It doesn't even make sense to test a child at a level higher than they were in May. We all know that a lot of children drop a level over the summer because they are simply not reading. I took last year's instructional level as a guide where I should start. And with the new DRA2, many of my children actually moved down a level. But the level I tested them at was at least instructional or independent in accuracy. Why would you want to start out a a level higher than what they were??????????
--- On Mon, 9/7/09, Stewart, L <[email protected]> wrote: From: Stewart, L <[email protected]> Subject: [MOSAIC] understanding value of DRA 2 testing To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, September 7, 2009, 10:50 AM This year our district has mandated that we test each of our students whether they are on, below, or above grade level at the very start of the school year. We are to test each child one level above where they ended the previous school year. Out of my 20 students, only one student passed at a higher level (and that was a child I had retained). Now I have to retest all 20 of them on the level they came to me. If they don't pass that (my guess is that some of them won't), I have to test them down until I find a test that they do pass. My argument was that we should test where they were last May and then test up or down based on those results. I was told absolutely not. Why would we think that our students would test higher in September than they did at the end of May? Most of them did not read over the summer and even those that did read, showed no growth on the test. I would greatly appreciate your input. I don't have an issue with testing but the test should be helpful to my instruction of the child. In my opinon this is just a phenomenal waste of precious contact time. Thanks. Leslie Leslie R.Stewart Grade 3 Teacher [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> 203-481-5386, 203-483-0749 FAX To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful, ready always to apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry. ~ Gaston Bachelard ~ <http://thinkexist.com/birthday/september_24/> _______________________________________________ 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.
