Progress Upated #2

 Students are supposed to be using their processing and comprehension strategies whenever they read, but of course that is not the case.  After reviewing the classroom-modified reading strategy use table taken Friday, I found that they are "sometimes" doing the things that we ask of them.  Stopping while they read either to ask questions, clarify unfamiliar words, or make sense of something is low on the priority list.  Students claim that when they are stuck, they go back and reread any parts that were confusing.  The question is do they know what to do after they reread the confusing part of the story?  Are they able to figure it out and if not, what do they do next?  Students need to learn to stop during the story to think.  This group is so focused for reading for a particular question (like the state tests) that they do not stop to think about the story.  They need to work on asking questions in the middle of the story, checking predictions made in the beginning and continue to make predictions while reading. 

Students have been given a CAPS bookmark to remind them to use their strategies during independent reading time. C stands for clarify and connections.  A stands for ask questions.  P stands for predictions and S stands for summarize.  These skills aren't in order like before, during, and after the read, but are listed for the during time of reading a selection.

Students read grade level texts and passages along with their own lexile level found during designated library times.  Mrs. T assesses students comprehension using Accerlerated Reading program (AR).  She will spend one week on a book focusing on different skills.  By Friday, students take the AR quiz.  Students also take an AR quiz for independent level books.

I feel compelled to teach these students Questioning skills while they read.  It is difficult for students to be reading and thinking at once.  I would want to focus on stopping while we read during points in the story to think, ask questions, make predictions, and visualize what is happening in the story.

CMRSU and Metacomprehension Stategy

I gave my students two different assessments on Friday to gauge their use of comprehension strategies found in Strategies for Reading Assessment and Instruction on page 282 and page 284. The Classroom-Modified Reading Strategy Use Table Assessment showed me that most of my students are using some type of comprehension strategies when reading.  The mean score was a 2.  The lowest score was a 1.8 and the highest at 2.4.  According to the assessment, most students were not stopping while they read to ask questions to assess their own comprehension.  Retelling in their own words, associating new words with pictures, and drawing a map or outline for clarification in the story also is a problem.  So Mrs. T can use this data to help figure out which strategies she should stress more.

Score Updates

Reading Benchmark scores are in.  Students scores have gotten much better since the first benchmark test.  In fact, only 4% passed the first test compared to the 53.5% passed on the second test.  A significant improvement.  Test shows students are struggling in several areas.  In the nonfiction passages, students need help formulating questions that might be answered, drawing conclusions, summarize, and cause and effect.  In the fiction passages, author's purpose, sensory words, and context clues need to be improved.

Far as IStation reports are concerned, students movement from Tier 3 to Tier 2 has increased between January and February. 
  Class    Tier 1                         Tier 2               Tier 3
B           29% (no change)       21% to 36%       50% to 36%
T            20% to 27%            20% to 27%       60% to 47%
S             13% to 25%           44% to 38%        44% to 38%

So at least students are making some improvements using this program.  This program was started in late November.  I did not include Dec scores because students scores were set back in January due to the two week break.