Aubrey ISD K-4 Literacy Guidelines
Aubrey ISD s Non-Negotiables of Reading Instruction AISD philosophy is that Guided Reading, defined by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell, is non-negotiable for instruction in K-2 for Aubrey ISD. Small group reading lessons and/or literacy groups is non-negotiable for 3-4. In order to develop proficient readers, Aubrey ISD s reading instruction should follow these guidelines: 1. Everyone will teach Guided Reading/Literacy groups according to the grade level guidelines that follow. 2. Components of Guided Reading: Min 2 7-10 5-7 2 Guided Reading Lesson Model Connection To Prior Lesson familiar read and previous skill taught, praise strategies being used Book Reading/Intervention Work Brief running record as needed, individualized instruction 1-2 Teaching Points- using the text, strategy instruction phonics, word work, comprehension, decoding strategies, rate, expression, accuracy, other observable behaviors strategies Send-Off choose one skill/goal for independent student practice Teacher brief anecdotal records 3. A Reading Notebook must be kept daily for K-2, and include current records: date, title/level of book, observable student reading behaviors, teaching points, word work/mini-lesson, comprehension strategies, etc. 4. Every three weeks, teachers are to do a running record on each students from guided reading and use to guide instruction. 5. For those students reading below level, teachers will monitor progress using running records distributed by the ELA coordinator according to the collection calendar. These also must contain teacher notes of analysis and interventions being used. The passages will be distributed to teachers electronically, one week prior to collection date. 6. Phonemic Awareness activities for K-2, a minimum of three times a week during whole group instruction and reinforced in guided reading lessons. 7. Making Words lessons (magnetic desk letters, letter tiles, etc) for K-2, a minimum of once a week during whole or small group reading instruction. Kinder- (alphabet arc starts beginning of the year, practiced daily) 8. Kinder sight word instruction is explicitly taught in whole group and small group according to district kindergarten lists. Students are assessed on individual lists each week and also practice these words at home.
Kindergarten: Aubrey Independent School District Guidelines for K-2 Reading Instruction Kindergarten students are grouped for literacy instruction. Teachers plan instruction according to where students are based on literacy assessments (TPRI, DRA, running records, other informal assessments and observations taken during daily instruction) and move them forward according to these assessments. Literacy groups are met with daily and should involve working with letters and sounds, phonemic awareness activities, shared reading, guided reading in leveled texts, guided writing, comprehension, sight words, and concepts from whole group instruction, etc. Students below level must be met with at least 3 times a week. Books, on an easy or instructional level, are to be taken home daily to practice reading strategies, build confidence, and practice fluency. Students should be given at least 1-2 new, instructional books from their guided reading lesson per week and a minimum of one familiar book. These groups are expected to begin middle of the second quarter. Beginning second semester, teachers must do a running record on every student, every 3 weeks to guide instruction. For those reading below level, teachers must turn in a running record according to the progress monitoring calendar, using a specified DRA title. The errors must be analyzed with teacher notes of interventions being used. Nine Weeks Guided Reading Level 1 st quarter Letters, sounds, phonemic awareness 2 nd quarter Letters, sounds, phonemic awareness Begin Guided Reading Level A 3 rd quarter Level B and above 4 th quarter Level C and above Kindergarten Benchmarks & Ceilings Stage 1 At Risk Stage 2 Progressing Stage 3 On Level End of year A1 B2 C3,4 DRA Ceiling F10 40+wpm
Kindergarten Reading Reminders Here are just a few reminders that will help your child become a better reader. 1. Teach Your Child that Reading is a Message Before you read, remind your child that you will learn something or hear a good story as you read. You can even ask a question or two about the story when you finish! 2. Don t Cover the Picture The books for beginning students are designed to give information about the story through the picture. This is one of the first steps to building comprehension. 3. Have a Reading Routine Before going to sleep is an excellent time to read with your child. Make it a fun and special time. If a book is too hard for your child to read, read it to them. Try to read the same time every day so that your child looks forward to the time together. 4. Talk about Rhyming Words Think of words that rhyme with your child s name and make a game out of saying those words. Also look for words that rhyme in books, poems, or songs. Rhyming is an important pre-reading skill. 5. SLIDE your Finger Under the Words As you are reading to your child, SLIDE your finger under the words you are reading. This will bring your child s attention to the print and give him an opportunity to keep up with the story. Instead of HOPPING from word to word, please SLIDE. This practice will direct your child s eyes to read through a word completely, not just the first few letters. 6. Point Out the Difference Between a Word and a Letter Talk about the space between the words and point out the difference between a word and a letter. As the child begins reading, let her use her fingers to frame a special word on the page that you ask to see. 7. READ EVERY DAY! Nothing will replace the stamina that will be built when your child reads every day for uninterrupted periods of time. Your child s teacher will send home flyers from Scholastic Books. These are high quality books at very reasonable prices. This is a great place to begin building your child s personal library. 8. Ask, Don t Tell Instead of telling your child words on the page ask questions like, What do you think it could be? or Does what you said make sense? This will build independence and model for your child that good readers ask questions as they are reading.
First Grade: Aubrey Independent School District Guidelines for K-2 Reading Instruction First Grade students are grouped for literacy instruction. These groups are expected to begin middle of the first quarter and are formed based on DRA results and teacher observations. Teachers plan instruction according to where students are based on literacy assessments (TPRI, DRA, running records, other informal assessments and observations taken during daily instruction) and move them forward according to these assessments. Literacy groups are met with daily and should involve phonemic awareness activities, word work, guided reading in leveled texts, guided writing, fluency, sight words, and comprehension activities. Books, on an easy or instructional level, are to be taken home daily to practice reading strategies, build confidence, and practice fluency. Students must receive at least 1-2 new, instructional books per week in addition to 1-2 familiar books per week. Teachers are expected to conduct guided reading lessons as follows: o Children reading below grade level at least 3 times per week. o Children reading on grade level at least 2 times per week. o Children reading above level meet in literacy groups 2 times per week. Guided Reading running records are used to assess all students, every 3 weeks, on their instructional level: o Guided reading test grade every 3 weeks according to rubric on next page o The purpose of running records is to provide teachers with information on what skills students have and have not mastered, monitor progress, and guide teacher instruction. Running Records on struggling readers need to be turned into the ELA coordinator according to the collection calendar, and must contain teacher notes of analysis and interventions being used. The passages will be distributed to teachers one week prior to collection date. Fluency rate needs to be considered beginning on a level E. Nine Weeks Guided Reading Level 1 st quarter Level C and above 2 nd quarter Level E and above; 25+wpm 3 rd quarter Level G and above; 40+wpm 4 th quarter Level I and above; 60+wpm First Grade Benchmarks & Ceilings Stage 1 At Risk Stage 2 Progressing Stage 3 On Level Beginning of Year A1 B2, C3 C4 End of year G12 40+wpm H14 50+wpm I 16 60+wpm DRA Ceiling G12 40+wpm K20 70+wpm
Guided Reading Instructional Level- Grading Rubric 1 st Grade 1 st quarter End of 3 weeks End of 6 weeks End of 9 weeks 100 = D+ 90 = C4 80 = C3 70 = B 60 = A 100 = E+ 90 = D 80 = C4 70 = C3 60 = B 50 = A 100 = F+ 90 = E 80 = D 70 = C4 60 = C3 50 = A-B 2 nd quarter 100 = F+ 90 = E 80 = D 60 = C 50 = A-B 100 = G+ 90 = F 80 = E 70 = D 60 = C 50 = A-B 100 = G+ 85 = F 70 = E 60 = D 50 = A-C 3 rd quarter 100 = G+ 85 = F 70 = E 60 = D 50 = A-C 100 = H+ 90 = G 80 = F 70 = E 60 = D 50 = A-C 100 = H+ 85 = G 75 = F 65 = E 50 = A-D 4 th quarter 100 = I+ 90 = H 80 = G 70 = F 60 = E 50 = A-D 100 = I+ 90 = H 80 = G 70 = F 60 = E 50 = A-D 100 = J+ 90 = I 80 = H 70 = G 60 = F 50 = A-E
Second Grade: Aubrey Independent School District Guidelines for K-2 Reading Instruction Second Grade students are grouped for literacy instruction. Groups are expected to begin middle of the first quarter and are formed based on DRA results and teacher observations. Teachers plan instruction according to where students are based on literacy assessments (TPRI, DRA, running records, other informal assessments and observations taken during daily instruction) and move them forward according to these assessments. Literacy groups are met with daily and should involve phonemic awareness activities, word work, guided reading in leveled texts, guided writing, fluency, sight words, and comprehension activities. Books, on an easy or instructional level, are to be taken home daily to practice reading strategies, build confidence, and practice fluency. Students must receive at least 1-2 new, instructional books per week in addition to 1-2 familiar books per week. Teachers are expected to conduct guided reading lessons as follows: o Children reading below grade level at least 3 times per week. o Children reading on grade level at least 2 times per week. o Children reading above level meet in literacy groups 2 times per week. Guided Reading running records are used to assess all students, every 3 weeks, on their instructional level: o Guided reading test grade every 3 weeks according to rubric on next page o The purpose of running records is to provide teachers with information on what skills students have and have not mastered, monitor progress, and guide teacher instruction. Running Records on struggling readers need to be turned into the ELA coordinator according to the collection calendar, and must contain teacher notes of analysis and interventions being used. The passages will be distributed to teachers one week prior to collection date. Fluency rate needs to be considered beginning on a level E. Nine Weeks Guided Reading Level 1 st quarter Level I and above; 60+wpm 2 nd quarter Level K and above; 70+wpm 3 rd quarter Level L and above; 80+wpm 4 th quarter Level M and above; 90+wpm Second Grade Benchmarks & Ceilings Stage 1 At Risk Stage 2 Progressing Stage 3 On Level DRA Ceiling Beginning of Year G12 40+wpm H14 50+wpm I16 60+wpm L24 80+wpm End of year K20 70+wpm L24 80+wpm M28 90+wpm N30 90+wpm
Guided Reading Instructional Level- Grading Rubric 2 nd Grade End of 3 weeks End of 6 weeks End of 9 weeks 1 st quarter 100 = J+ 90 = I 80 = H 70 = G 60 = F or below 100 = K+ 90 = J 80 = I 70 = H 60 = G or below 100 = K+ 85 = J 70 = I 60 = H 50 = G or below 2 nd quarter 100 = K+ 85 = J 70 = I 60 = H 50 = G or below 100 = L+ 90 = K 80 = J 70 = I 60 = H 50 = G or below 100 = L+ 90 = K 80 = J 70 = I 60 = H 50 = G or below 3 rd quarter 100 = L+ 85 = K 70 = J 60 = I 50 = H or below 100 = M+ 90 = L 75 = K 60 = J 50 = I or below 100 = M+ 85 = L 70 = K 60 = J 50 = I or below 4 th quarter 100 = N+ 90 = M 80 = L 65 = K 50 = J or below 100 = N+ 90 = M 80 = L 60 = K 50 = J or below 100 = N+ 90 = M 80 = L 60 = K 50 = J or below
Aubrey Independent School District Guidelines for 3-4 Reading Instruction Third and Fourth Grades: Third and fourth grade students are grouped for literacy instruction. Teachers work with small groups to reinforce concept/skill addressed. Small group reading is conducted consistently and should involve guided reading lessons using leveled texts, guided writing, comprehension activities, and/or needed interventions. Research shows the following is most effective: o Children reading below grade level at least 2 times per week. o Children reading on grade level at least 1 time per week. o Children reading above level meet in literacy groups 1 time per week. These groups are expected to begin middle of the first quarter and are formed based on DRA results, various assessments, and observations. Teachers must collect, organize, and utilize available student data from the previous and current year to determine strengths and needs of students reading abilities. Students should be reading books daily, on an instructional or independent level, during reader s workshop and at home, to practice reading strategies, build motivation and confidence, and practice fluency and comprehension. Teachers must keep documentation of current student records: date, notes while working with groups, mini-lessons, comprehension skills, and students reading assessment data. Third Grade DRA Levels & Ceilings Stage 1 At Risk Stage 2 Progressing Stage 3 On Level DRA Ceiling Beginning of Year K20 70+wpm L24 80+wpm M28 90+wpm O34 100+wpm End of year N30 90+wpm O34 100+wpm P38 100+wpm Q40 110+wpm
Guided Reading
Aubrey Independent School District Early Reading Instruction Guided Reading Guided reading is small-group reading instruction designed to provide differentiated teaching that supports students in developing reading proficiency. The teacher uses a tightly structured framework that allows for the incorporation of several research-based approaches into a coordinated whole. For the student, the guided reading lesson means reading and talking (and sometimes writing) about an interesting and engaging variety of fiction and nonfiction texts. For the teacher, guided reading means taking the opportunity for careful text selection and intentional and intensive teaching of systems of strategic activity for proficient reading (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996). Background information on guided reading and its components in relation to research. Today s guided reading has the following characteristics: Round robin reading is eliminated; instead, each learner reads the whole text or a unified portion of it softly or silently to himself, thus assuring that students delve into connected reading. Teachers select books for groups rather than following a rigid sequence. Groups are dynamic; they change in response to assessment and student need; they are flexible and fluid. In all groups, no matter what the level is, teachers teach for a full range of strategic actions: word solving, searching for and using information, self-monitoring and correcting, summarizing information, maintaining fluency, adjusting for purpose and genre, predicting, making connections (personal, other texts, and world knowledge), synthesizing, inferring, analyzing, and critiquing (Pinnell & Fountas, 2008). The teacher s introduction supports critical thinking and deep comprehension. Discussion of the meaning is grounded in the text and expands thinking. Rather than completing exercises or workbook pages, students may write or draw about reading. The teacher has the opportunity to provide explicit instruction in a range of reading strategies. The teacher incorporates explicit vocabulary instruction and phonics or word work.
Aubrey Independent School District Early Reading Instruction Fluency In addition to the research, AISD uses several instructional tools for fluency such as: whole class and small group sight word instruction and practice independent word, phrase, and passage fluency practice Rite Flight strategies TPRI Intervention Guide activities ReadingRockets interventions Fluency Research Many researchers have focused on the more easily quantifiable components of fluency (rate and accuracy) Nevertheless, students' prosody is an extra piece of information for making instructional decisions. When students' speed and accuracy are at appropriate levels, reading with proper phrasing, expression, and intonation should be the next goal. A checklist developed by Hudson, Lane and Pullen (2005, p. 707) provides a more detailed assessment of a student's prosody: 1. Student placed vocal emphasis on appropriate words. 2. Student's voice tone rose and fell at appropriate points in the text. 3. Student's inflection reflected the punctuation in the text (e.g., voice rose near the end of a question). 4. In narrative text with dialogue, student used appropriate vocal tone to represent characters' mental states, such as excitement, sadness, fear, or confidence. 5. Student used punctuation to pause appropriately at phrase boundaries. 6. Student used prepositional phrases to pause appropriately at phrase boundaries. 7. Student used subject-verb divisions to pause appropriately at phrase boundaries. 8. Student used conjunctions to pause appropriately at phrase boundaries. To measure students' oral reading speed and accuracy, researchers have developed a simple and very brief procedure that uses regular classroom texts to determine the number of words that students can read correctly in one minute. To obtain a words-correct-per-minute (WCPM) score, students are assessed individually as they read aloud for one minute from an unpracticed passage of text. The examiner subtracts the total number of errors from the total number of words read in one minute. An error includes any word that is omitted, mispronounced, or substituted for another word. (from Reading Rockets http://www.readingrockets.org/article/understanding-and-assessing-fluency)
Fountas and Pinnell Guided reading lessons include explicit instruction in fluency. Children reading at levels A and B finger-point and work for voice-print match. They will tend to read word by word, but that will change quickly. As they begin level C, they will encounter dialogue, and their eyes should begin to take over the process. From that point on, we would expect fluent reading, which is very important for comprehension. That is, fluency is not synonymous with fast. There are several dimensions of fluency, including pausing, phrasing, intonation, word stress, and rate (meaning not too slow but also not too fast to be comprehensible). Fluency is not a result of rapid word recognition alone (although that is essential). It requires attention to language and meaning, and it may be developed only by reading connected text at a level within the reader s control. Teachers frequently do include some focused guided oral reading of passages or sections so that they can become more aware of factors related to fluency pausing, phrasing, word stress, and intonation (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996, 2006). Fluency is not a stage of development. For any reader, fluency varies with the complexity of the text, the purpose for reading, the genre, the reader s familiarity with the text, and other variables. TO DEVELOP FLUENCY in reading, guided reading practice offers the following: Teachers select books that are within students control. They can read most of the words already, and the teacher s support provides help with a few new or important words. The teacher introduces the text to support comprehension and connections to language. The teacher gives special attention to the needs of English language learners (by frequently rehearsing syntactic patterns or idioms that are difficult). The reading provides the opportunity to use word recognition and comprehending strategically in a smooth, orchestrated way while reading orally or silently. The teacher explicitly demonstrates and teaches, prompts for, and reinforces fluency throughout the lesson. With the teacher s guidance, the students may reread texts to work for greater fluency. The explicit demonstration and teaching may focus on specific dimensions of fluent reading as well as the integration of these aspects. http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/guidedreading/pdf/2.0_inyourclassroom/gr_research_paper_2010.pdf Running Record How-To s: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/make-running-records-manageable-useful-bridget-stegman http://scholastic.ca/education/movingupwithliteracyplace/pdfs/grade4/runningrecords.pdf MSV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhrhs6wgoko Guided Reading overview: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/guided-reading-introduction
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2002 Oral Reading Study. 2009 University of Texas System/Texas Education Agency https://buildingrti.utexas.org/sites/default/files/documents/3tra_fluency.pdf
Aubrey Independent School District Early Reading Assessments TPRI DRA Progress Monitoing istation
Aubrey Independent School District Early Reading Assessments Purpose of Early Reading Assessments Assessment is an essential element of education used to inform instruction (Wren, 2004). The first step in implementing good reading instruction is to determine student baseline performance. Students enter the classroom with diverse backgrounds and skills in literacy. Due to these various student levels, it is necessary to design literacy instruction to meet the individual needs of each student. Individual needs can be determined by initial and ongoing reading assessments. Research provides evidence that specific early literacy concepts can predict young students' later reading achievement (DeBruinParecki, 2004). These reading concepts include letter knowledge, phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. An effective reading program includes assessments of all of these concepts for several purposes. One purpose is to identify skills that need review. Assessment provides teachers with information on what skills students have and have not mastered. A second purpose is to monitor student progress. A teacher can learn which students need review before covering additional content and which students are ready to move forward. A third purpose is to guide teacher instruction. Through consistent assessment, a teacher can make informed decisions about what instruction is appropriate for each student. A fourth purpose is to demonstrate the effectiveness of instruction. The information gained from assessment allows teachers to know if all students are mastering the content covered. It is important for teachers to use instructional time effectively, and this can be done when teachers are knowledgeable about what their students are ready to learn and what they already know. Therefore, the information gained from assessment allows a teacher to create appropriate instruction for their students. Additionally, a fifth purpose of assessment is to provide teachers with information on how instruction can be improved. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/early-reading-assessment-guiding-tool-instruction
Aubrey Independent School District Early Reading Assessments TPRI K-2 TPRI- beginning, middle, and end of the year (Tango) Purpose: The Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) is an early reading assessment designed to comply with the requirements of TEC 28.006 by facilitating a teacher s capacity to: a) identify students at risk for reading difficulties in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade b) set learning objectives for these at risk students Results indicate risk status identifying students who most likely do not need additional detailed assessment. The Inventory Section is a more in-depth assessment of reading and reading-related skills that allows the teacher to gain more information that can be used to determine the child s level of risk for reading problems. However, the inventory is primarily designed to help the teacher set specific learning objectives for the child. Screening Section The performance of students on the Screening Sections of the TPRI signals teachers to focus on the specific instructional needs of their students. It may also signal additional data might need to be gathered. It is important to recognize that a screen is not a diagnostic instrument and that not meeting criteria on the screen does not mean that the student has a reading problem only a need for closer evaluation. In fact, the screen is designed to identify students who are NOT likely to have reading problems. A student who can meet criteria on the screen is at low risk for reading difficulties. Letter Sound Blending Onset-Rimes & Phonemes Word Reading Inventory Section The primary purpose of the inventories is to assist the teacher in setting learning objectives for the student. By administering the entire inventory, the teacher may obtain further support for a judgment of the student s reading skills development. The data gleaned from this inventory should be used in conjunction with other evaluations of student performance over time (e.g., samples of student work, lists of books that the student has read, and teacher observations) to provide an in-depth portrait of a student s literacy acquisition. The TPRI was designed to inform instruction rather than to determine placement into programs for students with special needs. Book and Print Awareness Phonemic Awareness Graphophonemic Knowledge Word Reading Reading Accuracy Fluency Listening/Reading Comprehension https://www.tpri.org/resources/researchers-resources.html
Aubrey Independent School District Early Reading Assessments DRA K-3 beginning (BOY) and end of year (EOY) The DRA measures each student s reading proficiency through systematic observation, recording, and evaluating of performance. Administer the benchmark assessment to identify an instructional plan that will meet the needs of each student. Step 1: Reading Engagement Observe Student reading habits, preferences, and goals Step 2: Oral Reading Fluency Analyze and record oral reading Step 3: Comprehension Evaluate how well students understand the information read Step 4: Teacher Analysis Use Assessment results to personalize instruction to meet the needs of every learner http://www.pearsonschool.com By knowing student DRA levels, teachers can plan for small group, guided reading instruction, including targeted interventions and supplemental support. Teachers select materials that match students instructional levels and provide appropriate instruction to challenge them. https://ed.sc.gov/scdoe/assets/file/programs-services/208/documents/dra-summary.pdf DRA Reminders The determined DRA level for K-3 is the instructional level, with appropriate wpm and correctly answering the majority of comprehension questions, unless the student is independent at the grade level ceiling. Document in student ELA portfolio. For Aubrey ISD, fluency rate (wpm) and behaviors is assessed for one minute, on the first read, beginning on level E, following the prompts and text introductions. Do not move up to the next level if not at the range of appropriate wpm or they cannot answer the comprehension questions. Please use your discretion and expertise for those gray areas. Some EXAMPLES could include: o If student s accuracy is at frustration level, only due to misreading one repeated word, use teacher discretion when determining student s ability or to give another assessment. o If student stalls on a word, after a few seconds, teacher could tell (T) the word and count as an error to minimize interference with fluency rate. o While assessing, if the teacher sees that the student is stumbling and fluency is a problem, stop and move down a level. o If the student is independent on accuracy, comprehension, and expression, but the rate is below the appropriate wpm, use your judgment on whether to document as the student s level with speed/rate as the needed intervention or to assess with another text. o Please staple all assessment forms tried for that student together, with the documented level on top.
DRA BENCHMARKS & CEILINGS Aubrey ISD Kindergarten Stage 1 At Risk Stage 2 Progressing Stage 3 On Level End of year A1 B2 C3,4 First Grade Stage 1 At Risk Stage 2 Progressing Stage 3 On Level Beginning of Year A1 B2, C3 C4 End of year G12 40+wpm H14 50+wpm I16 60+wpm DRA Ceiling F10 40+wpm DRA Ceiling G12 40+wpm K20 70+wpm FLUENCY RATES E8 25+ wpm F10 40+wpm G12 40+ wpm H14 50+ wpm I16 60+ wpm Second Grade Beginning of Year End of year Stage 1 At Risk G12 40+wpm K20 70+wpm Stage 2 Progressing H14 50+wpm L24 80+wpm Stage 3 On Level I16 60+wpm M28 90+wpm DRA Ceiling L24 80+wpm N30 90+wpm J18 60+ wpm K20 70+ wpm L24 80+ wpm M28 90+ wpm N30 90+ wpm O34 100 wpm Third Grade P38 100 wpm Stage 1 At Risk Stage 2 Progressing Stage 3 On Level DRA Ceiling Q40-110 wpm Beginning of Year K20 70+wpm L24 80+wpm M28 90+wpm O34 100+wpm End of year N30 90+wpm O34 100+wpm P38 100+wpm Q40 110+wpm
Aubrey Independent School District Early Reading Assessments Progress Monitoring- Running Record Collection K-2 Progress Monitoring- running records collected on students reading below grade level at time of collection; running record passages are from DRA2 Progress Monitoring Kit; reading levels, rates, and interventions tracked through collection. The purpose: Each year as teachers administer the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2), they often discover a number of students who make little or no progress in their ability to read more challenging texts due to inefficient word analysis skills, slow and/or non-fluent reading, insufficient comprehension strategies, or limited understanding of word meanings. To help these at-risk, struggling readers, teachers need to monitor their progress more closely to ensure that each student is benefiting from the instruction he or she is receiving. The DRA2 Progress Monitoring Assessment provides a quick, standardized procedure for teachers to monitor the progress of struggling readers and to inform instruction. The assessment is administered during a one-on-one conference. Student s oral reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and word reading skills are assessed through the careful analysis of student reading behaviors and oral responses. The assessment has been created so that teachers can identify and address specific areas of instruction for struggling readers. Using the assessments to inform instruction will help move students toward grade-level benchmarks. --Joetta M. Beaver and Mark A. Carter, Ph.D Find the highest instructional level. Consider fluency rate, expression, and phrasing. Pinpoint 1-2 interventions needed most. One the front, document current Level letter, Accuracy, Comprehension, and student reading behaviors/interventions needed. Turn in for documentation purposes. Once returned, use your notes to guide instruction. The running records (PMAs) will be emailed to you the week before each collection is due. ** Running record collection dates are listed on district testing calendar.**
Aubrey Independent School District Early Reading Assessments istation K-4 **ISIP Assessment- first week of the month, according to district testing calendar** Teacher Station- download from http://www.istation.com/support. Interactive lessons for your whiteboard and printables to supplement instruction. Imagination Station- student portal. Icon on student computers, student logins needed. Recommended Minutes: Tier 1 30 minutes (1 day each week for 30 minutes) Tier 2 60 minutes (2 days X 30 minutes) Tier 3 90 minutes or more (3 days X 30 minutes) ISIP Early Reading Assessment (K-3) five critical early reading skill domains: (a) phonemic awareness Phonemic awareness refers to the understanding that spoken words are comprised of individual sounds called phonemes. This awareness is important because it underpins how sound-symbols in printed words map onto spoken words. (b) alphabetic knowledge and skills Alphabetic knowledge and skills include knowing the symbols or combinations of symbols used to represent specific phonemes (i.e., letter-knowledge) and using them to map print onto speech. Today, it is understood that reading problems for most children occur at the level of the single word because of faulty or incomplete alphabetic knowledge and skills. (c) connected text fluency Text Fluency Beyond phonological and alphabetic knowledge, children must be able to read connected text with relative ease if the meaning of that text is to be accessed and the development of mature comprehension strategies are to prosper (Torgesen, Rashotte, & Alexander, 2002). When fluency-building activities are utilized during instruction, children s fluency does increase (Torgesen et al., in press, 2001). (d) vocabulary (e) comprehension. The ultimate goal of all reading is to ensure that children comprehend what they read. Thus, there is increasing understanding that it is not enough to only teach children to decode words. Introduction strategies to allow them to process text for meaning. This is especially true for children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and from households in which English in not the primary language. Teachers need to know (a) if children have vocabulary deficits that place them at risk for failing to comprehend, (b) if instruction is having the desired effect of raising students vocabulary knowledge, (c) if students are making progress in comprehending increasingly challenging materials. Grade 4 Advanced Reading Domains: The ISIP Advanced Reading assessment will comprise four subtests: Word Analysis, Fluency, Vocabulary which will include both general and content area vocabulary, and Comprehension which includes several types of comprehension abilities, including main idea, inferences, making critical judgments, and determining cause-and-effect relationships
istation Reporting: Research: http://www.aubreyisd.net/cms/lib/tx21000411/centricity/domain/286/istation%20early%20reading_technical_report.pdf The ISIP Early Reading Link to Instructional Planning ISIP Early Reading provides continuous assessment results that can be used in recursive assessment instructional decision loops- First, ISIP Early Reading identifies students in need of support. Second, validation of student results and recommended instructional levels can be easily verified by readministering assessments, which increases the reliability of scores. Teachers can assign assessments to individual students at the Istation website at www.istation.com. The student logs in to the assessment, and it is automatically administered. Third, the delivery of student results facilitates the evaluation of curriculum and instructional plans. Assessment reports automatically group students according to the level of support needed as well as skill needs. Reports provide summary and skill information for the current and prior assessment periods that can be used to evaluate curriculum, plan instruction and support, and manage resources. At each assessment period, ISIP Early Reading automatically alerts teachers to children in need of instructional support through email notification and the "Priority Report." Students are grouped according to instructional level and skill need. Links are provided to teacher-directed plans of instruction for each instructional level and skill category. There are downloadable lessons and materials appropriate for each group. When student performance on assessments is below the goal for several consecutive assessment periods, teachers are further notified. This is done to raise teacher concern and signal the need to consider additional or different forms of instruction. On the report, teachers may acknowledge that suggested interventions have been provided. This history can be used for special education Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and in Response to Intervention (RTI) or other models of instruction to modify a student s instructional plan. Student results from The Imagination Station are combined with ISIP Early Reading results to provide a deeper student profile of strengths and weaknesses that can enhance teacher planning.
Sample Guided Reading Instructional Reference Charts
Literacy Library Books Dear Parents, Studies have proven that students who read at home, as well as school, will be more successful academically. Your child has the opportunity to bring home certain books on the level they have been working on in their guided reading group. These books are part of the Elementary Literacy Library. We have limited copies of each book, and they can only be purchased in bulk through the company. We are very excited about all of our new books and want to insure that every student has the opportunity to read and enjoy them. Please support our efforts by taking care of your child s book while you have it at home and returning it in the folder daily. Your child will not be given an additional book to bring home until they return the previous book. If a book is not promptly returned, you will receive a friendly reminder like this: Dear Parent, Date: has not returned the book to his/her guided reading group. The book was sent home on. Look carefully for the book at home. If you cannot find it please send $10.00 for the book replacement in an envelope with your child s name and title of the book. The envelope may be returned to your child s teacher. Thank you for your support! Sincerely, (Please fill out below line. Cut and return to your child s teacher tomorrow.) I agree to pay for books that are lost or damaged by my child. (Replacement cost $10.00) Child s Name: Date: Teacher s Name: Parent Signature: