Tag Archives: assessment

End of the Year Assessments

Posted on by

Shannon1It is hard to believe that we are almost done with the school year! Friday was the last day for reading support groups. Next week, I will meet individually with students to evaluate their reading progress. I am amazed by the reading gains that they have made this year. Each student has worked hard on becoming a thoughtful reader. I will be sending home a final reading report on the last day of school. It is so important that you encourage your child to read every day this summer. By continuing this practice, you can help maintain valuable skills learned this year.

Our school library will be open on Tuesdays, 10:00-12:00, throughout June and July. Students can check out 2 WEB books and 2 library books. Please take advantage of this great opportunity!

March Conferences

Posted on by

assessment_cycleTo prepare for conferences, I will be assessing all of my reading students one-on-one. I will check their accuracy (reading the words correctly), their independent use of strategies when they encounter tricky words, their fluency (smooth reading), and their comprehension (understanding of the story). Reading uses many different skills!

I look forward to sharing students’ progress during parent/teacher conferences, March 3-5. Just as we did in the fall, I will join you when you meet with your child’s classroom teacher. If you have any questions about your child’s reading, please jot them down so that we can discuss them together.

Since we won’t have our reading groups this week, please make sure that your child is reading every night at home. Making time for your child to read is so important.

Student Progress

Posted on by

SnowmanReadingNow that we have been back for two weeks and the vacation clouds have cleared, I can tell that students are ready to be reassessed! This week, instead of meeting with groups, I will meet with students individually to check reading growth. I will assess their decoding (reading words accurately), their use of varied strategies when they encounter unknown words, and their comprehension as they retell story details. This assessment information will help to guide my reading instruction. I am looking forward to this one-on-one time with my students! You are welcome to email me if you would like more information on your child’s progress.

In the meantime, please continue to encourage your child’s reading at home. Library books, WEB books, and Raz-Kids are all great options for daily reading practice. Thank you so much for your valuable help at home. You are an important part of your child’s continued success.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Posted on by

It’s hard to believe that we have already been at school for two months! During that time, students have really grown as readers. In order to document their progress this week, I will be reading with my students one-on-one. I will be assessing their accuracy (reading the words correctly), their independent use of strategies when they encounter tricky words, their fluency (smooth reading), and their comprehension (understanding of the story). Reading uses many different skills!

Parent.Teacher.ConferencesI look forward to sharing students’ progress during parent/teacher conferences, November 4-6. Don’t worry about setting up a separate time with me, I will be joining you when you meet with your child’s classroom teacher. If you have any questions about your child’s reading, please jot them down so that we can discuss them together.

Since we won’t have our reading groups this week, please make sure that your child is reading every night at home. Making time for your child to read to you is so important.

Sight Words

Posted on by

005For both first and second graders, a valuable part of our reading time each day is spent on practicing sight words. Readers need to know these words automatically when reading. To begin the process, students are given a set of 20-25 words. Students sort the words into Friend words, words that are well known, and Acquaintance words, words that are unfamiliar. These words are stored in a 2 sided pocket and students practice the Friend words first. I conference with each student, listening as they read their words. Next, I teach them 1-3 new words from their Acquaintance side. In this way, new learning happens in manageable pieces, and is reinforced with repeated practice. When the word set is mastered, students get a stamp on their hand (they love this!) and they start working on new words.

These words come from two sources, the Dolch list and the MLPP list, which contain words for children in kindergarten through third grade. Learning these words help beginning readers in several ways. When students master the words, they have tangible evidence that they are making progress in learning to read. Also, when readers quickly recognize these words while reading, they can spend more time on understanding the story. Learning these words help to establish patterns, so that similar words can often be recognized as well. Each month, I reassess children’s sight word progress and we examine their growth together. This will be one of the many assessments that I look forward to sharing with you at parent/teacher conferences. If you are interested in working on these words at home, email me and I will send home an additional set with your child.