection, activity, and location in the activity if the selection is still in progress, along with any incomplete readings. See Complete a training session to learn more. The next 19

3 Explore Reading Assistant Plus time the student logs in, a Currently Reading graphic appears at the top of the screen. The student can click the Go button to start working from where he/she left off. If the student is currently in the Read and Record activity and has an incomplete recording, that recording will start from where the student left off. Review completed selections. Completed selections move to the bottom of the library and show a checkmark or star on the book cover, depending on the student s performance. See Reading Assistant Plus achievement goals to learn more. Students can return to a completed selection at any time. Note that students will not get any additional points or rewards for working on completed content; rather, students are encouraged to spend their time working on new content, where they will gain the most benefit. Return to the library. While working on a selection or viewing a report, the student can return to the library at any time by clicking the Library button in the menu bar. The Exit button exits the program. Review library points and reports. The library includes a Points counter that displays the total points earned by the student to date. The Points button next to the score lets students access their points and Fluency/Selection reports for all of the selections in the library. To learn more see Check progress. 20

3 Explore Reading Assistant Plus Explore a reading When the student starts working on a selection, the reading screen opens and displays the current activity. If the student has not yet worked on an activity in the selection, the screen opens to the Word Wall preview activity, where students can spend a few minutes reviewing vocabulary from the selection. Progress through activities. When working on a selection, the student must complete the activities in order within the selection. Students can return to a completed activity (except for Word Wall) by clicking the corresponding number icon in the activity manager on the right. Note: Unlocked progression lets teachers demo any activity in any order. This mode is not suitable for students, as it does not enforce the required activities and therefore does not provide complete instruction. Return to the library. While working on an activity, the student can return to the library at any time by clicking the Library button in the menu bar; for example, to access a different selection. Review library points. The reading screen includes a Points counter that displays the total points earned by the student in the library to date. 21

3 Explore Reading Assistant Plus Check progress Points report. The Points counter at the top of the library and the reading screens displays the total points earned by the student to date. Clicking the Points button from the library opens a detailed progress report for each selection in the student s library. It includes points results for the selection, along with access to the Fluency report and Selection report for the selection. To learn more see Points report. Fluency report. When the student completes a reading in the Read and Record activity, the program creates a Fluency report for the selection. This report shows the progress and goals for completed readings in that selection. The student can access the Fluency report while working on a selection or from the Points report. To learn more see Fluency report. Selection report. When the student completes a selection, the program creates a Selection report. This report shows the progress, goals, and rewards for a selection. The student can access the Selection report while working on a selection, or from the Points report. To learn more see Selection report. 22

3 Explore Reading Assistant Plus More tools The Tools menu at the top of the library and reading pages provides access to these program tools: Help. View a step-by-step video tutorial on how to use the activities, written specifically for the student. Microphone Check. Initiate a new microphone check when needed. System Information. Access the following system information for the student workstation. If you run into issues, Scientific Learning Customer Support may request this information. You can copy this information and paste it in a text file or email as needed. Version Number. The Reading Assistant Plus version on the workstation OS. The operating system on the workstation, as reported by the browser user agent (this may be different from the common OS name) User Name. The name of the student currently logged in to the program Server. The MySciLEARN server being accessed by the program Browser. The browser name and version Screen resolution. The display screen resolution While in a selection, the following sound and audio information appears after the student completes the microphone check: Sound. Information about the current audio device: State. Is the device running, suspended, or closed Input Channels. The number of active microphone channels on the device Max Channel Count. The total number of channels available on the device (microphone and speaker) Current Audio Device. The microphone headset currently in use Audio Devices. A list of all available audio devices on the workstation, which includes the current audio device and other microphone and playback devices Credits. View the following program credits: 23

3 Explore Reading Assistant Plus Reading Assistant Plus application credits Selection credits for all of the reading content in that selection (accessible from within that selection only) Glossary credits for all the glossary content in that selection (accessible from within that selection only) 24

4 Word Wall activity 4 Word Wall activity Use this chapter to learn how the activity works. To learn how to implement student training sessions, see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. Before your students start this activity, make sure the headset and microphone are set up and ready to use. What's in this chapter About the Word Wall activity 26 How students work on Word Wall 27 How Word Wall rewards progress 29 How students complete Word Wall 29 25

4 Word Wall activity About the Word Wall activity The Word Wall activity in Reading Assistant Plus lets students explore important words from a selection prior to reading that selection. This vocabulary preview helps English learners build comprehension while learning the pronunciation of some important English words from the upcoming activities. In the Word Wall activity, Reading Assistant Plus invites the student to perform the following tasks: Review a list of important vocabulary words and phrases from the selection Access a definition of the word and other helpful information Listen to the word pronounced aloud Read the word aloud Reading Assistant Plus includes English instructional text within this activity. As an alternative, you can choose to present this text in Spanish. To enable Spanish instructional text see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. 26

4 Word Wall activity How students work on Word Wall Every selection in Reading Assistant Plus starts with the Word Wall activity. When students start a selection for the first time, the Word Wall activity opens and presents important words or phrases from the selection. Most of these words are available as glossary words in the Preview and Read activity, while others have been added to help English learners familiarize themselves with new English vocabulary. To work on the activity, the student clicks a word or phrase on the Word Wall. The program pronounces the word and opens a glossary entry for the word. When ready, the student clicks the speaker next to the word. The program pronounces the word and prompts the student to repeat the word into the microphone. The audio signal appears in the Volume bar. If the program does not hear the word pronounced, it prompts the student one more time to pronounce the word. After the student pronounces the word (or after the second prompt if the word was not heard), the word is considered complete and the student can work on another available word on the wall. The words are listed in random order, and students can review them in any order they choose. How students use the glossary Clicking a word or phrase on the Word Wall plays an audio recording of that word or phrase and opens a glossary entry on the right. Students can use the glossary to learn more about the word. Each glossary entry presents both an audio and a text definition of the word, along with an example of that word used in a sentence. When possible, it also includes the following: A graphical representation of the word A video that demonstrates the word (not shown) A fun fact about the word 27

4 Word Wall activity To hear the entry read aloud again, the student can click the speaker button in the glossary. If you ve enabled Spanish glossary support for the assignment, the student can click the Translate button to see and hear the Spanish translation of the word. To enable Spanish glossary text see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. 28

4 Word Wall activity How Word Wall rewards progress Points. Most of the learning in Reading Assistant Plus occurs in the three main activities. To keep students focused on these activities, the Word Wall activity does not award points. Rather, this short vocabulary preview is designed to get students thinking about what they will read without distracting them from moving forward. Progress. As the student works on the activity, the software displays a green checkmark next to each completed word. How students complete Word Wall To complete the activity, the student must attempt to repeat each word or phrase aloud in the microphone. The Word Wall for a selection can include up to 15 words for higher reading levels, and fewer for lower reading levels. After completing the last word, the Word Wall is closed, and software automatically transitions the student to the first main activity, Step 1 Preview and Read activity. Word Wall is not timed; however, students should only be spending 3-5 minutes in the activity. Check this by monitoring your students activity during a training session. If you notice that a student is spending too much time in the Word Wall activity, you may want to check the student s reading level placement and make sure the selections are not too challenging. Students should be able to easily complete the Word Wall activity in a single training session. If not, the student must repeat the entire activity in the next session, starting from the beginning. Students who take more than a session to complete the Word Wall are either struggling with the content or have fallen off task and likely need your attention. When using a recommended progression method (locked or student-selected), the student must complete the Word Wall activity before he or she can move on to the first main activity in the selection, Preview and Read. Unlike the other activities, a student cannot revisit the Word Wall once it s completed. 29

5 Step 1 Preview and Read activity 5 Step 1 Preview and Read activity Use this chapter to learn how the activity works. To learn how to implement student training sessions, see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. What's in this chapter About the Preview and Read activity 31 How students use Preview and Read 32 How Preview and Read rewards progress 35 How students complete Preview and Read 36 30

5 Step 1 Preview and Read activity About the Preview and Read activity After the Word Wall vocabulary warm up, Preview and Read is the first main activity when a student starts a new selection in Reading Assistant Plus. In this activity, Reading Assistant Plus invites the student to perform the following tasks: Listen to a model fluent reading of the selection Read silently at their own pace Review word definitions in a glossary Work on Think About Its, questions and tasks designed to improve the student s comprehension of the selection Reading Assistant Plus includes English instructional text within this activity. As an alternative, you can choose to present this text in Spanish. To enable Spanish instructional text see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. 31

5 Step 1 Preview and Read activity How students use Preview and Read After the student completes the Word Wall activity, the Preview and Read step opens. If the student has previously worked on it, the selection automatically starts where the student left off. To work on the activity, the student uses the scroll bar on the right side of the page to scroll through the selection and read silently at his or her own pace. The student can click any word in the selection to hear that word pronounced. The student can also use the glossary to review vocabulary words within the selection. After reading silently, the student can click the Read to Me button to listen to a model fluent reading of the selection. To pause this reading, the student can click the Pause button. To earn points and make progress in the Preview and Read activity, the student must respond to the Think About Its that appear throughout the selection. For details see How students complete the Think About Its. How students use the glossary During Preview and Read, the student can use the glossary to review important vocabulary words within the selection. Some of these words may also be available in the Word Wall activity. Each glossary word in the selection appears underlined. Clicking an underlined word opens a glossary entry on the right. Students can explore the glossary on their own to learn more about the word. Each entry presents both an audio and a text definition of the word, along with an example of that word used in a sentence. When possible, it also includes the following: A graphical representation of the word A video that demonstrates the word (not shown) A fun fact about the word that can be accessed by clicking the Did You Know? link 32

5 Step 1 Preview and Read activity To hear the entry read aloud again, the student can click the speaker button. If you ve enabled Spanish glossary support for the assignment, the student can click the Translate button to see and hear the Spanish translation of the word.to learn more see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. How students complete the Think About Its Throughout the Preview and Read on My Own activity, the software provides Think About Its questions and tasks designed to improve the student s comprehension of the selection. A selection can include up to 10 Think About Its. Think About Its use comprehension strategies and include hints to scaffold comprehension. The scores reflect only the first responses to the questions. To access a Think About It, the student clicks one of the light bulb icons that appear throughout the selection. Reading Assistant Plus opens the Think About It screen on the right and it reads the Think About It aloud to the student. The student can replay the audio using the speaker, and scroll through the selection text for a quick review. A Think About It could include a question that checks the student s understanding of the selection, along with hints to help build comprehension. Or, it could provide an idea on how to read the selection. Each selection includes one or more of the following Think About It types: Multiple choice question. Review a question, choose the correct answer (or answers) from a list, and click Submit. If the student does not choose the best answer on the first try, the software grays out the previous answer, presents a hint, and prompts the student to try again. This continues until the student chooses the correct answer. True/false question. Review a question, choose the correct answer from a list, and click Submit. If the student does not select the best answer on the first try, the software shows the correct answer and the student must choose it and click Submit to complete the Think About It. Open book question. Return to the selection text and choose the sentence that best answers the question. Scroll through the selection to find the correct answer, then select it and click Submit. If the 33

5 Step 1 Preview and Read activity student does not select the best answer on the first try, the software presents a hint, and prompts the student to try again. This continues until the student chooses the correct answer. Reading prompt. Review a suggestion on how to read the selection or an idea to keep in mind while reading. Follow the suggestion as instructed to complete the question, then click Close. After completing a Think About It, the light bulb icon for that Think About It turns yellow within the text, indicating that the student has completed the item. The student can respond to the item again as often as he or she likes, but will only receive credit for the first attempt. 34

5 Step 1 Preview and Read activity How Preview and Read rewards progress Points. The points counter at the top of the page shows the number of points earned in the activity. Students earn points by responding to Think About Its. Each Think About It is worth 5 points: five points for each question answered correctly on the first attempt, and five points for each reading prompt viewed. The student can work on the activity again at any time, but the points score will not change. To see more points information, the student can check the Points report. Progress. While working on an activity, students can see their progress in the activity monitor on the right side of the screen. The circle around the step number indicates the number of Think About Its in the selection. As the student completes a Think About It item, the circle fills in (changes from blue to yellow). When the activity is complete, the circle changes to green. The student can work on the activity again at any time, but the circle will not change. To see more progress information, the student can check the Points report after returning to the library. Achievement. When the activity is complete, the step number displays a check mark or a star to indicate how well the student did in the activity. This marker represents the first score in the activity. The student can work on the activity again at any time, but the achievement score will not change. To learn more see Reading Assistant Plus achievement goals. Check mark. The student is still developing competency in the activity. Silver star. This activity is not eligible for a silver star. Gold star. Excellent! The student has responded correctly to 80% of the Think About Its on the first attempt. 35

5 Step 1 Preview and Read activity How students complete Preview and Read To complete the activity, the student must respond to all of the Think About Its. A selection can include up to 10 Think About Its. After answering the last Think About It, the software awards any points earned and then adds them to the Points counter, then awards any achievement markers earned by the student. The student can choose to work on the Think About Its again for additional practice; however, they cannot earn any more points or change their achievement score in the activity. When complete, Reading Assistant Plus prompts the student to go on to the next activity, Step 2 Read and Record activity. Note: When using a recommended progression method (locked or student-selected), the student must complete the Preview and Read activity before he or she can move on to the next activity in the selection, Read and Record. 36

6 Step 2 Read and Record activity 6 Step 2 Read and Record activity Use this chapter to learn how the activity works. To learn how to implement student training sessions, see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. Before your students start this activity, make sure the headset and microphone are set up and ready to use. What's in this chapter About the Read and Record activity 38 How students work on Read and Record 39 How students get help while recording 40 How students complete a reading and play a recording 41 How Read and Record rewards progress 44 How students complete Read and Record 45 37

6 Step 2 Read and Record activity About the Read and Record activity Read and Record is the second main activity in a reading selection. In this activity, Reading Assistant Plus invites the student to perform the following tasks: Listen to a model fluent reading of the selection Read the selection aloud and receive support when struggling or making errors Review the recording using the Play My Reading feature Review a fluency report of the reading Reading Assistant Plus includes English instructional text within this activity. As an alternative, you can choose to present this text in Spanish. To enable Spanish instructional text see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. 38

6 Step 2 Read and Record activity How students work on Read and Record After the student completes the Preview and Read activity, the Read and Record step opens. If the student has previously worked on it, the selection automatically starts where the student left off. Before recording a reading, the student can click the Read to Me button to listen to a model fluent reading of the selection. The student can click any word to hear that word pronounced. Then when ready to read the selection aloud, the student clicks the Record button. If needed, the software prompts the student to complete the microphone check. Then, it prompts the student to start a recording, and he program counts down from 3 and starts recording. While recording, a red border appears around the book. As the student reads aloud into the microphone, the software highlights the text to be read (usually a sentence) by graying out the rest of the text. This helps guide the reading, while indicating the current location of the reading. As the student reads the text, it turns gray. To pause the recording for a moment, the student can click the Pause button. For longer selections, when the student reaches the end of the visible text at the bottom of the screen, the program automatically pauses the recording, turns off the red border, and prompts the student to click the red arrow to scroll automatically. When programs finishes scrolling, it turns on the red border to indicate that it s time to start reading again. 39

6 Step 2 Read and Record activity How students get help while recording If the software does not hear a word read correctly, it gently intervenes by highlighting that word in yellow. The student should read the highlighted word again and then continue reading from that word. If the software still does not hear the word read correctly, it pronounces the word for the student. Again, the student should repeat the pronounced word and then continue reading from that word. The student will have a chance to practice these words later. See Practice your words. If needed, you can use the speech recognition settings in MySciLEARN to adjust the intervention wait time for a student. You can also adjust the pronunciation correctness to be less or more strict when evaluating word pronunciation. To learn more see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. 40

6 Step 2 Read and Record activity How students complete a reading and play a recording When the student completes a reading, the software awards points to the student, and then provides the following opportunities for the student to review his/her performance as follows. Check your fluency After the student completes a reading, the software opens the Fluency report. The Fluency report indicates how well the student performed in the reading based on a predetermined words correct per minute (WCPM) goal for that reading. The report also provides a list of words to practice, in alphabetical order. The student can click the Fluency report link any time under his or her name to open the report again. 41

6 Step 2 Read and Record activity Practice your words The software uses different colors to indicate how well the student read each word. After the student completes a reading and closes the Fluency report, the Word Colors legend opens and prompts the student to review challenging words in the selection, as needed. Each recorded word appears in either green, blue, or red: Mastered (green). Word read clearly, recognized by software. Needed Help (blue). Word not read fluently, but still recognized by software. Try Again (red). Word not read, or word not recognized by software. Intervention provided. The student should review and practice all blue and red words to help improve the next reading. Students can also see a list of these words on the Fluency report. After a new reading, the software will update the word colors to reflect that new reading. 42

6 Step 2 Read and Record activity Play your recorded reading After completing a reading, the student can listen to that reading by clicking the Play My Recording button (the same button also pauses and resumes the playback). Note: Students can only listen to the most recent recording of a selection. Earlier recordings are not saved. 43

6 Step 2 Read and Record activity How Read and Record rewards progress Points. The points counter at the top of the page shows the number of points earned in the activity. Students earn points by completing a reading. The total points available for a reading are based on how fluently the student read the selection. Students earn up to 100 points for higher WCPM scores and fewer points for lower WCPM scores. When the student completes the required number of readings in the activity, the software chooses the reading with the highest points score and then awards those points to the student. The student can read the selection again at any time, but the points score will not change. To see more points information, the student can check the Points report. Progress. While working on an activity, students can see their progress in the activity monitor on the right side of the screen. The circle around the step number indicates the number of required readings in the selection: a minimum of 2 readings and a maximum of 3 readings. As the student completes a reading, the circle fills in (changes from blue to yellow). If a student meets the WCPM target in one of the first two readings, the student is not required to record the reading a third time. When the activity is complete, the circle changes to green. The student can read the selection again, but the circle will not change. For more progress, the student can check the Points report from the library. Achievement. When the activity is complete, the step number shows an achievement marker to indicate how well the student did in the activity. This marker represents the best initial score in the activity the highest score from the first required readings of the selection. The student can record a reading again, but the achievement score will not change. To learn more see Reading Assistant Plus achievement goals. Check mark. The student is still developing competency in the activity. Silver star. Good! The student has achieved 75% to 99% of the fluency goal for at least one reading. Gold star. Excellent! The student has met the fluency goal for at least one reading. 44

6 Step 2 Read and Record activity How students complete Read and Record To complete the Read and Record activity, the student must read each selection at least twice, reaching the fluency goal (WCPM) in one of those readings. Each selection has its own fluency goal, which appears in the Fluency report. If the student does not reach the goal by the end of the second reading, he or she must read the selection a third time. To learn more see About fluency goals. After that third reading, the activity is considered complete even if the fluency goal is not met. The software awards any points earned and then adds them to the Points counter. The student can choose to read the selection again for additional practice; however, they cannot earn any more points or change their scores in the activity. When complete, Reading Assistant Plus prompts the student to go on to the next activity, Step 3 Take the Quiz activity. Note: When using a recommended progression method (locked or student-selected), the student must complete the Read and Record activity before he or she can move on to the next activity in the selection, Take the Quiz. 45

7 Step 3 Take the Quiz activity 7 Step 3 Take the Quiz activity Use this chapter to learn how the activity works. To learn how to implement student training sessions, see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. What's in this chapter About the Take the Quiz activity 47 How students work on Take the Quiz 48 How Take the Quiz rewards progress 50 How students complete Take the Quiz 50 46

7 Step 3 Take the Quiz activity About the Take the Quiz activity Take the Quiz is the last activity in a reading selection. In this activity, the student answers quiz questions that assess comprehension of the selection while evaluating comprehension skills and levels of thinking. Quiz questions do not include hints, however, the correct answers are revealed in the process of answering the questions. Because the student can take the quiz multiple times, the answers for each quiz question appear in a random order on the screen. This randomization requires that the student actually read the question and answers each time. Reading Assistant Plus includes English instructional text within this activity. As an alternative, you can choose to present this text in Spanish. To enable Spanish instructional text see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. 47

7 Step 3 Take the Quiz activity How students work on Take the Quiz To start the Take the Quiz activity, the student clicks the Start button on the right. If the student has previously worked on this activity, the software automatically opens to the place where the student left off. To work on Take the Quiz, the student must answer the questions presented in the activity. When the activity starts, Reading Assistant Plus shows the first quiz question and possible answers, and it reads them aloud to the student. Before answering the question, the student can click the arrow buttons at the bottom of the question to scroll through the selection text for a quick review. The student can click the speaker to hear the question and possible answers repeated aloud. 48

7 Step 3 Take the Quiz activity A quiz question can be true/false, or multiple choice with one or more possible correct answers. To answer a question, the student selects an answer (or answers) and clicks Submit. If the student does not select the correct answer (or answers), the software grays out the previous answer and lets the student try again. 49

7 Step 3 Take the Quiz activity How Take the Quiz rewards progress Points. The points counter at the top of the page shows the number of points earned in the activity. Students earn points by answering questions correctly on the first attempt. Each question is worth 10 points. When the student answers all of the quiz questions in the activity, the software awards any points earned. The student can take the quiz again at any time, but the points score will not change. To see more points information, the student can check the Points report. Progress. While working on an activity, students can see their progress in the activity monitor on the right side of the screen. The circle around the step number indicates the number of quiz questions in the selection. As the student answers a question, the circle fills in (changes from blue to yellow). When the activity is complete, the circle changes to green. The student can take the quiz again at any time, but the circle will not change. To see more progress information, the student can check the Points report after returning to the library. Achievement. When the activity is complete, the step number shows an achievement marker to indicate how well the student did in the activity. This marker represents the first score in the activity. The student can take the quiz again at any time, but the achievement score will not change. To learn more see Reading Assistant Plus achievement goals. Check mark. The student is still developing competency in the activity. Silver star. This activity is not eligible for a silver star. Gold star. Excellent! The student has responded correctly to 80% of the quiz questions. How students complete Take the Quiz To complete the activity, the student must answer all of the quiz questions. A selection may include 2 to 5 quiz questions. After answering the last quiz question, the software awards any points earned and then adds them to the Points counter. The student can choose to take the quiz again for additional practice; however, they cannot earn any more points or change their achievement score or high score in the activity. When all of the activities in the selection have been completed, Reading Assistant Plus opens the Selection report, which shows the latest results for all of the activities in the selection. To learn more see Selection report. At this point, the student can move to a new selection or return to a previously completed activity. See Chapter 9 Complete Reading Assistant Plus content. 50

8 Review student progress 8 Review student progress Throughout the program, Reading Assistant keeps students up-to-date on their progress. Providing the student with an immediate performance review can help reward and motivate the student to continue working on the activities. Tip: As a staff member, you can review the most detailed performance results for Reading Assistant, including results for groups of students, using the Results page in MySciLEARN. See the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. What's in this chapter Reading Assistant Plus achievement goals 52 Points report 55 Fluency report 58 Selection report 62 51

8 Review student progress Reading Assistant Plus achievement goals About student achievement When a student completes an activity or selection, Reading Assistant Plus measures the student s achievement in that activity or selection and then awards the appropriate achievement marker to the student. Check mark. The student is still developing competency with the material. Silver star. The student has shown competency with the material. Gold star. The student is accomplished with the material. Student achievement markers serve as a reward for hard work and help motivate students to keep working on the product. Where to find achievement markers Students can see their achievement markers throughout the program: On the activity progress tracker in the reading selections On the dialog that appears when the student completes an activity On the book covers of completed selections in the student's library On the student progress reports within Reading Assistant Plus Throughout the Reading Assistant Plus Results reports (teachers only) Each achievement marker awarded to a student represents the first (or best initial) score earned in the activity or selection. The marker will never change, even if the student repeats the activity or selection. 52

8 Review student progress Student achievement in the activities Students earn an activity achievement marker after completing an activity for the first time. Reading Assistant Plus measures student achievement in each of the three main activities (the Word Wall vocabulary preview does not track student achievement and is therefore not included): Step 1 Preview and Read activity Step 2 Read and Record activity Step 3 Take the Quiz activity Each marker represents the first (or best initial) score earned in the activity and will never change, even if the student repeats the activity. Markers Preview and Read Read and Record (Fluency) Take the Quiz (Comprehension) Check mark Less than 80% of items responded to correctly on first attempt First 3 readings, with all readings less than 75% of WCPM goal Less than 80% of questions answered correctly on first attempt Silver star N/A* First 3 readings, with at least 1 reading at 75% of WCPM goal N/A* Gold star 80% or more of items responded to correctly on first attempt First 2 readings, with at least 1 reading at or above 100% of WCPM goal 80% or more questions answered correctly on first attempt *The silver star is only available for the Read and Record activity. This is because students can only pass or fail the other two activities, whereas the Read and Record activity has a wider skill level range that can be measured. 53

8 Review student progress Student achievement in the selections Students earn a selection achievement marker after completing a selection for the first time. Reading Assistant Plus measures two critical reading skills to show student achievement in a selection: Fluency. How quickly and accurately the student can read the material, measured by comparing the words correct per minute (WCPM) score to a fluency goal specific to each selection. Students demonstrate fluency in the second activity, Step 2 Read and Record. Comprehension. How well the student understands the material, measured by the quiz score. Students demonstrate comprehension in the third activity, Step 3 Take the Quiz. Each marker represents the first (or best initial) score earned in the selection and will never change, even if the student repeats the selection. Note that to earn a silver or gold star, the student must meet the both the fluency and comprehension requirements. To earn a check mark, students only need to complete the selection. Markers Reading skill level Fluency (Read and Record)* Comprehension (Take the Quiz)* Check mark Low fluency and/or low comprehension First 3 readings, with all readings less than 75% of WCPM goal AND/ OR Less than 80% of questions answered correctly on first attempt Silver star Moderate fluency and good comprehension First 3 readings, with at least 1 reading at 75% of WCPM goal AND 80% or more questions answered correctly on first attempt Gold star Good fluency and good comprehension First 2 readings, with at least 1 reading at or above 100% of WCPM goal AND 80% or more questions answered correctly on first attempt *Selection achievement does not include results from the first two activities Word Wall and Preview and Read which provide instruction rather than assess achievement. 54

8 Review student progress Points report About the Points report The Points report lets students check their points and progress for each completed activity and selection in the student s library assignment. Points, progress, and achievement scores can be used to help encourage and motivate the student to continue working on Reading Assistant Plus. Students can access the report from the Library screen by clicking the Points button at the top of the screen. To return to the Library screen, students can click the Library button. 55

8 Review student progress How to use the Points report When the student starts working on a selection, that selection appears on the Points report with the following information. Selection achievement. When the student completes the selection, Reading Assistant Plus measures the student s achievement in the selection and displays an appropriate achievement marker: a check mark, silver star, or gold star. This marker will not change, even if the student works on the selection again and achieves a higher score. To learn more see Reading Assistant Plus achievement goals. Check mark. The student is still developing competency with the material. Silver star. Good job! The student has shown competency with the material. Gold star. Excellent! The student is accomplished with the material. Total Points Earned. The top of the report shows the total points earned in the selection (the student s high score), compared to the maximum number of points possible. The points will not change, even if the student works on the selection again. 56

8 Review student progress Step 1. The left side shows the achievement marker earned in the Preview and Read activity. The right side shows the points earned out of the maximum possible points in the activity. None of these results will change, even if the student works on the activity again. Step 2. This left side shows the achievement marker earned in the Read and Record activity. The right side shows the points earned out of the maximum possible points in the activity. None of these results will change, even if the student works on the activity again. Step 3. The left side shows the achievement marker earned in the Take the Quiz activity. The right side shows the points earned out of the maximum possible points in the activity. None of these results will change, even if the student works on the activity again. Fluency/Selection links. Completed selections provide links to the Fluency report and Selection report. Tip: Staff members can review the most detailed performance results for Reading Assistant Plus, including results for groups of students, using the Results page in MySciLEARN. 57

8 Review student progress Fluency report About the Fluency report The Fluency report lets students review their progress in the Read and Record activity. Reading Assistant Plus automatically opens the Fluency report after the student completes a reading. Students can access it again while in a selection, or while viewing the Points report for a selection. How to use the Fluency report The top of the Fluency report shows the name of the selection and the name of the student. The right side of the header includes a printer icon, which allows students to print the report. The rest of the report includes the following Read and Record results: Achievement. When the student completes the activity, the step number shows an achievement marker to indicate how well the student did in the activity. This marker represents the best initial score in the activity the highest score from the first required readings of the selection. The student can record a reading again, but the score will not change. For more see Reading Assistant Plus achievement goals. Check mark. The student is still developing competency in the activity. Silver star. Good! The student has achieved 75% to 99% of the fluency goal for at least one reading. Gold star. Excellent! The student has met the fluency goal for at least one reading. 58

8 Review student progress Words Correct per Minute. This section includes a bar graph that illustrates the words correct per minute (fluency) score for each complete reading. The actual score appears at the top of each graph. The date of the reading appears at the bottom of each graph. The fluency goal for the selection appears as a line across the graph. In addition, the bottom of the graph lists the highest fluency score earned by the student from the first required readings in the activity (Best Initial WCPM). Words to Practice. The bottom of the report provides a list of words to practice from the most recently completed Read and Record. The words appear in alphabetical order, and are color coded as follows: Needed Help (blue). Word not read fluently, but still recognized by software. Try Again (red). Word not read or not recognized by software. Intervention provided. Tip: Staff members can review the most detailed performance results for Reading Assistant Plus, including results for groups of students, using the Results page in MySciLEARN. About fluency goals The Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM) goals in Reading Assistant Plus are used to measure student fluency within the program. These goals were informed by the following resources: The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Hasbrouck and Tindall Oral Reading Fluency Data 2006 (Winter and Spring norms, 50th percentile) The WCPM goals for Reading Assistant Plus content are organized by ATOS Grade Equivalent reading level range. For example, a selection with an ATOS GE reading level of 1.8 has a WCPM goal of 69; that is, the program expects the student to read that selection at a fluency rate of 69 WCPM. ATOS GE range Fluency goal 0.0 1.4 34 1.5 1.9 69 2.0 2.4 80 2.5 2.9 100 3.0 3.4 111 3.5 3.9 115 4.0 4.4 123 4.5 4.9 130 5.0+ 144 59

8 Review student progress Tip: Selections leveled at 5.0 and above have a WCPM goal of 144. By the middle of 5th grade, students are reading fluently enough to understand and learn from text, so the goal shifts from reading faster to reading increasingly complex texts and vocabulary at that rate. 60

8 Review student progress To use the table, you ll need to find the ATOS reading level for a selection. You can do this during the assign process: For selections with an ATOS reading level of NP, use the Student Reading Selection Progress report to locate the Target WCPM: 61

8 Review student progress Selection report About the Selection report The Selection report lets students see how well they performed on all activities in a selection. Reading Assistant Plus automatically opens the report after the student completes a selection. Students can access it again while in a selection, or while viewing the Points report for a selection. How to use the Selection report The top of the Selection report shows the name of the selection and the name of the student. When the selection is complete, it shows the completion date at the top of the report. The right side includes a printer icon, which lets students print the report. The rest of the report includes the following performance results: Achievement. When the student completes the selection, Reading Assistant Plus measures the student s achievement in the selection and displays an appropriate achievement marker: a check mark, silver star, or gold star. This marker will not change, even if the student works on the selection again and achieves a higher score. To learn more see Reading Assistant Plus achievement goals. Check mark. The student is still developing competency with the material. Silver star. Good job! The student has shown competency with the material. Gold star. Excellent! The student is accomplished with the material. 62

8 Review student progress Total Points Earned. The top of the graph shows the total points earned in the selection (the student s high score), compared to the maximum number of points possible. It also illustrates this comparison using a bar graph and a high water mark across the top of the bar graphs. The points will not change, even if the student works on the selection again. Step 1: Preview and Read. The left side of the graph shows the score from the first attempt at the Think About Its in the Preview and Read activity, along with the total number of Think About Its answered on the first attempt. The right side shows the points earned out of the maximum possible points in the activity. None of these results will change, even if the student works on the activity again. Step 2: Reading and Record. This left side of the graph shows the highest fluency score earned by the student from the first required readings in the Read and Record activity (Best Initial WCPM), along with the target fluency goal for the selection (WCPM Target). The right side shows the points earned out of the maximum possible points in the activity. None of these results will change, even if the student works on the activity again. Step 3: Quiz. The left side of the graph shows the first score earned by the student in the Take the Quiz activity, which includes the number of quiz questions answered correctly out of the total number of quiz questions in the selection. The right side shows the points earned out of the maximum possible points in the activity. None of these results will change, even if the student works on the activity again. Words to Practice. This section shows a list of words to practice from the most recently completed recording from Read and Record. Each practice word is color coded as follows: Needed Help (blue). Word not read fluently, but still recognized by software. Try Again (red). Word not read or not recognized by software. Intervention provided. Tip: Staff members can review the most detailed performance results for Reading Assistant Plus, including results for groups of students, using the Results page in MySciLEARN. 63

9 Complete Reading Assistant Plus content 9 Complete Reading Assistant Plus content Use this chapter to learn how students complete training sessions, activities, and selections in Reading Assistant Plus. To learn how to implement student training sessions, see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help. What's in this chapter Complete a training session 65 Complete an activity 68 Complete a selection 69 Complete a library 70 64

9 Complete Reading Assistant Plus content Complete a training session Students can complete a Reading Assistant Plus training session one of two ways. See the following topics. If the student is using a schedule, the program automatically notifies the student when the time is completed. See Complete the schedule. If the student is not using a schedule, or if a scheduled student wants to end the session early, the student can manually exit the training session. See End a session manually. After exiting, the student can start a new session at any time. For those on a schedule, the schedule will start over on the next training session, no matter how much time is left. Complete the schedule By default, Reading Assistant Plus assigns a schedule that allows the student to work for 20 minutes each session. You can change the schedule for students as needed (see the MySciLEARN user guide or visit MySciLEARN Help). When the student completes the schedule, the software notifies the student that the time is completed and gives the student the option to leave or continue working. 65

9 Complete Reading Assistant Plus content End a session manually Regardless of the schedule, students can manually exit the session at any time by clicking the Exit button in the upper right corner of any screen. If the student is using a schedule but has not completed it, a session status message appears with the time left in the schedule asking if the student really wants to end the session. The schedule will start over on the next training session. 66

9 Complete Reading Assistant Plus content If the student has completed the schedule, or the student is not using one, the software gives the student the option to leave or continue working. For those on a schedule, the schedule will start over on the next training session. 67

9 Complete Reading Assistant Plus content Complete an activity Word Wall After completing the Word Wall activity, Reading Assistant Plus prompts the student to move to the first main activity, Preview and Read. After a few moments, the program automatically opens the activity. For complete details, see How students complete Word Wall. Preview and Read, Read and Record, Take the Quiz After completing an activity, Reading Assistant Plus awards an achievement marker that indicates how well the student did in the activity. The program prompts the student to move to the next step (if any) and after a few moments, automatically moves to the next step. For details, see the following topics: How students complete Preview and Read How students complete Read and Record How students complete Take the Quiz 68

9 Complete Reading Assistant Plus content Complete a selection When the student completes a selection, the Selection report appears, which shows the latest results for the three main activities in the selection. On the Library screen, the software moves the selection to the end of the list and shows an achievement marker on the book cover based on the student s performance (see Student achievement in the selections): Check mark. The student is still developing competency with the material Silver star. The student has shown competency with the material Gold star. The student is accomplished with the material After completing a selection, the student should start working on the next available selection in the library. Completed selections will remain available to the student for further practice; however, repeating a selection will not change the achievement score, no matter how well the student performs. This helps encourage the student to work on new content and progress in the library. 69