How well do you know your students? Silly question, huh? Well, maybe, maybe not. Yes, you know your students' names, families, addresses, phone numbers, friends, etc. But do you know their strengths, challenges, interests, etc? Do you deeply understand their needs in order to support their development. Chapter 6 outlines what a teacher needs to know about students in order to support their development of strategies, specifically reading strategies. On page 73, the authors state, "The primary purpose of assessment is to gather data to inform teaching. If assessment does not result in improved teaching, then its value in school diminishes greatly." What does that statement mean to you? For me, it means assessment is twofold - to inform me of students' understanding/knowledge and to inform me of my teaching. You know how much I love theory! We MUST know why we do what we do. Theory is the base for our decisions in the classroom. Assessment helps us to continually test and retest theory so we can make the best instructional decisions for our students.
Assessment and Evaluation are sometimes used interchangeable. However, they mean two different things. Assessment is the ongoing process of collecting data. Evaluation is summarizing the data, making decisions, and reporting the findings. There are many ways we can collect data. Chapters 6 & 7 discuss Marie Clay's Observation Survey. If you are not familiar with the Observation Survey, carefully re-read pages 76 - 78. The Observation Survey provides a systematic way of capturing early reading and writing behaviors and is the primary assessment tool used in Reading Recovery. Observation checklists, anecdotal notes, word tests, and running records are other assessment tools to gather information about students' reading behaviors and skills. Whatever you use, you must have a systematic way to collect information that will help you identify students' strengths and weaknesses and guide your instruction.
Chapter 7 provides an overview of Running Records. You should feel pretty comfortable administering Running Records (or Reading Records as they are sometimes called.) The PGA teachers will be glad to assist you if you have questions about running records. A running record is so much more than a tool to determine a student's reading level. I believe the key to running records is analysis of student reading behaviors. We will continue to practice analysis of behaviors during TCT.
Out of these 3 chapters, this is probably the most helpful. Most teachers have questions about grouping students. How do I group my students? What if I have too many levels and groups? How do I accommodate my high achievers, low achievers, etc? To this day, I remember the names of my reading groups - Pac Man, Smurfs, Donkey Kong (can you tell what decade I taught). All based on student abilities (at least I did not have eagles, blue birds, and buzzards). I would definitely say I had traditional reading groups. Not only was my classroom divided into ability groups, the first grade classes were divided by abilities. We had a section of high ability classes, average, below average classes, and a pre-first class (students who did not have the basic readiness skills). I am not saying this was good or bad. Just telling you how things worked back in the 80's. The grouping debate (heterogeneous vs. homogeneous) was and continues to be a hot topic. Regardless of which side you support, guided reading groups should be dynamic. Dynamic grouping refers to the continuous changing of groups to meet the needs of each individual reader. By creating groups based on specific learning needs, (i.e. application of a specific strategy, work with a particular set of word or text attributes, practice with fluency), students are afforded opportunities to work with a variety of readers, and get concentrated practice on a particular skill or strategy. For the teacher, dynamic grouping means making the most use of precious literacy time. By placing students with like needs together, more intense teaching can be done to bring about more success and confidence in their reading. Dynamic groupings are best made through specific observation and assessment with running records to determine strengths and weaknesses. Once leveled (by Running Record, AIMS Web, MAP, etc.) students can be grouped, and ongoing observation will provide important feedback as to how they are progressing as self-monitoring readers.
One key point in the chapter was that you do not have to meet with every group everyday. Whew! Right now, you should feel a huge sigh of relief! The authors state on page 102, "It is better to have high-quality teaching than brief, rushed periods that accomplish little." Whether you are working with a small group or students are working independently in literacy centers, focused reading and writing must be emphasized. The goal is for students to have focused, productive reading & writing experiences for 90 minutes a day and guided reading 3 or 4 days a week.
Reflection:
1. What types of data do you collect? How does the data provide you with insight on student development?
2. Review a student running record. What kind of information does the students seem to be using at the point of errors? Is the student actively using strategies and cues? Based on the information what is your next step with the student? How accurate is the reading? Is the test too easy? hard? just right?
3. Reflect on your grouping process. How are your students grouped? What information do you use to group students? Are your groups dynamic? What challenges do you face with grouping? What solutions have your tried?
4. What are your thoughts about meeting with groups 3 -4 times a week? Do you agree with the authors that high-quality teaching is more effective than rushed periods of instruction? Reflect on your schedule are you providing focused, productive opportunities for reading and writing?
I found the chapter on grouping the most interesting. I have a very diverse classroom and I am always trying new ways to meet their individual needs. I have found that students are more productive and happier when we work in small groups. I have been leveling my students into groups based on observations and assessments such as classwork, running records, homework, and tests. I have been continuously switching around groups by evaluating the assessments :) Some of my students have made great progress in reading and have switched to higher reading groups. Other students need more practice before moving to the next reading group and repeat a level. My math groups vary based on the chapter and the skills to be mastered.
ReplyDeleteThe main problem I have with grouping is student personalities and behavior problems. I always have to consider how the students will work together when they are working independently or with a center partner. It always seems like my ALL challenging students are in the same group! To help this situation, I have moved around some students and paired them with a higher kids. Thankfully, I have some motherly students and some students that LOVE to help teach others. This is been extremely helpful in keeping my struggling students on task as well as making sure that they are getting some practice with the skill when they are not meeting with me.
As an "older" veteran teacher I can truly relate to what the author is saying on page 74. He states that "all of us have internal systems or sets of understanding that allow us to make decisions "on the run". Some of our instructional decisions seem automatic and we may not even be consciously aware of the process". One thing about changing the curriculums we use as often as we have has definitely brought to the forefront of our teaching is why we do what we do. I am having to think daily about what I am teaching and how and why. There are many more decisions to make when you have added so many different resources into the mix, in a relatively short period of time, especially when there is confusion about what "has" to be used and what is a resource. Add in there the twenty children with very different abilities in all the different aspects of learning to read and , well, it sometimes begins to get overwhelming. That is when I have to take a step back and regroup not only children in groups but my thoughts about strategies and resources for teaching to their strengths and weaknesses. I think we must realize that children learn to read by reading. It is that reading that should most inform our teaching. The reading that we see as often as possible, hopefully daily for most children.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to compare the traditional reading groups and dynamic reading groups. I have to admit my reading groups are a mixture of the two. My groups change often based on varied factors, but I am using a set of books to guide the reading groups based on level. I do have a group that are reading books now that the other children may not read this year. I also have another group who have read low level books that the other children haven't read and most likely won't read because the rest of the class is past that level.
The thing I love most about teaching is that although it is the same every year, taking children from where they are to the highest level I can get them...it is always different based on the strengths and weaknesses of the students in my class.
I liked how you talked about the difference between assessment and evaluation. This is something I commonly use interchangeably as well and I liked the way you stated the difference.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading about the Observation Survey, it reminded me of a form of assessment I used in a former school I taught which was called PALS. It was a kindergarten and 1st grade assessment given at the start and end of the year focusing on letter identification, word testing, COP, writing vocab and hearing and recording sounds in words. The only part it did not include was taking a running record. I feel this test would be useful for us because it would really help to determine reading groups better than just taking running records. Here at Midland Park we use the Student at a Glance assessment, AIMSWEB and running records. For me, it is sometimes hard to collect all this data and show it in a combined way to help determine reading groups. I know that part of our school goal is to better analyze and compile data. I do think this is necessary and will help us to better know our children as a whole.
Reading these chapters, I really liked the quote on page 74 that says "Being a teacher is like being a scientist: we are obligated not to hold theory as static and unchangeable- a model into which all children fit". One of the most important purposes of an assessment system, then is helping us continually build theory that is the foundation of our instructional decisions." The main focus of assessment is to build your instruction to fit the individual needs of all of your students. They are constantly changing and learning, therefore the instruction should be constantly changing as well. I enjoyed reading about the running records, especially since I started using them in my classroom this year. I think running records are a great way to evaluate a child's ability to read and their understanding of the story. After taking the ipad course a few months ago, we were given the great idea of recording some of the running records that we did with the students. That way, you can go back and really watch their reading strategies and decide what to specifically work on with that individual student.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the year, I determine my reading groups by the data that I collect from Student at a Glance (mostly by how many letters and letter sounds they know). By the middle of the year, by using running records, I am able to change the groups around and better assess their concepts of print and ability to read rather than just focus on their knowledge of letters and letter sounds. I enjoyed reading the chapter on dynamic grouping, because I think that is an area in which I can always improve on in my classroom.