Rivera ElementaryMr. Trujillo’s Kindergarten class

Agenda

Assessment focus

Administration of assessment

Legal considerations (confidentiality)

Involvement (potential partnerships)

Expectations/Outcomes of process

Interactive activity

Evaluation

Bibliography

Assessment Focus

The end of the year is approaching, and we would like to assess our students

on their reading progress. This is important because we could place them in a

classroom with their appropriate reading level. We will be using the

Developmental Reading Assessment tool to assess our students. "The

Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) is an individually administered

assessment of a child’s reading capabilities. It is a tool to be used by

instructors to identify a students reading level, accuracy, fluency, and

comprehension. Once levels are identified, an instructor can use this

information for instructional planning purposes” (Scholastic, 2014). This tool

will facilitate our need to place our students in different reading groups at the

beginning of 2014-2015 school year.

Administration of Assessment

Our leveled reading assessments will be administered by our teachers

instructional assistants. Students will be tested one on one, and they may be

accommodated by specialists if they have any learning disabilities. “Once

assessments determine the level at which students read, books are matched

to that level - books that are challenging enough for the student to make

progress, but not so difficult they cause frustration” (Pearson, 2014). Students

will read specific passages. Administrators will observe carefully as the

students read each passage. The passages become harder to read as the

student keeps reading. Their reading level will be based off their accuracy,

fluency, and comprehension scores. Administrators will tally off any mistakes

that they notice while each student is reading. The students will be assessed

again at the end of the 1st quarter.

Legal Considerations (Confidentiality)

Our assessment scores will remain confidential. Confidentiality is very

important in our school. “Parents might be touchy about anyone other

than the school staff observing and recording their child’s behavior

and developmental progress. This is especially true if the child has

any characteristics that set him apart from others in a way that the

parents view as unfavorable” (Bentzen, p.68, 2009). Our scores will

only be viewed by staff members and parents.

Involvement (Potential Partnerships)

We believe that parent involvement is essential to the learning process of each student. That is

why a newsletter will be sent home, inviting parents to become a part of our assessments.

“When schools engage families in ways that are linked to improving learning, and support

parent involvement at home and school, students make greater gains. When schools build

partnerships with families that respond to their concerns, honor their contributions, and share

power, they are able to sustain connections that are aimed at improving student achievement”

(ncpie, 2014). We want parents to feel comfortable with the idea of using assessments to gain

more insight about each student. Our open door policy allows our parents to volunteer any

time they please. Additional professional help may also be obtained within our district. Our

facilitator will make sure that we have all of the necessary resources.

Expectations/Outcomes of Process

We expect that each of our students will improve their reading skills

with our leveled reading approach. Each student will be able to learn

at their own pace. Information gathered from our assessments will

give us a detailed description of each student’s developmental

progress. This will allow us to make any adaptations that may be

required to enhance their learning. Tutoring groups can also be

formed after school, in case any of the students need further

assistance from our staff. Anecdotal notes can also be used to

provide a running record of scores from previous assessments.

Interactive Activity

We will be hosting a questionnaire night at our school. Parents will be

invited to come learn details about our upcoming assessments. They

will also complete surveys that will give us more details about their

children. These details may include hobbies, academic strengths, and

other important information. This information can help us plan

developmentally appropriate lessons. We can also pick out books that

may be of strong interest to our students. The surveys will give

parents a chance to write down any thoughts or concerns regarding

the DRA assessments. Parents that do not attend will be contacted

via email, phone, or by newsletters.

Evaluation

Parents will get an opportunity to express their feedback. Each parent

will receive a take-home evaluation sheet at our

questionnaire/assessment night. Parents can write down any

concerns or ideas that they may have concerning our assessments.

There will be a comment box at the bottom of the questionnaire.

Parents will also get a chance to grade our assessment tool on a point

scale. 10 being the best and 1 being the lowest. Their feedback is

really important to us because it will allow us to make future changes

to our assessment tools.

Bibliography

Assess DRA Reading Levels. (n.d.). Scholastic.com. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/book-selection-tips/assess-

dra-reading-levels

Research Review and Resources. (n.d.). National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE). Retrieved May 6, 2014, from

http://www.ncpie.org/WhatsHappening/researchJanuary2006.cfm  

Leveled Readers for Every Reader. (n.d.). Pearson Leveled Readers. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZs9t

Bentzen, W. R. (2009). Seeing Young Children: A Guide To Observing and Recording Behavior (Sixth Edition ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.