I feel your pain! I'm in Alabama, we're doing tons of assessments and have used DIBELS at least for the past 5 years. ONE of the big problems I'm seeing now from so much attention being given to DIBELS is children think reading is all about speed and have no idea what they've read. At the beginning of second grade this year, I had at least 7 students that could read 135+ WPM, and retell 2 words of what they'd read. (Benchmark for the beginning of second grade is 44 WPM.) I'm now having to add another component to teaching-teaching children to slow down, focus on the punctuation, and think about what their reading. Trying to "reprogram" these students into understanding how important comprehension is has become unnatural to these children. Once a child is proficient with reading, comprehension usually developed along with the fluency. These children have missed that component. Not only do I have my major strugglers in the classroom, this new interference is so much fluency with no comprehension! This is my 20th year of teaching and I believe it's a direct result of districts/schools not using DIBELS as only one form of assessment, but using as THE Main one and putting way too much weight on it. When children are to read a passage with a timer, what are they going to do? Read faster~ If a balanced approach is used to teach the children, they will be fluent readers with understanding. I need to stop now, I could go on and on... Celeste Wells Tuscaloosa, Alabama
----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group , Beth Lauterbach Sent: Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:18:07 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [MOSAIC] DIBELS attn especially Michigan teachers We are having a meeting with one of the "high ups" about assessing literacy skills this week. I am in Michigan, and we are required to do M.LP.P. (every few weeks if the child is low), running records (as needed), and now D.I.B.E.L.S. has been added (this is not to mention all of the other assessments that we are doing). Keep in mind, that we generally have 29-35 students (29 in K&1, 32 in 2&3, and 35 in 4&5) , and I am in a Title 1 school). We have to do all of this assessment on our own time, and are not provided with subs or anything. Now, I am not here to complain (as I am sure that others have it worse), but am seeking what other districts in Michigan are doing, as we have been told that all districts are doing this, and that it will not go away. We are all very frustrated that all we are doing is assessing, and not having time to teach. I want to teach them how to read and comprehend...not how to take D.I.B.EL.S. which goes agains what we teach them to do:) They are so confused... Any information in welcome, as it may be helpful for our meeting. Thanks! Have a great day! Ellen/2nd/MI E-Mail: [email protected] MODERATOR of yahoo group: ITEACHPRIMARY, http://iteachprimary.ning.com/ Proud owner of: www.geocities.com/iteachprimary (updated 4/1/08) www.geocities.com/beachteach2007 (updated 1/21/08) www.geocities.com/campingteacher2006/ (updated 7/28/07) www.geocities.com/learningcenters2003 (updated 12/3/07) www.geocities.com/michstudies (updated 5/22/07) Quoting "Beth Lauterbach" : > Progress Monitoring > > Jen, you wondered about progress monitoring... > We start the year with DIBELs for K-4, MAP for 3,4, Observation Survey > (Reading Recovery) for most of 1, Rigby to all 2. > Dibels is given in Jan. and April again to all, progress monitoring happens > as needed. > MAP is usually given informally in Jan. and again formally in April. > Rigby is used as needed to check for grouping in K-4. > Saxon Phonics (Decoding) is used in K,1,2 - and there is built in progress > monitoring in that program. > Iowa Test of Basic Skills is given in March to 3,4 but that info is really > used to drive instruction, and check for AYP - not to progress monitor, > although many parents use that information for that purpose. > It is a struggle trying to come up with an effective way to measure growth > that measures efficient problem solving and thinking strategies - creative > and standardized test thinking...all in a way that can be done not taking > more time than we already invest in testing!! > I look forward to finding out what others use. Thanks for putting the > question out there, Jen. > Beth > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
