Chapter 3 focused on different assessments used in the classroom. The difference between formal and informal tests were gone over (formal being a standardized test given under controlled conditions, and informal being observations that are recorded using anecdotal records, checklists, rubrics, cloze and maze tests, and miscue analysis). Intelligence tests are given to determine scholastic aptitude, and achievement tests are given to measure the current level of the student’s performance. Authentic assessments were also discussed, and it was stated that giving an authentic assessment should help the teacher find out what the students are capable of doing – not what they can’t do. It mentioned giving surveys to the tutees to find out their personal interests, as well as to find out about their attitudes toward reading and writing. Chapter 13 focused more on the actual tutoring session and what it should look like. There are different methods to use when tutoring, and it gave details about several. But the focus of the tutoring session is to motivate students so they develop a desire to read and write. Throughout the chapter, ideas were given for a tutoring session and what should be done during the first few sessions. But it was also stressed numerous times what each tutoring session should include. A familiar text needs to be reread by the student, and a word analysis needs to be included, along with writing activities. At the end, students should read new stories that are on their instructional level. Each session should be broken down into segments, and it needs to keep moving so the students stay interested and on-task. I didn’t really have any questions about the text, but reading chapter 13 did raise a question about the class. This chapter said the miscue analysis should be done in session 3. I think the videos by Mrs. Stoppel said this should be done in the very first session. So, I am wondering if I am right on my information, and if so, why the discrepancy? The book also suggested only 30 minute sessions. Will an hour be too long for some of these students, especially when my tutoring sessions will take place right after school ends? Last semester I had to complete an assignment using authentic assessment, and I also wrote a paper about it for another class. I am a strong supporter of this type of assessment, as I feel it allows students to work in ways that are most conducive to their learning style, and it also gives them a better opportunity of expressing to the teacher what they actually learned from a unit. I had not thought about it, but after studying them, I totally agree with what the textbook said about authentic assessments telling the teacher what the student knows instead of showing what he doesn’t know. So often, traditional paper and pencil tests show a lot of what a struggling learner doesn’t know. But if they are allowed to be assessed using authentic assessments, they have an opportunity to show the teacher how much they DO know. I am a firm believer in getting to know my students and their interests. I am amazed at the difference it makes in a student’s life when I take a personal interest in them. It can be something as simple as asking about their game the night before, or telling them I like their new haircut. The students perk up when they are given individual attention. So I am positive this will have a motivating effect on the students I tutor. I am overwhelmed with the wealth of information from these chapters, but I am also excited to get starting tutoring to put some of this into practice.
I am on the same page as you, I am excited but a little overwhelmed. Tutoring students can make a huge impact on their lives, and it is important to make the most of our time and cover everything we are suppose to. I am also concerned about tutoring right after school. I think though that they will already be in the school mode and with the fast paced tasks that are in their interest, it should work out just fine.
Chapter three is about the how and when to administer different types of assessment. As a visual person, I really liked the flow-chart shown on page 44. AS I’ve previously mentioned, I work in an elementary school and I found myself recognizing many of assessments mentioned. The section on IQ testing was interesting to me. When I was in college at a different university, I remember a professor explaining to me that she never looked at student’s IQ tests when she taught special ed in middle school because she felt that this information skewed her teaching. At the time, I found this odd because I believed IQ was an accurate predictor of ability, but this teacher vehemently disagreed with this mindset. This book agrees with my former professor, that IQ tests can be inaccurate therefore the results may not be useful at all. The section on ELL was incredibly interesting to me as well. ELL students are required by law to receive instruction that they can understand! This means that they need their own set of standards, scaffolding, and supports to ensure their learning and success. There was a great listing of accommodations provided on page 47. (I really am a visual person, lists and flow charts really seem to ‘stick’ with me.) Diagnostic tests are always important because they help to establish the ability of a student and then track performance. We’ve learned a lot about these kinds of tests in the Cooter Flint Cooter (CFC) book as well as through Mrs. Stoppel’s videos. One thing that really stood out to me is that each diagnostic test requires its own type of qualitative and quantitative analysis. There are many different methods that a teacher can utilize to help understand and teach to students. These methods include personal interest surveys, attitude surveys, and literacy self-perception scales. I think that it is incredibly important to know as much as possible about my students in order to teach to their needs. This also ties in with the MTSS system that is being implemented across the state – you have to know where your students are academically as well as emotionally, socially, and where their interests lie, so you can keep them engaged, motivated, and achieving their greatest potential.
Oops, I forgot to put on my information about Chapter 13! This chapter was about tutoring and really helped ease my mind about the tutoring that I will soon be doing for this course. I work for a Reading Specialist and found the beginning of the chapter to be very familiar. All our Title 1 groups only have 30 minutes with small groups and 15 minutes with individuals. What a luxury it would be to have a whole hour, like mentioned in the text! The tutoring sessions in this chapter were helpful as well and I will definitely be checking to see if our library has any of the books listed in Appendix A.7. Finally, I feel that keeping a log of what I've done with students is important to understanding how they succeed as well as being providing an avenue for me to reflect upon my own behavior and make changes.
Chapter 3 of the text covered all the different types of assessment. Assessments can be formal, informal, and summative, formative, and authentic. Assessments can play a huge part in differentiating instruction. Finding students' interests to help motivate them seems to be a major theme through out our readings. If a student does not have an interest in the information, it is hard for them to be motivated to do the task.
Chapter 13 covered tutoring. Effective tutoring is accomplished through classroom instruction and assessment, well trained tutors who continue training, 3 times a week, rapport among students, and well implemented programs. There are different types of tutors referred to by different names. The chapter also covered lesson plans and what needs to happen in the first few sessions. Lessons need to have easy reads, rereading, word study, writing, and a new read all 5 to 15 minutes. What the students do during this time needs to interest them and help give them confidence in order to motivate them.
I like that both chapters gave ideas to help English Learners in taking tests and in learning important literacy skills. While reading the types of tutors in Chapter 13, I found it interesting that paraprofessionals are suppose to have at least 2 years of college. I was not aware of this, I do think that paras are a great asset to have in classrooms to help.
Like other posts, I am also curious about the exact layout of what we need to cover in our sessions. The text says to do the assessments in session 3, while the videos say to do them the first two sessions. I do think though that we can do the assessments while the other students do their interest surveys and creating things that interest them, such as name tags and decorating their folders.
In order to be successful as a tutor, I need to continue learning more about assessments. I will also need to record and collaborate with the students teachers, so that they are aware of any strategies that the students have learned that can help them in the classroom. As to the future in any aspect of teaching, it is important to find ways that keep learning interesting and worthwhile.
You mentioned how the book gave ideas to help ELL in taking tests. I thought those suggestions were helpful, but as I read them, I realized that most of the ideas would also be helpful for students with learning disabilities. Because I have a son who is dyslexic, I am constantly looking for ways to help him in his schoolwork, particularly in taking tests. For some reason, he freezes up and cannot perform well during a test, even if he does the review quiz perfectly. So as I read that list, I thought of my son and his learning needs. So it was interesting (yet makes sense) that methods that work for ESOL might also work for students with learning disabilities.
Samantha, I agree with you that connecting with the students’ interests is part of the key to motivating them. I keep wondering though when you are tutoring a group of students that have different interests, how do you keep them all interested and motivated? I am excited to see where my tutoring students’ interests are and how to work those interests into the tutoring sessions. The amount of assessments we need to understand is a little overwhelming. I look forward to using several of the assessments and hopefully begin to understand how to interpret them and use the data effectively in the tutoring. You have several good ideas of activities to do with the students who are not testing. These activities will let us get to know their personalities better.
Chapter 3: Assessment There are two types of assessment: formal in informal. Informal assessments are ones we can use daily in a variety of ways through rubrics, anecdotal notes, or a thumbs-up in mid lesson. Formal assessments are tests given to gauge progress in a particular area. One new piece of information I learned was regarding common core-influenced assessments. I knew there had to be something like this coming but didn’t know what. I am pleased to learn it is a move beyond the multiple choice boredom of old state assessments and I hope it will have questions that are geared more toward a true test of what students have learned. Many of the assessment types mentioned in the text I had learned about in my curriculum and assessment class except for miscue analysis. As a para, I was given the opportunity to do some progress monitoring and doing markups of miscues in passages for 5th and 6th graders but that was about four years ago. The only difference is that the students were not recorded. I was also familiar with the Cloze test which one of the 6th grade teachers used for a couple of years to try it and then did not do that type of testing any longer. When I watched kids take that type of test I would say that many struggled with it so perhaps that is the reason it was no longer used. Another area of interest to me in the text was the reflection logs where students are asked to evaluate their reading habits, reflecting on features in the text the liked or didn’t like.
Chapter 13: Tutoring
The text says there are five types of tutors: reading specialists/literacy coaches, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, computer-assisted and web-based. I am a para that is considered highly-qualified in working with students but I have not done one-on-one tutoring sessions with students but that could be because I work with high school students. I had heard of Reading Recovery but was not familiar with how it works. It sounds to me like how they do MTSS for special education students who are more than one grade level below where they should be. Since we will be starting our tutoring sessions in a couple of weeks I was glad to see how to plan and conduct the sessions. I really like the idea of doing a collage of favorites during the first session as an ice-breaker. I like the format of the sample lesson plan in the book and will use that as a guide when doing lesson plans for the tutoring session. I was SHOCKED to see the statistic that 70% of students in grades 4 – 12 have some sort of reading difficulty. I really hope that my tutoring sessions help the second graders I will be working with. I am excited and honored to be making a difference in their lives by helping them become more proficient in reading.
Amy, I like when the students are involved with their progress and analyze how they are doing. I like the reflection logs as well because they truly can see their reading habits and reflect on where to go from one point to another. With the tutoring plans that were in Chapter 13, I am really glad to have some kind of guidelines for us when we start setting up our lesson plans. I too enjoyed the icebreaker and am looking forward to implementing it into my first lesson. I completely agree with you on the statistics as well, it is amazing that we could have such a high number of children with reading disabilities. I am looking forward to working with my two girls in the next few weeks and hope to see some great deal of forward progress in their reading habits.
These two chapters packed in a lot of information on the wide range of assessments and tutoring available to use with our students. Frankly, it left me a little overwhelmed with selecting the correct assessments to use with students. Obviously, there are the state assessments that all students take. This chapter helped me reflect upon ELL students and their unique situation when taking any of these assessments. An ELL student whose native country does not use standardized tests must feel completely overwhelmed while taking the tests. I appreciated the list of suggestions listed on page 47 because with the ELL population growing, there is a high chance that we will encounter ELL students within our classrooms.
It seems like a fine line to separate out what content the student knows versus lack of language skills resulting in not being able to explain it. I have had three exchange students live with my family and so I know firsthand that all of these young ladies were intelligent, but sometimes did not know how to put into English words what the teacher wanted. It was very challenging to help them edit their English papers because I would try to help them with their English structure and word choice without changing their voice in their paper. Having exchange students also made me aware of how many idioms we use in English most of which we are not even aware. I could definitely see how a teacher would need to interpret idioms on tests so that the ELL students would have a fairer chance to understand the question.
When reading further in the chapter, my experience with exchange students also led me to wonder how to score dialect during miscue analysis. The text stated that mispronunciations because of dialect are not considered miscues. I wonder how hard that is to distinguish though with some dialects. I lived in New Orleans for three years and I would have had a hard time running a miscue analysis there without marking too many words wrong. I would definitely have to record the assessment and listen to it several times.
I also finally took the time to look through the appendixes that the authors refer to that are in the back of our textbook. Those appendixes are a rich source of activities, rubrics, and assessments that will come in handy when planning tutoring or in the classroom in the future.
Chapter 3 focused on informal assessments that are beneficial to teachers in identifying the strengths and needs of their students. The assessments gauge the ability of the student in reading and writing, diagnoses reading difficulties, and helps highlights interests and attitudes toward reading and writing, to help the teacher find materials of interest for each individual student. There were so many great suggestions in this chapter, but I find the miscue analysis and maze test as my favorites. In the miscue analysis, the focus is on what miscues are made by the readier, such as substituting one word for another, mispronunciations, and dialog either repeated, added, or omitted. I am looking forward to utilizing and administering this assessment in our tutoring sessions. The maze test is similar to the cloze test that we learned about in reading and language arts methods course. I like the maze tests better because each omitted word has three words in a word bank for the student to use, where the cloze test has the word bank at the bottom to use in all sentences. A huge word bank may be overwhelming so the maze test should help with that by limiting choices. What I like is you can really monitor the problem-solving techniques used by each student by whether they reread the sentence with each word inserted or reads on in the passage to figure out the best word for that sentence. In both cases though, the assessments are very valuable. The best part of any of these assessments are the way we, the teacher use them to drive our instruction.
Chapter 13 focused on the aspects that will make the tutoring experience beneficial for both the tutor and the tutee. Three main areas were discussed: 1) the benefits of tutoring, 2) different types of tutors, and 3) how to plan and conduct a tutoring session. Tutoring is extremely beneficial because the program is so individualized for the student that you are working with. Cost is the main reason more school districts don’t implement more of the program. The type of tutors can be specialists, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, computer-based or web-based. Utilizing technology is an amazing tool where the program can still be individualized and self-pacing. I like that that dimension can be added, and the student may be able to stay in the classroom to receive the extra help while the teacher can easily monitor the progress. Planning for a tutoring session is just as important as if you were teaching to an entire class. I enjoyed the breakout sessions that were outlined in the book. From the personal interest survey and getting to know one another, to looking for books that are repetitive to get the tutee involved in the read alouds are great suggestions in making the sessions enjoyable and valuable. Pages 350-356 are going to be vital resources once I start writing my lesson plans.
Stacy I completely agree with you regarding your perspective on the maze and cloze assessments. I felt that the excerpt in the text of the cloze assessment was something I felt was relatively overwhelming, whereas the maze assessment seemed to provide a more informed approach, still critical thinking, vocabulary and comprehension would be key to complete it.
I also agree with you regarding the resources and examples used in Chapter 13, most definitely will be referenced when I prepare my upcoming tutoring lesson plans.
I think that Chapter 13 talked about great ideas and resources for tutoring. I think that both chapters came at the correct time as we are entering our tutoring sessions shortly. There are many different forms of assessments, and I am excited to start using some of these. It is sad that tutoring programs cost so much, and does not fit in a districts budget.I am glad we get this opportunity to help students although it is going to be a lot of work, but rewarding.
I also like miscue analysis. I did a little of this in my reading internship. My mentoring teacher showed me how to score and was very patient with me while I did it. She first demonstrated with a student. I asked to score the same time so I could check to see how I did and she was very encouraging with this. I think I might have missed a few as well as chose the wrong sign indicating what the student's mistake consisted of, however, I was able to remember what it the mistake was from my score marks and correctly score the reading. Very exciting.
The first chapter in this week’s reading assignment to an in-depth look at the variety of assessments that can be and our used in today’s classrooms. There are two key categories in which all assessments fall under; formal and informal. Formal assessments are those notorious standardized tests that are given under specific conditions to students. Informal assessments are the most constant and greatly utilized in today’s classrooms these assessments can ranges from observations to rubrics, check lists, reading inventories and much more. In addition to these specific types of assessments which the chapter looked into with greater detail, the chapter looked at how to assess and apply the results in either a quantitative or quantifiable approach. Finally, an important component of this chapter were the adaptations and specifications that are required to be met when given ESOL students assessments.
Personally, this chapter felt like a review, however this chapter versus other texts I have read in the past went into greater detail regarding many of the assessment tools. As the text described informal reading inventories, running records and miscue analysis, I reflected on my last semester internship in Language Arts and was able to see all of those at work in a first grade classroom. It truly is amazing the amount of informal assessment that goes on continuously within a classroom.
Within this chapter there were a few new components that perked my interest. This chapter talked about the use of intelligence tests in either a group or individual setting. However, I was curious to know how often intelligence tests are utilized in a typical classroom and are they becoming relatively outdated??
The second component to this week’s reading was Chapter 13, which was only fitting to focus on tutoring, as we are all getting ready to begin our own tutoring sessions in a few weeks. Tutoring provides a beneficial and needed instructional support component in today’s classrooms. There are three types of professionals that can provide tutoring instruction; reading specialists, certified teachers and paraprofessionals. In additional to this one to one interaction, students can also receive support from computer aided tutoring programs and web-based programs. This chapter also focused heavily on the Reading Recovery tutoring program which is heavily used in public schools across the nation at the first grade level to provide early intervention and remediation for students. This specifically designed program is labor intensive, yet provides an intensive and important tutoring session each day for specified students.
The Reading Recovery program was something that really interested me in this chapter, not only because it provides a great template for developing lesson plans for upcoming tutoring sessions, but because last semester as I mentioned I spent a semester in a first grade classroom that utilized this program. There were a total of nine students that participated in this program, and while the program was intensive and allowed the students to receive one on one support from a reading specialist or certified teacher, it also lead to students continuously being pulled in and out of the regular classroom. I was curious to see if this would be considered a negative effect of implementing a program to such a large scale, as nearly 1/3 of the class was in and out of the classroom during the entire morning in order to receive the necessary instruction.
Tutoring is a great support to all students. While we are typically focused on early intervention or remediation, one on one support for every child to some extent provides an intimate and focused learning experience that all children can gain from. As a parent, I think I realize to promote tutoring opportunities in the future with my own children when they present themselves (regardless of their achievement or learning level), especially like the unique partnership that FHSU has with Washington Elementary.
I wondered about the intelligence tests too. I think I will do some investigating on this by googling it and talking to some of the teachers I work with.
Chapter 3 talks about assessment and how the data is beneficial to figure out what students strengths and weaknesses are, and how to build on them. A part that stood out to me was when the chapter talked about student's IQ. The books point out that just because a student has a high IQ score, that they can still struggle with reading and students with low IQ may not struggle with reading. It is not a way to judge a students full academic ability. Another point that is discussed is accommodating assessments for ELL students. This is very important because English is already something they are learning. Things as simple as giving them more time, make the language understandable, and give the test orally are just a few ways to accommodate their needs. I have found that just reading the test to ELL students really help them. They feel more at ease and comfortable, and students performed better on the exams. I will make sure when I tutor students, and teach I will accommodate for any students needs.
Chapter 13 talks about tutoring, and the benefits that comes out of it. Tutoring is one of the most effective ways of assisting students with their academics. When a teacher tutors they are capable of diagnose the reading problem, asses, and find ways to work on the specific reading struggle. I am looking forward to tutoring my students, however, I also am nervous. I hope that I am able to really connect with them, and find engaging activities for the students to do. The chapter also talks about making sure the session is planned like a regular classroom. The time is crucial for the students, so the teacher must be prepared filling in the whole session. On the first day of my tutoring session, I plan on assessing the students but also getting to know them. I am going to have them create a box that describes them. They will be able to use stickers, draw, pictures, ect. to show their personality and what they like. I will let them share why they put stuff on their box, and this is where I will keep their records.
I found the IQ scores to be interesting as well. But it definitely makes sense. After reading that section I could actually think back to people I went to school with a I realized how that's possible. I remember some students who seemed to not do as well in school, but the really didn't have trouble reading and then vice versa.
I have found that reading the test to certain ELL students does help, however many times I am explaining words in the test they are not familiar with. I have told this story before, but in my English II class, the instructor had a different professor attend class and he spoke to us in Cherokee only. He became angry when we did not understand him and he told us we would all fail. This was his way of showing us how students from a different country feels when they attend schools they do not understand. It was an eye opener.
Interest surveys are a form of assessment. They are a useful tool when choosing books to tutor your students. However, formal assessments need to be done before you select the books so you can choose an appropriate grade level.
Chapter 3 was all about assessment and what goes into a variety of them. This chapter discussed the different types of miscue analysis,scoring, records, rubrics, checklists, tests, portfolios, logs, surveys, and how to tie some of this into assessment for ELL's as well. What I really found interesting in this chapter was the logs. I like the idea of the students recording their process as they go along. I think it's a great way for them to see their own progress and could even be a good motivator for them too. I like how their are also suggestions for different grade/reading levels. Younger students have logs that have different types of faces they choose from to express how they feel, while older students can write out many details of the book and then write down comments containing if they did or did not like the book and why or why not. Something else I also liked out of this chapter was the idea of a personal interest survey for students. I actually might look into seeing if my mentor teacher will let me do this with the students so I can learn more about them and be able to focus my lesson plans around their interests as much as I can. I really didn't have any questions from this chapter, a lot of it had already been covered in our weekly recordings last week.
Chapter 13, on the other hand, was very helpful in preparing us for tutoring. Of course the chapter discussed how tutoring can benefit students because it's more of a one-on-one experience focused on what the students needs help in. But the chapter also listed the different kinds of tutors and the qualifications they must have. It definitely makes complete sense for schools to look into finding volunteers(especially ones that are trained or can easily be trained) because it is a lot easier on their budget and plus teachers who have been teaching all day already may have a hard time to be motivated to focus on one or a few students individually after school. I can only imagine how straining that could be on a person. My favorite part of this chapter was how it suggest we set up our tutoring schedule for both non ELLs and ELLs. For non ELLs start out with a reread of material that was introduced in previous session, then do a word study of some sort, next have students write, and then spend the last part of the session instroducing and reading new material at their instructional level. For ELLs it's the same principle but in a different format. The chapter also laid out an outline of the sessions, which I also found useful and will definitely be flipping back to here in a week or so. Again in this chapter I really didn't have any questions, it was pretty straight forward.
I think that it is really cool to have the students record their progress as well. I think it makes it very concrete for them and will show them that the harder they work they better that it will be and the bigger gains they will notice. I too found it very helpful that they had the ideas for the logs for younger students. Last semester I interned in kindergarten, and the two students that I am tutoring for this are in Kindergarten as well, and it truly is hard to find some things geared for that young age. Though there are a lot of things that can be adapted, it is really exciting for me to see activities actually geared for that group. I LOVE interest inventories! I like the ones that aren’t just question and answer, but more symbolization, like we were shown in the recording. Students love to do this, and they love to tell you about themselves, family, and pets. I thought the magazine idea, where they cut things out of a magazine that they can relate to and they glue them on a piece of paper and make a collage. After reading chapter 13, I don’t feel quite as nervous about going into my tutoring sessions. I thought it was really interesting too how the lessons varied for the ELL students and the English fluent students as well. Great observations about these two lessons! I really connected with this chapter because Reading recovery and Success for All is something that I am very interested in getting involved in.
Chapter 3 is about packed with information about assessments. It talks about the different testing instruments and the different categories, which is much more extensive than I realized. Figure 3.1 on page 44 was really interesting to look at because I have never seen tests broken down that way. I thought that the English Language Proficiency Standards were interesting. I have never seen them written out as they were in figure 3.5 on page 47. I really like all of the tables and figures that were given throughout the chapter that gives good examples on different assessments and how they possibly should look. Chapter 13 talks about tutoring and the fact that small group or one-on-one work seems to be the best for some students to get them motivated and in the right direction. It talked about the importance of a good lesson plan, and what goes into it; though I feel this program does a lot for that as well. it then gave a breakdown of what should be done in the first few sessions, which is something I was worried about a little. This gave some great ideas.
Though I have heard a lot about individual intelligence tests, I never really knew there were group intelligence tests. This makes me wonder. What would you use the group intelligence test for? Aren’t we supposed to be focusing on more individualized instruction as opposed to whole group? Took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills many times when I was growing up, but until now I guess I never realized that they were a norm-referenced achievement test. Though I have heard a good amount on the miscue analysis through the recordings, the section that discussed that more thoroughly was very helpful and makes the process easier to understand for me. When talking about tutors, I guess I never really knew that there were categorically 5 different types of tutors. I loved that they have so many resources for online tutoring systems; this can be very helpful for students! I loved the section on tutoring ELL students. I thought it was interesting to see the differences between the ELL students and the English proficient students.
I have always been skeptical of IQ tests. When I was tested for dyslexia my IQ showed up very high, where the results in all of the categories were incredibly low. From that moment on I realized, and chapter 3 gave me a goo explanation as to why, IQ tests don’t really give much insight for a teacher. Though my exposure to school and other cultural experiences isn't what affected the results of my IQ test, it just goes to show how many different things can affect it. I remember taking achievement tests when I was in school, and I remembered they were so scary to me because I thought I would forget things that I actually knew and I would not do my best. They were simply daunting to me. I have been looking more into the Success for all and the Reading Recovery programs for tutoring that were suggested in chapter 13 because that is something that I would really love to do. I came into this program as a tutor, and feel like that would be the place that I would be most happy with. As I read this I was more encouraged to look at the schools that do offer these programs and it makes me want to learn more about them.
Brenna, I agree with you chapter 3 was PACKED with information on assessments, it was almost a little overwhelming, There are so many! I have the same questions about group intelligence testing as you. I was not aware this type of test even existed. I know my children get very nervous about achievement tests in school (which are coming up for them) and I think teachers worry just as much about their students performance on them. I think it is great you have been looking into the Reading Recovery programs and wish you the best of luck in your future. Kara
After having read a few of the posts from the students I find that most felt like chapter 3 gave us so much information that it is overwhelming. But I think that once we get started most of this is going to come almost second nature to us. Of course we are going to have a bit of a learning curve, but when you think about assessment, you are just checking the student to see what they know, and while there are many forms of assessment, finding the ones that work best for us is the key. We don’t have to use every one of them, we try out the ones we think will give us the best results, and if that doesn’t work we move on and try something new. I also questioned the group intelligence tests, because like you said we should be focused on individual instruction. Unless they use the group intelligence tests to make sure as a whole the class is learning the correct material, or the teacher is doing their job correctly. Other than that, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me either.
You are right, these chapters were full of information. I did not realize how many different ways you can administer a miscue analysis test. I liked the charts and the way figure 3.11 was able to break everything up on one grid. I agree with you, I would like to know why a group intelligence tests would be beneficial as well as group diagnostic tests? There has to be a good reason. Classroom teachers do not administer them, so it would be interesting to know how and why they are used.
Chapter 3 covers assessments. The scenario gives a good example of how the experience we are going to get in this class can be helpful in our future as educators. I thought the figure containing the NCTE/IRA Standards for Assessment of Reading and Writing provided a good overview of each assessment standard that could be a good reference in the future. It was interesting to read about the disadvantages of standardized tests. So many times the disadvantages of things are not covered and I think by covering them we will be more aware of reasons for inaccurate scores etc. I also like how the author explains each type of standardized test scores. I am seeing in my educational psychology class that these are some of the items covered in the Praxis tests. I have only taken 1 course that dealt solely with ELL’s so I am always interested to learn more about how to better accommodate them and I think this chapter gave some nice examples. I have not had the opportunity to intern in a lower grade level class and was interested to learn more about assessing early writing. We have been learning about miscue analysis in the recorded videos but it was nice to read about the process to gain a little more insight as to how it is done. I have been practicing at home on my children and can see that to do this without a recording to review takes a lot of practice. I thought the section on retrospective miscue analysis and having the child listen to the recording while following along was interesting since I had not learned about this yet. I also like the examples of recordings that are given in this chapter. I think they will be a good tool to refer to after recording the students during the tutoring sessions. Chapter 13 was not very long but covered a lot of information about tutoring that will be useful this semester. When the types of tutors were being discussed I was interested to learn that the computer can be considered a type of tutor. I am hoping to observe a title teacher in a couple weeks and think this will be a great addition to my education. I learn a lot by example and enjoy watching an experienced teacher actually do the things I am learning about. I just finished my trifold and after completing it and reading this chapter I am anxious to begin my tutoring sessions!
I also liked the fact that we were able to "see" what Mrs. Stoppel had been talking about in regard to miscue analysis. I am a visual learner, and figure 3.10 and 3.11 really helped me understand more about what we have been learning about. I liked how the section on miscue analysis was so detailed and really broke it down in parts. I am still working on my trifold and can honestly say that is is one of the most fun assignments I have had in a while!
Chapter 3 of the text was all about assessment. The chapter began by defining assessment, which is a process of gathering data in order to understand the strengths and weaknesses of students learning. This chapter gives a breakdown of every kind of assessment that is available, most of which we have covered in other classes, and some of which I have never heard of. Chapter 13 talked about tutoring. Tutoring is just one on one teaching. Students who struggle to read or are second language learners can benefit greatly from tutoring. The reason that tutoring is so effective is because it is based on the personal needs of the student. The section of this I have a problem with is the qualifications required to become a tutor. Having worked as a paraprofessional, it is difficult for me to agree that all have met the qualifications to tutor students in any class. Having a para in many classrooms is a benefit to the teacher, but not necessarily the students. Knowing some of the paras that I have worked with, I wouldn’t want my child getting any extra help from them, but I suppose they are here for the students, and not for the pay. I believe there should be a more strict hiring policy for paraprofessionals, as well as better pay. In understand it would cost the district more money, but at what cost, better test results, smarter children, less dropouts, I can think of worse ways for districts to spend money. The chapter also goes into detail about planning tutoring sessions, which will benefit us, since we are less than two weeks from starting our tutoring. I like how the first few sessions are described, since it is a little difficult thinking about how to start tutoring sessions. I have an idea on what I want the students to get out of the sessions, but for the first time, not having an actual teacher tell you what they want you to teach, can be a little overwhelming. These two chapters fit together perfectly, we as future educators who are about to start our tutoring sessions, needed some background into tutoring, as well as knowing the different forms of assessment that we can use with our students.
A good Para is a huge benefit not only for the teacher, but for the students in the classroom as well. I agree with you that there should be a more strict hiring policy when it comes to these positions. However, if a Para is hired and never trained to do things such as tutoring, then that is just a poor decision on the districts part. I was a Para for 7 years, and I loved every minute of it. The pay wasn't high, but the rewards were. It comes down to dedication to your job and to your students. If you have people in these positions that care about helping the students and really making a difference, then a Para is a wonderful resource to have.
Chapter 3 gave us a lot of information about assessments. It explains the need for both formative and summative assessments, and how they differ. I am also a firm believer in the importance to informal assessment. Some children do better when they don't realize they are being "tested". I think that by going over all types of student work, you get a better picture of what they are struggling with and what they aren't. After reading the information on intelligence tests, I am still unsure of how I feel about these. Unfortunately, I think some teachers use these scores too much. I was tested for gifted in the third grade, and thus was given my IO score. After that, it didn't seem to be an issue if I was struggling with something; it is that I just wasn't trying my hardest to reach my full potential. Science is by far my weak subject, and instead of getting the help I needed, I was told that I could get it, just try harder. I am not saying it is bad to assess students with intelligence tests, just that students with high IQ scores shouldn't be dismissed when they are struggling. If I am reading this correctly, then the Cooter Flint Cooter tests are a diagnostic (formal) test, and the Dibels tests are informal assessments. I am really glad that we are reading this chapter at this point, because until now I felt completely unprepared to give the assessments. I am still a little nervous, but reading this really helps me understand the assessments more. One thing in this chapter that I really like is figures 3.1-3.31. Being able to see how we should take notes and write things down really helps put the assessments into perspective. I hadn't seen a cloze procedure rally written out like that, so that was very beneficial. Chapter 13 discusses the benefits and various types of tutoring. This chapter did make me ask more questions about the tutoring process though. For example it says of page 345 that "A successful tutoring session is usually 30 to 45 minutes long..." we will be working with these students for an hour. Is that too long for them? I liked how appendix A.11 and A.12 have software and interactive books. I think these will come in very handy when we are assessing other students in the group we are tutoring. One free website I like is www.starfall.com. It has activities at several different levels, and is really fun for young students. It can be used with students that are readers or non-readers. In A.14 there is a list of computer programs that aid with comprehension and problem solving as well. I really like the Reader Rabbit and I Spy programs. I thought the information on planning and conducting the tutoring session was very helpful. We have our own lesson plan templates, but I like how they divided up what was happening and for how long they would be doing that activity. The chapter gave good information on what we should be working on during the first couple tutoring sessions. I am looking forward to working with the students, but am still a little nervous about the assessment itself.
I completely agree with you about the use for informal assessments. I was always one who did better with informal assessments in the classroom than I did with the formal assessments. I used to freeze up and pretty much forget everything that I had studied for. I think both of these chapters did a great job with explaining everything we will be needing during this semester.
Chapter 3 gives an overview of the different assessments teachers may give students throughout the year. Several tests will be administered at the beginning of the year to see just where the students reading level is and what struggles they are facing. There are different types of administering the same types of tests such as miscue analysis, I like the analysis Yetta Goodman and Carolyn Burke designed much better than the Running Record designed by Marie Clay. I found that one to be confusing and difficult to record as the student was reading. I have worked with Goodman’s scoring and that can be fast paced, but once you get what the markings mean it is not so difficult. The maze test is something we give 3 times a year, but students are only given 3 minutes. I really liked the checklist throughout the year; this would be something for the student’s portfolio. The Literacy classroom I work in has students fill out a book log every time they get a new book to read. They have to answer preview questions about the book and at the end of the book, they give reasons why they liked or disliked the book. We also have a recommend chart that students can put books that they really liked on for others to see and read. This helps those students who have a hard time finding a book. Chapter 13 talks about different types of tutors and how they are trained. This is where I will probably get myself in trouble, but in several of the schools I have been in and also in the one I work, each school has a reading specialist who goes around and helps find material for teachers to teach with and do walk-throughs. I have spoken to a couple reading specialists and asked why they do not work with students, and they have said they help with testing and that is all. I find this a waste when they could be helping out struggling students. One reading specialist we had at the building I work, a few years ago was wonderful. She would come in and give lessons on phonics, or text structure, whatever our students were struggling with, that was beneficial to all of us. I liked the reading recovery activity mentioned in the book about making sentence strips. This idea can be used with so many different concepts.
Wow, I agree that having a reading specialist do testing is such a waste! Our school does this on occasion. It's funny b/c they will use our reading specialist to proctor testing while our paras still see kids....
The testing-only reading specialist really does sound like a waste! I wonder if she does anything else - or if there is a high number of students needing regular testing? In my building, our reading specialist actually takes small groups of students. She is our last line of defense before getting a student tested prior to IEP testing. She is wonderful and really does work magic. I am her aide and I also pull groups with her guidance. I have learned so much from her!!
Chapter three gave a nice overview of different assessments. Even though I've been teaching, I think it is helpful to review the the assessments available to help guide instruction and to gauge if students need more support services. Also, the chapter reviewed miscue analysis and running records, which sometimes I confuse. I think the examples given for anaylzing errors were very helpful to understand the cueing systems. Chapter thirteen provided examples of successful tutoring programs. The chapter emphasized not only the importance of providing students with tutroing but also the importance of training indviduals to properly work with students. Tutoring is so much more than just giving students meaningless activites. My favorite type of tutoring is reading recovery. When I taught in Ohio our school had a reading recovery teacher and WOW, what a difference the program made. She worked with struggling students in first grade and by second grade they were usually reading on grade level. I try to incorporate some of the components in my reading sessions.
You said that you have been teaching so I am just wondering what you teach? I think it is so important for the individuals doing the tutoring to be trained so that they can give the students the best experience possible. I think it really pays off for some students to get one on one with reading so that they get the attention they need.
Chapter 3 talks about assessments and how assessing students performance is a long-standing practice of classroom teachers. Assessment is the "process of gathering data in order to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of student learning." This chapter goes over the many different assessments such as intelligence, achievement, and diagnostic which are formal assessments. It also talks about informal assessments and how they don't compare students but serve the purpose of analyzing and checking students. I like how it shows surveys you can use such as the personal interest survey as a teacher it is important to know each students interests so you can provide them with individualized reading and writing opportunities. I have one question as being what is the most popular test given to students in school? This reading helps to understand how important assessing students is going to be and how important it is to know each of your students. I also think it is important for students to assess themselves so that they can see how they are doing and not the teacher just telling them. In my own personal experience I can remember when in my internship how my mentor teacher would be assessing the students over there writing and words. It seemed like she was assessing every couple weeks so it allowed me to see how important assessing a student is to see the growth that they are making.
Chapter talks about tutoring and how it can benefit many students by having the individualized instruction. Tutoring allows for instant feedback to the students. The different types of tutors are: reading specialists, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, computer assisted, and web-based. Tutors need to plan tutoring sessions just as effective teachers plan for every classroom lesson. It is important in the first lesson to build a rapport with each other and learn each others interests. Technology plays an important role in tutoring and how you can use videoconferencing. The only question I have is when it comes to paraprofessionals is why don't they have to have more of a degree? I know some para's that aren't very educated and I think it is a disservice to the children. After reading that the students who aren't reading by the third grade have a higher drop out rate makes me look at how important it is to get students the help they need and if that means one on one tutoring then we have to make sure they get it.I never thought of tutoring as so important but I am now realizing how important individualized help can be. In my own experience I remember getting a tutor for reading in 8th grade in which my parents made me go to. I didn't try when I was there and felt it was a waste of my time. In saying this I feel that tutoring is something a student should want to go to or it most likely won't benefit them to the fullest.
Jared- I don't know what all schools use in Kansas for assessments, but the schools in my districts use a series of informal assessments in a curriculum called Literacy First in Reading. This assessments allows the teacher to asses the students every couple of weeks to see if they are progressing in each areas of reading. If they are they move up levels and are able to participate in small groups according to their reading level/reading skills. If they do not pass the assessments, the teacher leaves them in the same group that they were working with to try and master that skill.
For you second question, I don't know what district you work at, but I was a Para for 3 years before I quit to be come a full time student. I had to have at least 45 hours of college credits or take the Paraprofessional test to even become a Para. I know of several people in my district who did not have enough credits or could not pass the test. But then there were Para's that had enough, but didn't last long because they thought it would be an easy job. I honestly think that Para's are underpaid and under recognized. The reason why I decided to go into education was because I was doing all the work for the corresponding teacher, but was only getting paid Para wages. Granted I was in the Special Education department and they do more, but I was even called to sub and take over classrooms and prepare lessons for students. The only thing that I did not do was prepare IEP's and attend IEP meetings. I spent more time with the students than the teacher did and she only spent time with them when she tested them. That is why I decided to become a full time special education teacher. The other para's in the building ran copies and helped in the lunch room. They also subbed in the classroom and took over classes when teacher's have meetings. Depending on what grade level they were para's for, they also pulled students during small groups. I knew several para's who actually graded papers for the teacher's because the teachers didn't have time!!
When I read your post it made me think of some of the paras at the school I work at. I think I agree with you. I feel they should have a little more education. The paras can take a test to be considered highly qualified but in my opinion that does not make them qualified to help educate students. Some are there, unfortunately, just to collect a paycheck. I am a para who does take my job seriously. In fact I am teaching four math classes a day and since the beginning I felt I loved it enough to go to school to get paid more for the job I was already doing.
Chapter 3 talked about different assessments. I really enjoyed this chapter, because even though I am familiar with watching teachers assess students, I really was able to understand each assessment and what and when they were used for. I am familiar with the Kansas State Assessments, because when I was a para for special education that is all I did. I prepared the students for the Assessment. I am also familiar with some informal assessments, because of a curriculum our district uses in reading called Literacy First. The curriculum allows the students to be tested every couple of weeks to determine if they are understanding and comprehending different areas of reading. If the students do understand, they are moved to groups of students who have the same level as them. If the students don't pass, they stay in same group until they pass. At that point those students are given more one on one tutoring during small groups either with the teacher, Literacy First Coach, ESL teacher, or a para. I really like the Literacy First curriculum. This is because students are not held back because other students do not understand. They work with students at their same academic level and keep going up the ladder. Currently my 1st grade son is in the highest group there is. He is reading at a 2nd grade level!
Chapter 13 talks about tutoring. There are several types of tutors: reading specialists, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, and computer assisted tutoring. When I was a para I felt like that is all I did. Grated I was in the Special Education department and that was my job, but I just helped students pass their tests. At the time I felt that the school only taught for the test. I tutored the 3rd graders who were getting ready for the state assessments and I had different scenarios of what could be on the test and I prepared them for the test. I honestly don't think they really comprehended the material and understood what was being taught. I think now our district is a lot better with that! I know my son's school isn't like that, because I quiz my son all the time of what he has learned, why he as learned it, and what it means.
I feel that being a tutor we are supposed to help the students. We need to make sure that we help them comprehend what they are being taught rather than "teaching for the test!" I am really excited about this semester of tutoring, because I love teaching students and working one on one with students. I find myself "teaching" everyone all the time, including my husband!
I also really liked that it showed examples of assessments. That was very helpful. I am a para also and the only assessment that I have done is DIBELS so I am excited to learn and do other assessments that I haven't seen before.
I am anxious to see what happens in the next few years here in Kansas. I am grateful that we are no longer tied to NCLB because of our waiver, but I am not quite sure what exactly this means for us. It will be interesting to see exactly what the state comes up with and what our requirements will be. It is an exciting time to become an educator, but that also means that a lot of change is coming.
Chapter 3 talked about assessments. The two basic types of assessments are formal and informal. Formal are assessments that are given in controlled conditions so that groups can be compared. Informal assessments are recorded observations of an individual student. The chapter talked about the different standards for assessments. It talked about the 3 types of formal assessment. The three are: intelligence, achievement, and diagnostic. There are different ways to score the assessments. I think that it is important that the chapter mentioned the standards for ELL taking assessments. I really liked figure 3.10 in the text. It showed an example of how to grade and do a miscue analysis. The chapter also discussed some of the student self-assessments. I think that self-assessment is just as important as us assessing the student. This chapter was very helpful in describing and showing examples of the different assessments that we could see as a teacher. This was very helpful for me to see the assessments and their many different examples. Chapter 13 I think is one of the most important chapters for us to read. This chapter is all about tutoring. Tutoring is one on one instruction. There are 5 different types of tutors: 1. Reading specialist, 2. Certified teachers, 3. Paraprofessionals, 4. Computer-assisted, and 5. Web-based. The chapter went into detail the responsibilities of a tutor. It also talked about the 5 different types of tutors and what their role is. There are different types of tutoring programs as well. The most important part of the chapter to me is planning and conducting a tutoring session. I really enjoyed reading how the chapter broke the reading into three sessions and gave examples on what to do and expect in that particular session. I also thought that it was interesting to read the ELL lesson plan examples. Two out of the three of the students I am tutoring are ELL. This chapter gave me great ideas.
I really like starfall.com too. I am going to try in my tutoring session to have a time when the students can get on my ipad and use some of those websites.
Wow! Chapter three was full of great information. I have a hard time remembering exact what test is what and then what it is called on top of that. This chapter organized all of the information for me in an easy to read and understand method. I expect that this book will also serve as a great study tool as I prepare for my licensure exams as well as a great resource in general. I find that I use informal assessments all the time. I am a pen and paper person and I am always writing things down. I can only imagine how much of this I will do as a classroom teacher since I did it all the time as a para and still do it as a substitute. I also noticed that many of the ideas used in this chapter we will be doing with our tutoring groups. It will be nice to have some hands-on experience, especially with some that I have not used before. Chapter thirteen had some good ideas to use in my own tutoring sessions this semester. I can't wait to assess my students so I can start planning our sessions. I hope that my group doesn't have a lot of different interests or planning could get tricky if all four of them like totally different things. I like that the sample lessons included time for all aspects of the big five. With a group of four I am hoping that I can include some technology activities for them to use while I am working one on one with the other students.
Saralyn, I liked how chapter 3 was organized as well. I've learned about the various assessments numerous times; however, this clearly identified the important pieces of information in specific sections that were easy to follow. Definitely agree that this book will be a good study tool for licensure exams!
I am looking forward to assessing my students and being able to start planning as well! I know that this is going to be a phenomenal learning experience for me, and hopefully my students too! Great information!
One thing I liked in the chapter reading was the informal assessment description. The informal assessments assess the individual students progress and I feel that is a better deal than the standardized. We will always have people who read at different levels. I read very slow and many times need to re-read sections to ensure I understand them. Even to the point of re-reading the passage out loud when silent reading and mouthing the words doesn't work. My husband can read a book in a couple of days, AND UNDERSTAND WHAT HE READ! An example: I read the Hunger Games. I read up to a chapter a day. I got the second book on my Kindle and started reading that a couple of weeks before Christmas. My husband picked up the first book, read it. I bought him the next book for Christmas. I am still reading the second book and he has been done reading both books since early January! Anyway, we will always have readers of different levels, but if we can get the student interested in reading, our work is not complete but well on its way! When we try to push the student to read in the norm level, we may be discouraging him or her from reading!
Chapter 13 discusses the benefits and types of tutoring. I am especially excited about this because I work with so many students who simply can not read. I have often wondered if I should begin at the beginning with these students, however, could not come up with a way of doing it without making them feel like idiots! I also liked the descriptions of tutoring with the various educators.
I think that you are exactly right that regardless of ability and reading level the most important thing that we can do for students is to get them interested in reading. Get to know the student and what their interests are and show them how a good book can extend and build upon their individual interests.
I also take longer to read things but I think it is because I don't have the time to sit down and read a whole book like that! I wish I did, and cannot wait til I do but I am also just a slower reader. Chapter 13 also got me excited about tutoring. The two girls that I am tutoring are on complete different levels. One of them really struggles with comprehension and fluency and the other girl just reads too fast and doesn't catch onto what is going on. It was nice to read and see all of the different strategies and resources I can use. Good luck and thanks for sharing!
Chapter three gave a lot of information about assessments and the different types of assessments available. I enjoyed revisiting some of the types of assessments that I have become familiar with since I began the process of becoming a SPED teacher. The choices of informal and formal are different in that the informal assessments can be as simple as putting a check next to a student’s name if you see them understanding and demonstrating a given concept. It is given to determine if the student understands what is being taught. The informal assessment is going to be similar to the state standardized assessments. Chapter thirteen gave us more information about tutoring. Some of the suggestions given will be beneficial as a tutor. I felt if we took it a step further and bring some of the ideas in the classroom we can benefit an entire class. It is a shame school districts cannot afford to pay someone to tutor students in a low ratio afterschool. As a paraprofessional I think I would love to do this. I have no questions regarding these chapters. I felt chapter 13 allowed me to reflect on tutoring a bit more. It has given me information to be more confident as I tutor. Working in the classroom, I have experience with some of the programs mentioned in the reading such as Starfall and the Maze Test. I really was able to connect to this reading, especially chapter 3. I think the review of the assessments comes in handy for us. In fact in one of my other classes I had to write a paper about assessments.
These two chapters were very useful readings considering how close we all are to going out into the field. I knew in general about assessments but I didn't know the depths to which they can go. It feels like a lot of pressure to assess the students correctly and to be able to do the best for them. I am sure that with more hands on use of them the coding and notations won't seem so foreign and they will be very beneficial. I enjoyed reading the chapter on tutoring as well. I had never really thought of paras as tutors but it makes sense. The first time I had experience with tutoring was when I was in the 4th grade and a boy and I got to go and help 1st graders with reading. It was a very rewarding experience and I also got to be a tutor when I was in highschool as a part of my english class. I think that those outside of the student's normal educational setting can bring a freshness as well as excitement to the table for the students. I am excited to meet my students!!
I, like you, knew general information about the different types of assessments, but it was nice and informative to read more into depth about them. I also felt like the chapter on tutoring really prepared me more and made me feel more confident about we are going to be doing. Thank you for sharing and good luck!
Chapter 3 contained a lot of information about assessments and the different types of assessments a teacher can use with students. The first thing I noticed in this chapter that I really liked, was the figure on page 44. This figure is a nice break down of the formal and informal assessments that can be used in the classroom to check the students. It is nice to be able to read about each assessment to learn more about how each can be used in the classrooms. In previous classes, we have discussed the different assessments that we can use, this chapter was a great refresher. Another aspect of this chapter that I enjoyed was figures 3.10 on page 53 and figure 3.11 on page 54. In the recordings from Mrs. Stoppel, we have gone over miscue analysis and how to administer it. Figure 3.10 shows us what to use and how to use it when listening to the students. The next figure, 3.11, is a graph that charts the text and the type of miscue the student had during the reading. I think being able to see this drawn out in a table would make it so easy to see where the student is having problems right away.
Chapter 13 is all about tutoring. Having these two chapters together this week, before tutoring starts and more information on the assessments. I would have never known that there was so much information about tutoring to read and learn about. Reading about how the first few tutoring sessions should go as well as having a sample lesson plan, even though they are different from ours, was great to see how our tutoring sessions will kind of run. This chapter also had great figures showing how to help students with challenging words, log sheets for strategies, and log sheets for the books the students have been reading in tutoring. I found that all of these were great ideas that I'm looking forward to using all of these in my own tutoring sessions.
Megan, I also noted how Figure 3.10 on page 53 was extremely helpful! The videos we've watched over miscue analysis seemed easy enough to understand, but this visual laid out the markings very nicely and quickly cleared up any questions I had regarding how to mark for substitutions, mispronunciations, etc. The chapter on tutoring provided a lot of great information. This chapter too shared a figure on page 354 about helping students with challenging words, as you mentioned, that was absolutely wonderful! I always try to catch myself saying "sound it out" and change it! Great information!
I agree, seeing the sample lesson plans that were laid out for the tutoring sessions was wonderful. I also liked all of the assessments spelled out, along with exactly how to score them. Seeing it in the text made it seem much more doable.
Chapter 3 in our textbook covered the topic of assessments. The beginning discussed formative and summative assessments which we've learned about prior to this course. Whenever reading about this topic I always try to think back to when I was in school. I thought about particular classes where the teacher ALWAYS did formative assessments, or those who did summative, and my experiences with those. I am the ultimate worst tester ever, so neither were positive experiences for me, but it's interesting to think about and be able to relate my feelings to how some students in my class might possibly be feeling some day. The text then went on to discuss a number of test variations like criterion-referenced, norm-referenced, diagnostic, and so on. All of these tests have components within them that make them unique in reference to how they administered, when, and what they determine. On page 53, figure 3.10 showed an example of substitutions, mispronunciations, omissions, etc. which were discussed in our videos for last week. I copied this page for future reference so I won't be trying to remember how to correctly mark a selection. I am anxious to begin the assessments for my reading group so I will be able to better relate to the information about miscue analysis and various scorings that were discussed in this chapter. The section on Informal Assessment for English Learners was interesting to read because students whose first language is not English is becoming more and more prevalent in today's schools. The section provided a website that was offered free services to informally assess English learners in a variety of topics related to reading. I thought that was an awesome resource to keep note of!
I was so excited to read chapter 13 because even though it's what this course is centered around. I tutor other students from my local school district in math and reading outside of school. One of the students I've been tutoring in reading for awhile is still struggling terribly bad. I was beginning to think that I was just an awful tutor! However, it was a matter of finding the right thing that just 'clicked' for this student. The first sentence on page 343 under benefits of tutoring states, "struggling readers benefit from being tutored, and tutoring can be effective for second language learners." I thought about how much of a struggle it's been, but that all along he was benefiting from the process. I'm so very excited to be in this course and LEARNING so much about this subject and be able to practice it through tutoring students. I enjoyed reading about the components of a tutoring session and the lesson planning involved. Just like the plans we are creating for this course, the text laid out in detail the necessary parts and their explanation. Figure 13.7 on page 354 was my favorite part of this chapter. I remember last semester in RLA methods, Dr. Walizer clearly said she didn't want to hear us saying "sound it out" to a student because to a struggling reader, that isn't even possible. However, it's difficult to think of ways to assist them instead of saying those three words. Figure 13.7 provided helpful suggestions to helping tutees tackle difficult words!
That is exciting that you already have experience tutoring. I am a bit aprehensive about starting this process, for fear I will not do good for the students.
I am also a terrible test taker. At FHSU, I tend to do good on my assignments, then we have to take the quiz, and I do terrible. It is so frustrating. I like the idea of several different types of assessments in the classroom, to help out kids that do not test well.
I liked reading these 2 chapters together. Chapter 3 focuses on assessment strategies, both formal and informal. It was a great "refresh" read because I like to read about differed types of testing and testing scores because I feel like I forget some of the basic information in each category and when I re-read about them, it makes me remember facts that I've learned in the past semesters. I don't remember ever reading about Miscue analysis so that was informative for me. It was really helpful to read about how to prepare and administer a miscue analysis with provided steps. This chapter provided some great examples that I want to keep for the future, in particular Figure 3.16 - 3.19. I think anecdotal records will be something that I will use daily to keep track of student progress/activity. This chapter offered so many great assessment strategies that will be great to refer back to. I do not have any further questions. The questions that I had prior to reading, have been answered in the text.
Chapter 13, which is titled "tutoring," starts with a inspirational quote on page 341. The quote reads, "Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one." This chapter and this class has already done so much for me. This will be my first actual time tutoring and reading this chapter really made me feel more at ease. This past semester, I was doing guided reading with a 5th grade boy who was reading at an early 3rd grade level and I just started to learn the basics in RLA Methods course but I feel like I helped him out so much. If only I could have had this chapter as a resource of reference, it would have made things so much easier for me. I learned what exactly you have to do to become a "tutor." I honestly didn't know you had to go through so much to become a tutor but it is good to know. I really liked the Reading Recovery strategy on page 348. It was also helpful to see an example lesson plan that we can refer back to as we are writing ours. It is helpful to see and read about what goes on in a tutoring session before writing my lesson plans. It was also nice to see an example of what has worked for people on each session 1*3. Figure 13.7 is definitely something I will refer back to. Alot of us remember that we are NOT SUPPOSED to have students sound it out because most of the time they do not understand how to do so which is why they are having a hard time reading in the first place. I like how this figure offers us several strategies that seem really beneficial. I am really glad I got to read this chapter before writing my lesson plans and before my first tutoring session. I really feel like it has prepared me and made me feel more confident about writing the lesson plans and what to include in each tutoring session. I do not have any questions about these readings.
Stacie, I agreed with your post in several ways. I also felt the first chapter was a great refresher and offered some new insight. I also liked the quote to start chapter 13. I really liked figure 13.7 as well because it shows us how to help the tutee tackle the tough words without just giving them the correct answer. That's the whole idea, giving them the tools necessary to figure it out for themselves, hence giving them the confidence they need to use it in the future.
Chapter 3 discussed the different types of assessments. It went into more details over the different types of assessments we will be doing, along with provide very detailed examples of how to score the assessments. It also broke down the different kinds off assessments that schools can give. While it did not state pros and cons, it went into enough detail that choosing the type of assessment used will be easier.
Chapter 13 discussed tutoring. It told exact steps on how to run a tutoring session. It gave several different ways that different tutoring sessions could be ran. There were also sample lesson plans, along with sample notes that tutors took. It discussed tutoring that took place via a computer, verses a reading specialist, verses a paraprofessional. The chapter made it very clear, that one on one tutor is almost always successful.
I also liked the information on how to conduct the different sessions when tutoring as well as the sample lesson plans provided. This chapter will certainly help when we begin writing lesson plans and when we begin our tutoring.
Chapter 3 seemed a bit like a review in that throughout many of my courses here at FHSU, I have learned about the different types of assessment. As mentioned in the text, each form of assessment, whether formal/standardized or informal, there are postives and negatives to both. I tend to prefer the criterion referenced tests on the formal side because I want to know if a student is learning based on their abilities to achieve success from a set of criterion and not against a large group of people with many variables. Overall though, I prefer the informal style of assessments such as miscue analysis, the cloze procedure, rubrics, and portfolios. I believe these types of assessment paint more of a picture about where a student is and when re-assessed, where they are. These assessments seem to be a better showing of the continous progress a student is making. I also like the examples in the text of the use of anecdotal notes that showed how students started in certain areas and then showed growth. As a substitute, I get to see many of these informal assessments used in the classrooms, specifically the cloze test, portfolios, and rubrics. I also really liked the idea of personal interest surveys because I feel that if you can integrate students' likes and interests into the lesson, they will be more engaged. To know your students likes and dislikes shows them that you care and when a student feels that you really care, I believe they will try harder for you. The idea of book, skill, and reflection logs was interesting to me for having students self-assess themselves. I think this gives the student a sense of ownership into their learning and they can place their own opinion of how they did on that lesson. The last chapter about tutoring was very informative as well. It made me think about how many unqualified people, based on the text's information, that we have tutoring kids in our schools. Tutors come from reading specialists, certified teachers, para's, computer assisted tutoring, and web based tutoring. I have witnessed I believe all but the computer and web based programs. Reading about and seeing the sample lesson plans for the tutoring lessons was helpful. I like how the text laid out how each session should go and what we should be doing. I am looking forward to working with my three struggling readers and seeing how much of a difference I can possibly make. It will be fun to see. I wonder if our lesson plans and our sessions will be following the same format as what the text is giving us? As I recall, we already have forms filled out discussing the tutee's interests, so we are going to be assessing from day one, I believe.
Robert, I know what you mean about having unqualified people working with students. I am a para and I am the one wkorking with struggling students most of the time. Don't get me wrong, I love working with them, but sometimes I wonder if someone more qualified should be working with the ones who require the most help. I hope that I can help my three little tutees develop strategies and skills that they can use to help themselves.
I like how chapter 3 explained the different types of assessments. It gave very detailed instructions on how to administer and score them. I thought it was really cool how to tell if the material is at the easy level, instructional level, or frustration level for each student. I also liked the strategies that it gave for helping students improve in their areas of difficulty.
Chapter 13 was great in helping me feel more prepared for tutoring. It tells how to set up your tutoring sessions and gives examples of lesson plans.
In our school we have trained specialists who do all of the testing and they give the results to the classroom teachers, but ,like the scenario in chapter 3, I think that it is good for classroom teachers to have some background knowledge in the many types and purposes of formal and informal assessments to be able to evaluate their students' strenghts and weaknesses and to adjust lessons accordingly.
Lori, I can definitely see the benefits of classroom teachers conducting the tests, rather than trained specialists. If classroom teachers were directly involved in this, as you said, they would have the background knowledge of student abilities and utilize this information when planning lessons. However, I wonder how teachers are able to actually carry out these tests in the manner necessary with so many students, so many other activities taking place in the classroom, as well as other aspects of the lesson plan that need to be executed.
Chapter 3 of our text elaborates on the value of assessments in the classroom. Assessments are an important tool in which teachers can measure strengths and weaknesses of students’ learning by collecting data through things like observations and testing. Formative and summative assessments are utilized by teachers to measure results of ongoing class work, as well as students’ growth in learning and checking of knowledge and comprehension at the end of units; both of these help teachers with their instructional planning. There are intelligence, achievement, and diagnostic standardized tests which can reveal the necessity of additional screening for students; these assessments can also indicate validity and reliability. Informal assessment instruments are different methods of evaluating a student’s reading and writing abilities, diagnosing any potential reading problems for individual students, checking their reading level, among some other areas as well. Miscue analysis checks a variety of areas when a student reads, such as substitutions, mispronunciations, repetitions or insertions, and omissions. Another informal assessment is running records, which involves recording a student’s oral reading with checks and other markings, evaluating the errors to determine if they are syntactic, semantic, or graphophonic; these running records are followed up with additional analysis. Other assessment tools, such as rubrics, checklists, and anecdotal records are used to reveal specific areas of student growth which can’t really be measured by a test. Chapter 13 discusses the benefits of tutoring, as well as different types of tutoring that can be very valuable to students. There are a variety of tutors: reading specialists or literacy coaches, as they may be called, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, computer-assisted, and also web-based tutors. Students who are having a lot of challenges with reading can benefit greatly from the one-on-one instruction that tutoring provides; tutoring can also be very valuable to second language learners. Tutoring provides more of a customized instructional opportunity, and students receive more immediate feedback, as well. Reading Recovery is a very common tutoring program used in the U.S. by certified teachers as a method of “early intervention and remediation”. Tutoring sessions should definitely be structured and based on lesson plans which will focus on specific goals and activities to help the student. Objectives need to be established based on goals for the student, as well as activities that will be of interest to the student. It’s important to reflect on the session upon conclusion to evaluate adjustments that may be necessary. I’m wondering if all the data collecting with the assessments is extremely challenging for a beginning teacher. I know that it’s possible for a teacher to accomplish all of the required tasks; however, I’m curious to know how quickly one can learn, adapt, and actually be able to execute these different tasks that teachers are expected to carry out. It’s a bit difficult for me to imagine that after student teaching that I’ll be able to jump right in and do this. Most of the information referring to assessments was review for me; however, repetition is beneficial, and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how all of these different types of assessment work. I did appreciate the information and suggestions presented in the tutoring section. I especially appreciated the recommendations one can use to help students with challenging words. I’m definitely used to the “sound it out” response, so I like the new ideas given in this section. I am definitely looking forward to my tutoring sessions, the knowledge I will gain from this first-hand learning experience, and how I’ll be able to utilize the information on literacy that I’ve acquired. I’m looking forward to incorporating my students’ interests into the learning experience for their benefit, and I’m also anxious to provide a positive, enthusiastic approach to reading.
Chapter 3 focused on different assessments used in the classroom. The difference between formal and informal tests were gone over (formal being a standardized test given under controlled conditions, and informal being observations that are recorded using anecdotal records, checklists, rubrics, cloze and maze tests, and miscue analysis). Intelligence tests are given to determine scholastic aptitude, and achievement tests are given to measure the current level of the student’s performance. Authentic assessments were also discussed, and it was stated that giving an authentic assessment should help the teacher find out what the students are capable of doing – not what they can’t do. It mentioned giving surveys to the tutees to find out their personal interests, as well as to find out about their attitudes toward reading and writing. Chapter 13 focused more on the actual tutoring session and what it should look like. There are different methods to use when tutoring, and it gave details about several. But the focus of the tutoring session is to motivate students so they develop a desire to read and write. Throughout the chapter, ideas were given for a tutoring session and what should be done during the first few sessions. But it was also stressed numerous times what each tutoring session should include. A familiar text needs to be reread by the student, and a word analysis needs to be included, along with writing activities. At the end, students should read new stories that are on their instructional level. Each session should be broken down into segments, and it needs to keep moving so the students stay interested and on-task.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t really have any questions about the text, but reading chapter 13 did raise a question about the class. This chapter said the miscue analysis should be done in session 3. I think the videos by Mrs. Stoppel said this should be done in the very first session. So, I am wondering if I am right on my information, and if so, why the discrepancy? The book also suggested only 30 minute sessions. Will an hour be too long for some of these students, especially when my tutoring sessions will take place right after school ends?
Last semester I had to complete an assignment using authentic assessment, and I also wrote a paper about it for another class. I am a strong supporter of this type of assessment, as I feel it allows students to work in ways that are most conducive to their learning style, and it also gives them a better opportunity of expressing to the teacher what they actually learned from a unit. I had not thought about it, but after studying them, I totally agree with what the textbook said about authentic assessments telling the teacher what the student knows instead of showing what he doesn’t know. So often, traditional paper and pencil tests show a lot of what a struggling learner doesn’t know. But if they are allowed to be assessed using authentic assessments, they have an opportunity to show the teacher how much they DO know.
I am a firm believer in getting to know my students and their interests. I am amazed at the difference it makes in a student’s life when I take a personal interest in them. It can be something as simple as asking about their game the night before, or telling them I like their new haircut. The students perk up when they are given individual attention. So I am positive this will have a motivating effect on the students I tutor. I am overwhelmed with the wealth of information from these chapters, but I am also excited to get starting tutoring to put some of this into practice.
I am on the same page as you, I am excited but a little overwhelmed. Tutoring students can make a huge impact on their lives, and it is important to make the most of our time and cover everything we are suppose to. I am also concerned about tutoring right after school. I think though that they will already be in the school mode and with the fast paced tasks that are in their interest, it should work out just fine.
Deletemjb
DeleteChapter three is about the how and when to administer different types of assessment. As a visual person, I really liked the flow-chart shown on page 44. AS I’ve previously mentioned, I work in an elementary school and I found myself recognizing many of assessments mentioned. The section on IQ testing was interesting to me. When I was in college at a different university, I remember a professor explaining to me that she never looked at student’s IQ tests when she taught special ed in middle school because she felt that this information skewed her teaching. At the time, I found this odd because I believed IQ was an accurate predictor of ability, but this teacher vehemently disagreed with this mindset. This book agrees with my former professor, that IQ tests can be inaccurate therefore the results may not be useful at all. The section on ELL was incredibly interesting to me as well. ELL students are required by law to receive instruction that they can understand! This means that they need their own set of standards, scaffolding, and supports to ensure their learning and success. There was a great listing of accommodations provided on page 47. (I really am a visual person, lists and flow charts really seem to ‘stick’ with me.) Diagnostic tests are always important because they help to establish the ability of a student and then track performance. We’ve learned a lot about these kinds of tests in the Cooter Flint Cooter (CFC) book as well as through Mrs. Stoppel’s videos. One thing that really stood out to me is that each diagnostic test requires its own type of qualitative and quantitative analysis. There are many different methods that a teacher can utilize to help understand and teach to students. These methods include personal interest surveys, attitude surveys, and literacy self-perception scales. I think that it is incredibly important to know as much as possible about my students in order to teach to their needs. This also ties in with the MTSS system that is being implemented across the state – you have to know where your students are academically as well as emotionally, socially, and where their interests lie, so you can keep them engaged, motivated, and achieving their greatest potential.
ReplyDeleteOops, I forgot to put on my information about Chapter 13! This chapter was about tutoring and really helped ease my mind about the tutoring that I will soon be doing for this course. I work for a Reading Specialist and found the beginning of the chapter to be very familiar. All our Title 1 groups only have 30 minutes with small groups and 15 minutes with individuals. What a luxury it would be to have a whole hour, like mentioned in the text! The tutoring sessions in this chapter were helpful as well and I will definitely be checking to see if our library has any of the books listed in Appendix A.7. Finally, I feel that keeping a log of what I've done with students is important to understanding how they succeed as well as being providing an avenue for me to reflect upon my own behavior and make changes.
Deletemjb
DeleteChapter 3 of the text covered all the different types of assessment. Assessments can be formal, informal, and summative, formative, and authentic. Assessments can play a huge part in differentiating instruction. Finding students' interests to help motivate them seems to be a major theme through out our readings. If a student does not have an interest in the information, it is hard for them to be motivated to do the task.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 covered tutoring. Effective tutoring is accomplished through classroom instruction and assessment, well trained tutors who continue training, 3 times a week, rapport among students, and well implemented programs. There are different types of tutors referred to by different names. The chapter also covered lesson plans and what needs to happen in the first few sessions. Lessons need to have easy reads, rereading, word study, writing, and a new read all 5 to 15 minutes. What the students do during this time needs to interest them and help give them confidence in order to motivate them.
I like that both chapters gave ideas to help English Learners in taking tests and in learning important literacy skills. While reading the types of tutors in Chapter 13, I found it interesting that paraprofessionals are suppose to have at least 2 years of college. I was not aware of this, I do think that paras are a great asset to have in classrooms to help.
Like other posts, I am also curious about the exact layout of what we need to cover in our sessions. The text says to do the assessments in session 3, while the videos say to do them the first two sessions. I do think though that we can do the assessments while the other students do their interest surveys and creating things that interest them, such as name tags and decorating their folders.
In order to be successful as a tutor, I need to continue learning more about assessments. I will also need to record and collaborate with the students teachers, so that they are aware of any strategies that the students have learned that can help them in the classroom. As to the future in any aspect of teaching, it is important to find ways that keep learning interesting and worthwhile.
You mentioned how the book gave ideas to help ELL in taking tests. I thought those suggestions were helpful, but as I read them, I realized that most of the ideas would also be helpful for students with learning disabilities. Because I have a son who is dyslexic, I am constantly looking for ways to help him in his schoolwork, particularly in taking tests. For some reason, he freezes up and cannot perform well during a test, even if he does the review quiz perfectly. So as I read that list, I thought of my son and his learning needs. So it was interesting (yet makes sense) that methods that work for ESOL might also work for students with learning disabilities.
DeleteSamantha,
DeleteI agree with you that connecting with the students’ interests is part of the key to motivating them. I keep wondering though when you are tutoring a group of students that have different interests, how do you keep them all interested and motivated? I am excited to see where my tutoring students’ interests are and how to work those interests into the tutoring sessions. The amount of assessments we need to understand is a little overwhelming. I look forward to using several of the assessments and hopefully begin to understand how to interpret them and use the data effectively in the tutoring. You have several good ideas of activities to do with the students who are not testing. These activities will let us get to know their personalities better.
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ReplyDeleteChapter 3: Assessment
ReplyDeleteThere are two types of assessment: formal in informal. Informal assessments are ones we can use daily in a variety of ways through rubrics, anecdotal notes, or a thumbs-up in mid lesson. Formal assessments are tests given to gauge progress in a particular area. One new piece of information I learned was regarding common core-influenced assessments. I knew there had to be something like this coming but didn’t know what. I am pleased to learn it is a move beyond the multiple choice boredom of old state assessments and I hope it will have questions that are geared more toward a true test of what students have learned. Many of the assessment types mentioned in the text I had learned about in my curriculum and assessment class except for miscue analysis. As a para, I was given the opportunity to do some progress monitoring and doing markups of miscues in passages for 5th and 6th graders but that was about four years ago. The only difference is that the students were not recorded. I was also familiar with the Cloze test which one of the 6th grade teachers used for a couple of years to try it and then did not do that type of testing any longer. When I watched kids take that type of test I would say that many struggled with it so perhaps that is the reason it was no longer used. Another area of interest to me in the text was the reflection logs where students are asked to evaluate their reading habits, reflecting on features in the text the liked or didn’t like.
Chapter 13: Tutoring
The text says there are five types of tutors: reading specialists/literacy coaches, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, computer-assisted and web-based. I am a para that is considered highly-qualified in working with students but I have not done one-on-one tutoring sessions with students but that could be because I work with high school students. I had heard of Reading Recovery but was not familiar with how it works. It sounds to me like how they do MTSS for special education students who are more than one grade level below where they should be. Since we will be starting our tutoring sessions in a couple of weeks I was glad to see how to plan and conduct the sessions. I really like the idea of doing a collage of favorites during the first session as an ice-breaker. I like the format of the sample lesson plan in the book and will use that as a guide when doing lesson plans for the tutoring session. I was SHOCKED to see the statistic that 70% of students in grades 4 – 12 have some sort of reading difficulty. I really hope that my tutoring sessions help the second graders I will be working with. I am excited and honored to be making a difference in their lives by helping them become more proficient in reading.
Amy, I like when the students are involved with their progress and analyze how they are doing. I like the reflection logs as well because they truly can see their reading habits and reflect on where to go from one point to another. With the tutoring plans that were in Chapter 13, I am really glad to have some kind of guidelines for us when we start setting up our lesson plans. I too enjoyed the icebreaker and am looking forward to implementing it into my first lesson. I completely agree with you on the statistics as well, it is amazing that we could have such a high number of children with reading disabilities. I am looking forward to working with my two girls in the next few weeks and hope to see some great deal of forward progress in their reading habits.
Deletemjb
DeleteThese two chapters packed in a lot of information on the wide range of assessments and tutoring available to use with our students. Frankly, it left me a little overwhelmed with selecting the correct assessments to use with students. Obviously, there are the state assessments that all students take. This chapter helped me reflect upon ELL students and their unique situation when taking any of these assessments. An ELL student whose native country does not use standardized tests must feel completely overwhelmed while taking the tests. I appreciated the list of suggestions listed on page 47 because with the ELL population growing, there is a high chance that we will encounter ELL students within our classrooms.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a fine line to separate out what content the student knows versus lack of language skills resulting in not being able to explain it. I have had three exchange students live with my family and so I know firsthand that all of these young ladies were intelligent, but sometimes did not know how to put into English words what the teacher wanted. It was very challenging to help them edit their English papers because I would try to help them with their English structure and word choice without changing their voice in their paper. Having exchange students also made me aware of how many idioms we use in English most of which we are not even aware. I could definitely see how a teacher would need to interpret idioms on tests so that the ELL students would have a fairer chance to understand the question.
When reading further in the chapter, my experience with exchange students also led me to wonder how to score dialect during miscue analysis. The text stated that mispronunciations because of dialect are not considered miscues. I wonder how hard that is to distinguish though with some dialects. I lived in New Orleans for three years and I would have had a hard time running a miscue analysis there without marking too many words wrong. I would definitely have to record the assessment and listen to it several times.
I also finally took the time to look through the appendixes that the authors refer to that are in the back of our textbook. Those appendixes are a rich source of activities, rubrics, and assessments that will come in handy when planning tutoring or in the classroom in the future.
mjb
DeleteChapter 3 focused on informal assessments that are beneficial to teachers in identifying the strengths and needs of their students. The assessments gauge the ability of the student in reading and writing, diagnoses reading difficulties, and helps highlights interests and attitudes toward reading and writing, to help the teacher find materials of interest for each individual student. There were so many great suggestions in this chapter, but I find the miscue analysis and maze test as my favorites. In the miscue analysis, the focus is on what miscues are made by the readier, such as substituting one word for another, mispronunciations, and dialog either repeated, added, or omitted. I am looking forward to utilizing and administering this assessment in our tutoring sessions. The maze test is similar to the cloze test that we learned about in reading and language arts methods course. I like the maze tests better because each omitted word has three words in a word bank for the student to use, where the cloze test has the word bank at the bottom to use in all sentences. A huge word bank may be overwhelming so the maze test should help with that by limiting choices. What I like is you can really monitor the problem-solving techniques used by each student by whether they reread the sentence with each word inserted or reads on in the passage to figure out the best word for that sentence. In both cases though, the assessments are very valuable. The best part of any of these assessments are the way we, the teacher use them to drive our instruction.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 focused on the aspects that will make the tutoring experience beneficial for both the tutor and the tutee. Three main areas were discussed: 1) the benefits of tutoring, 2) different types of tutors, and 3) how to plan and conduct a tutoring session. Tutoring is extremely beneficial because the program is so individualized for the student that you are working with. Cost is the main reason more school districts don’t implement more of the program. The type of tutors can be specialists, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, computer-based or web-based. Utilizing technology is an amazing tool where the program can still be individualized and self-pacing. I like that that dimension can be added, and the student may be able to stay in the classroom to receive the extra help while the teacher can easily monitor the progress. Planning for a tutoring session is just as important as if you were teaching to an entire class. I enjoyed the breakout sessions that were outlined in the book. From the personal interest survey and getting to know one another, to looking for books that are repetitive to get the tutee involved in the read alouds are great suggestions in making the sessions enjoyable and valuable. Pages 350-356 are going to be vital resources once I start writing my lesson plans.
Stacy I completely agree with you regarding your perspective on the maze and cloze assessments. I felt that the excerpt in the text of the cloze assessment was something I felt was relatively overwhelming, whereas the maze assessment seemed to provide a more informed approach, still critical thinking, vocabulary and comprehension would be key to complete it.
DeleteI also agree with you regarding the resources and examples used in Chapter 13, most definitely will be referenced when I prepare my upcoming tutoring lesson plans.
I think that Chapter 13 talked about great ideas and resources for tutoring. I think that both chapters came at the correct time as we are entering our tutoring sessions shortly. There are many different forms of assessments, and I am excited to start using some of these. It is sad that tutoring programs cost so much, and does not fit in a districts budget.I am glad we get this opportunity to help students although it is going to be a lot of work, but rewarding.
Deletemjb
DeleteI also like miscue analysis. I did a little of this in my reading internship. My mentoring teacher showed me how to score and was very patient with me while I did it. She first demonstrated with a student. I asked to score the same time so I could check to see how I did and she was very encouraging with this. I think I might have missed a few as well as chose the wrong sign indicating what the student's mistake consisted of, however, I was able to remember what it the mistake was from my score marks and correctly score the reading.
DeleteVery exciting.
mjb
DeleteThe first chapter in this week’s reading assignment to an in-depth look at the variety of assessments that can be and our used in today’s classrooms. There are two key categories in which all assessments fall under; formal and informal. Formal assessments are those notorious standardized tests that are given under specific conditions to students. Informal assessments are the most constant and greatly utilized in today’s classrooms these assessments can ranges from observations to rubrics, check lists, reading inventories and much more. In addition to these specific types of assessments which the chapter looked into with greater detail, the chapter looked at how to assess and apply the results in either a quantitative or quantifiable approach. Finally, an important component of this chapter were the adaptations and specifications that are required to be met when given ESOL students assessments.
ReplyDeletePersonally, this chapter felt like a review, however this chapter versus other texts I have read in the past went into greater detail regarding many of the assessment tools. As the text described informal reading inventories, running records and miscue analysis, I reflected on my last semester internship in Language Arts and was able to see all of those at work in a first grade classroom. It truly is amazing the amount of informal assessment that goes on continuously within a classroom.
Within this chapter there were a few new components that perked my interest. This chapter talked about the use of intelligence tests in either a group or individual setting. However, I was curious to know how often intelligence tests are utilized in a typical classroom and are they becoming relatively outdated??
The second component to this week’s reading was Chapter 13, which was only fitting to focus on tutoring, as we are all getting ready to begin our own tutoring sessions in a few weeks. Tutoring provides a beneficial and needed instructional support component in today’s classrooms. There are three types of professionals that can provide tutoring instruction; reading specialists, certified teachers and paraprofessionals. In additional to this one to one interaction, students can also receive support from computer aided tutoring programs and web-based programs. This chapter also focused heavily on the Reading Recovery tutoring program which is heavily used in public schools across the nation at the first grade level to provide early intervention and remediation for students. This specifically designed program is labor intensive, yet provides an intensive and important tutoring session each day for specified students.
The Reading Recovery program was something that really interested me in this chapter, not only because it provides a great template for developing lesson plans for upcoming tutoring sessions, but because last semester as I mentioned I spent a semester in a first grade classroom that utilized this program. There were a total of nine students that participated in this program, and while the program was intensive and allowed the students to receive one on one support from a reading specialist or certified teacher, it also lead to students continuously being pulled in and out of the regular classroom. I was curious to see if this would be considered a negative effect of implementing a program to such a large scale, as nearly 1/3 of the class was in and out of the classroom during the entire morning in order to receive the necessary instruction.
Tutoring is a great support to all students. While we are typically focused on early intervention or remediation, one on one support for every child to some extent provides an intimate and focused learning experience that all children can gain from. As a parent, I think I realize to promote tutoring opportunities in the future with my own children when they present themselves (regardless of their achievement or learning level), especially like the unique partnership that FHSU has with Washington Elementary.
I wondered about the intelligence tests too. I think I will do some investigating on this by googling it and talking to some of the teachers I work with.
DeleteChapter 3 talks about assessment and how the data is beneficial to figure out what students strengths and weaknesses are, and how to build on them. A part that stood out to me was when the chapter talked about student's IQ. The books point out that just because a student has a high IQ score, that they can still struggle with reading and students with low IQ may not struggle with reading. It is not a way to judge a students full academic ability. Another point that is discussed is accommodating assessments for ELL students. This is very important because English is already something they are learning. Things as simple as giving them more time, make the language understandable, and give the test orally are just a few ways to accommodate their needs. I have found that just reading the test to ELL students really help them. They feel more at ease and comfortable, and students performed better on the exams. I will make sure when I tutor students, and teach I will accommodate for any students needs.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 talks about tutoring, and the benefits that comes out of it. Tutoring is one of the most effective ways of assisting students with their academics. When a teacher tutors they are capable of diagnose the reading problem, asses, and find ways to work on the specific reading struggle. I am looking forward to tutoring my students, however, I also am nervous. I hope that I am able to really connect with them, and find engaging activities for the students to do. The chapter also talks about making sure the session is planned like a regular classroom. The time is crucial for the students, so the teacher must be prepared filling in the whole session. On the first day of my tutoring session, I plan on assessing the students but also getting to know them. I am going to have them create a box that describes them. They will be able to use stickers, draw, pictures, ect. to show their personality and what they like. I will let them share why they put stuff on their box, and this is where I will keep their records.
mjb
DeleteI found the IQ scores to be interesting as well. But it definitely makes sense. After reading that section I could actually think back to people I went to school with a I realized how that's possible. I remember some students who seemed to not do as well in school, but the really didn't have trouble reading and then vice versa.
DeleteI have found that reading the test to certain ELL students does help, however many times I am explaining words in the test they are not familiar with. I have told this story before, but in my English II class, the instructor had a different professor attend class and he spoke to us in Cherokee only. He became angry when we did not understand him and he told us we would all fail. This was his way of showing us how students from a different country feels when they attend schools they do not understand. It was an eye opener.
DeleteInterest surveys are a form of assessment. They are a useful tool when choosing books to tutor your students. However, formal assessments need to be done before you select the books so you can choose an appropriate grade level.
ReplyDeleteChapter 3 was all about assessment and what goes into a variety of them. This chapter discussed the different types of miscue analysis,scoring, records, rubrics, checklists, tests, portfolios, logs, surveys, and how to tie some of this into assessment for ELL's as well. What I really found interesting in this chapter was the logs. I like the idea of the students recording their process as they go along. I think it's a great way for them to see their own progress and could even be a good motivator for them too. I like how their are also suggestions for different grade/reading levels. Younger students have logs that have different types of faces they choose from to express how they feel, while older students can write out many details of the book and then write down comments containing if they did or did not like the book and why or why not. Something else I also liked out of this chapter was the idea of a personal interest survey for students. I actually might look into seeing if my mentor teacher will let me do this with the students so I can learn more about them and be able to focus my lesson plans around their interests as much as I can. I really didn't have any questions from this chapter, a lot of it had already been covered in our weekly recordings last week.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13, on the other hand, was very helpful in preparing us for tutoring. Of course the chapter discussed how tutoring can benefit students because it's more of a one-on-one experience focused on what the students needs help in. But the chapter also listed the different kinds of tutors and the qualifications they must have. It definitely makes complete sense for schools to look into finding volunteers(especially ones that are trained or can easily be trained) because it is a lot easier on their budget and plus teachers who have been teaching all day already may have a hard time to be motivated to focus on one or a few students individually after school. I can only imagine how straining that could be on a person. My favorite part of this chapter was how it suggest we set up our tutoring schedule for both non ELLs and ELLs. For non ELLs start out with a reread of material that was introduced in previous session, then do a word study of some sort, next have students write, and then spend the last part of the session instroducing and reading new material at their instructional level. For ELLs it's the same principle but in a different format. The chapter also laid out an outline of the sessions, which I also found useful and will definitely be flipping back to here in a week or so. Again in this chapter I really didn't have any questions, it was pretty straight forward.
I think that it is really cool to have the students record their progress as well. I think it makes it very concrete for them and will show them that the harder they work they better that it will be and the bigger gains they will notice. I too found it very helpful that they had the ideas for the logs for younger students. Last semester I interned in kindergarten, and the two students that I am tutoring for this are in Kindergarten as well, and it truly is hard to find some things geared for that young age. Though there are a lot of things that can be adapted, it is really exciting for me to see activities actually geared for that group. I LOVE interest inventories! I like the ones that aren’t just question and answer, but more symbolization, like we were shown in the recording. Students love to do this, and they love to tell you about themselves, family, and pets. I thought the magazine idea, where they cut things out of a magazine that they can relate to and they glue them on a piece of paper and make a collage. After reading chapter 13, I don’t feel quite as nervous about going into my tutoring sessions. I thought it was really interesting too how the lessons varied for the ELL students and the English fluent students as well. Great observations about these two lessons! I really connected with this chapter because Reading recovery and Success for All is something that I am very interested in getting involved in.
DeleteChapter 3 is about packed with information about assessments. It talks about the different testing instruments and the different categories, which is much more extensive than I realized. Figure 3.1 on page 44 was really interesting to look at because I have never seen tests broken down that way. I thought that the English Language Proficiency Standards were interesting. I have never seen them written out as they were in figure 3.5 on page 47. I really like all of the tables and figures that were given throughout the chapter that gives good examples on different assessments and how they possibly should look. Chapter 13 talks about tutoring and the fact that small group or one-on-one work seems to be the best for some students to get them motivated and in the right direction. It talked about the importance of a good lesson plan, and what goes into it; though I feel this program does a lot for that as well. it then gave a breakdown of what should be done in the first few sessions, which is something I was worried about a little. This gave some great ideas.
ReplyDeleteThough I have heard a lot about individual intelligence tests, I never really knew there were group intelligence tests. This makes me wonder. What would you use the group intelligence test for? Aren’t we supposed to be focusing on more individualized instruction as opposed to whole group? Took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills many times when I was growing up, but until now I guess I never realized that they were a norm-referenced achievement test. Though I have heard a good amount on the miscue analysis through the recordings, the section that discussed that more thoroughly was very helpful and makes the process easier to understand for me. When talking about tutors, I guess I never really knew that there were categorically 5 different types of tutors. I loved that they have so many resources for online tutoring systems; this can be very helpful for students! I loved the section on tutoring ELL students. I thought it was interesting to see the differences between the ELL students and the English proficient students.
I have always been skeptical of IQ tests. When I was tested for dyslexia my IQ showed up very high, where the results in all of the categories were incredibly low. From that moment on I realized, and chapter 3 gave me a goo explanation as to why, IQ tests don’t really give much insight for a teacher. Though my exposure to school and other cultural experiences isn't what affected the results of my IQ test, it just goes to show how many different things can affect it. I remember taking achievement tests when I was in school, and I remembered they were so scary to me because I thought I would forget things that I actually knew and I would not do my best. They were simply daunting to me. I have been looking more into the Success for all and the Reading Recovery programs for tutoring that were suggested in chapter 13 because that is something that I would really love to do. I came into this program as a tutor, and feel like that would be the place that I would be most happy with. As I read this I was more encouraged to look at the schools that do offer these programs and it makes me want to learn more about them.
Brenna,
DeleteI agree with you chapter 3 was PACKED with information on assessments, it was almost a little overwhelming, There are so many! I have the same questions about group intelligence testing as you. I was not aware this type of test even existed. I know my children get very nervous about achievement tests in school (which are coming up for them) and I think teachers worry just as much about their students performance on them. I think it is great you have been looking into the Reading Recovery programs and wish you the best of luck in your future. Kara
After having read a few of the posts from the students I find that most felt like chapter 3 gave us so much information that it is overwhelming. But I think that once we get started most of this is going to come almost second nature to us. Of course we are going to have a bit of a learning curve, but when you think about assessment, you are just checking the student to see what they know, and while there are many forms of assessment, finding the ones that work best for us is the key. We don’t have to use every one of them, we try out the ones we think will give us the best results, and if that doesn’t work we move on and try something new.
DeleteI also questioned the group intelligence tests, because like you said we should be focused on individual instruction. Unless they use the group intelligence tests to make sure as a whole the class is learning the correct material, or the teacher is doing their job correctly. Other than that, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me either.
You are right, these chapters were full of information. I did not realize how many different ways you can administer a miscue analysis test. I liked the charts and the way figure 3.11 was able to break everything up on one grid. I agree with you, I would like to know why a group intelligence tests would be beneficial as well as group diagnostic tests? There has to be a good reason. Classroom teachers do not administer them, so it would be interesting to know how and why they are used.
DeleteChapter 3 covers assessments. The scenario gives a good example of how the experience we are going to get in this class can be helpful in our future as educators. I thought the figure containing the NCTE/IRA Standards for Assessment of Reading and Writing provided a good overview of each assessment standard that could be a good reference in the future. It was interesting to read about the disadvantages of standardized tests. So many times the disadvantages of things are not covered and I think by covering them we will be more aware of reasons for inaccurate scores etc. I also like how the author explains each type of standardized test scores. I am seeing in my educational psychology class that these are some of the items covered in the Praxis tests. I have only taken 1 course that dealt solely with ELL’s so I am always interested to learn more about how to better accommodate them and I think this chapter gave some nice examples. I have not had the opportunity to intern in a lower grade level class and was interested to learn more about assessing early writing. We have been learning about miscue analysis in the recorded videos but it was nice to read about the process to gain a little more insight as to how it is done. I have been practicing at home on my children and can see that to do this without a recording to review takes a lot of practice. I thought the section on retrospective miscue analysis and having the child listen to the recording while following along was interesting since I had not learned about this yet. I also like the examples of recordings that are given in this chapter. I think they will be a good tool to refer to after recording the students during the tutoring sessions. Chapter 13 was not very long but covered a lot of information about tutoring that will be useful this semester. When the types of tutors were being discussed I was interested to learn that the computer can be considered a type of tutor. I am hoping to observe a title teacher in a couple weeks and think this will be a great addition to my education. I learn a lot by example and enjoy watching an experienced teacher actually do the things I am learning about. I just finished my trifold and after completing it and reading this chapter I am anxious to begin my tutoring sessions!
ReplyDeleteI also liked the fact that we were able to "see" what Mrs. Stoppel had been talking about in regard to miscue analysis. I am a visual learner, and figure 3.10 and 3.11 really helped me understand more about what we have been learning about. I liked how the section on miscue analysis was so detailed and really broke it down in parts. I am still working on my trifold and can honestly say that is is one of the most fun assignments I have had in a while!
Deletemjb
DeleteChapter 3 of the text was all about assessment. The chapter began by defining assessment, which is a process of gathering data in order to understand the strengths and weaknesses of students learning. This chapter gives a breakdown of every kind of assessment that is available, most of which we have covered in other classes, and some of which I have never heard of. Chapter 13 talked about tutoring. Tutoring is just one on one teaching. Students who struggle to read or are second language learners can benefit greatly from tutoring. The reason that tutoring is so effective is because it is based on the personal needs of the student. The section of this I have a problem with is the qualifications required to become a tutor. Having worked as a paraprofessional, it is difficult for me to agree that all have met the qualifications to tutor students in any class. Having a para in many classrooms is a benefit to the teacher, but not necessarily the students. Knowing some of the paras that I have worked with, I wouldn’t want my child getting any extra help from them, but I suppose they are here for the students, and not for the pay. I believe there should be a more strict hiring policy for paraprofessionals, as well as better pay. In understand it would cost the district more money, but at what cost, better test results, smarter children, less dropouts, I can think of worse ways for districts to spend money. The chapter also goes into detail about planning tutoring sessions, which will benefit us, since we are less than two weeks from starting our tutoring. I like how the first few sessions are described, since it is a little difficult thinking about how to start tutoring sessions. I have an idea on what I want the students to get out of the sessions, but for the first time, not having an actual teacher tell you what they want you to teach, can be a little overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteThese two chapters fit together perfectly, we as future educators who are about to start our tutoring sessions, needed some background into tutoring, as well as knowing the different forms of assessment that we can use with our students.
A good Para is a huge benefit not only for the teacher, but for the students in the classroom as well. I agree with you that there should be a more strict hiring policy when it comes to these positions. However, if a Para is hired and never trained to do things such as tutoring, then that is just a poor decision on the districts part. I was a Para for 7 years, and I loved every minute of it. The pay wasn't high, but the rewards were. It comes down to dedication to your job and to your students. If you have people in these positions that care about helping the students and really making a difference, then a Para is a wonderful resource to have.
DeleteChapter 3 gave us a lot of information about assessments. It explains the need for both formative and summative assessments, and how they differ. I am also a firm believer in the importance to informal assessment. Some children do better when they don't realize they are being "tested". I think that by going over all types of student work, you get a better picture of what they are struggling with and what they aren't. After reading the information on intelligence tests, I am still unsure of how I feel about these. Unfortunately, I think some teachers use these scores too much. I was tested for gifted in the third grade, and thus was given my IO score. After that, it didn't seem to be an issue if I was struggling with something; it is that I just wasn't trying my hardest to reach my full potential. Science is by far my weak subject, and instead of getting the help I needed, I was told that I could get it, just try harder. I am not saying it is bad to assess students with intelligence tests, just that students with high IQ scores shouldn't be dismissed when they are struggling. If I am reading this correctly, then the Cooter Flint Cooter tests are a diagnostic (formal) test, and the Dibels tests are informal assessments. I am really glad that we are reading this chapter at this point, because until now I felt completely unprepared to give the assessments. I am still a little nervous, but reading this really helps me understand the assessments more. One thing in this chapter that I really like is figures 3.1-3.31. Being able to see how we should take notes and write things down really helps put the assessments into perspective. I hadn't seen a cloze procedure rally written out like that, so that was very beneficial.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 discusses the benefits and various types of tutoring. This chapter did make me ask more questions about the tutoring process though. For example it says of page 345 that "A successful tutoring session is usually 30 to 45 minutes long..." we will be working with these students for an hour. Is that too long for them? I liked how appendix A.11 and A.12 have software and interactive books. I think these will come in very handy when we are assessing other students in the group we are tutoring. One free website I like is www.starfall.com. It has activities at several different levels, and is really fun for young students. It can be used with students that are readers or non-readers. In A.14 there is a list of computer programs that aid with comprehension and problem solving as well. I really like the Reader Rabbit and I Spy programs. I thought the information on planning and conducting the tutoring session was very helpful. We have our own lesson plan templates, but I like how they divided up what was happening and for how long they would be doing that activity. The chapter gave good information on what we should be working on during the first couple tutoring sessions. I am looking forward to working with the students, but am still a little nervous about the assessment itself.
I completely agree with you about the use for informal assessments. I was always one who did better with informal assessments in the classroom than I did with the formal assessments. I used to freeze up and pretty much forget everything that I had studied for. I think both of these chapters did a great job with explaining everything we will be needing during this semester.
Deletemjb
DeleteChapter 3 gives an overview of the different assessments teachers may give students throughout the year. Several tests will be administered at the beginning of the year to see just where the students reading level is and what struggles they are facing. There are different types of administering the same types of tests such as miscue analysis, I like the analysis Yetta Goodman and Carolyn Burke designed much better than the Running Record designed by Marie Clay. I found that one to be confusing and difficult to record as the student was reading. I have worked with Goodman’s scoring and that can be fast paced, but once you get what the markings mean it is not so difficult. The maze test is something we give 3 times a year, but students are only given 3 minutes. I really liked the checklist throughout the year; this would be something for the student’s portfolio. The Literacy classroom I work in has students fill out a book log every time they get a new book to read. They have to answer preview questions about the book and at the end of the book, they give reasons why they liked or disliked the book. We also have a recommend chart that students can put books that they really liked on for others to see and read. This helps those students who have a hard time finding a book.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 talks about different types of tutors and how they are trained. This is where I will probably get myself in trouble, but in several of the schools I have been in and also in the one I work, each school has a reading specialist who goes around and helps find material for teachers to teach with and do walk-throughs. I have spoken to a couple reading specialists and asked why they do not work with students, and they have said they help with testing and that is all. I find this a waste when they could be helping out struggling students. One reading specialist we had at the building I work, a few years ago was wonderful. She would come in and give lessons on phonics, or text structure, whatever our students were struggling with, that was beneficial to all of us. I liked the reading recovery activity mentioned in the book about making sentence strips. This idea can be used with so many different concepts.
Wow, I agree that having a reading specialist do testing is such a waste! Our school does this on occasion. It's funny b/c they will use our reading specialist to proctor testing while our paras still see kids....
DeleteThe testing-only reading specialist really does sound like a waste! I wonder if she does anything else - or if there is a high number of students needing regular testing? In my building, our reading specialist actually takes small groups of students. She is our last line of defense before getting a student tested prior to IEP testing. She is wonderful and really does work magic. I am her aide and I also pull groups with her guidance. I have learned so much from her!!
Deletemjb
DeleteChapter three gave a nice overview of different assessments. Even though I've been teaching, I think it is helpful to review the the assessments available to help guide instruction and to gauge if students need more support services. Also, the chapter reviewed miscue analysis and running records, which sometimes I confuse. I think the examples given for anaylzing errors were very helpful to understand the cueing systems.
ReplyDeleteChapter thirteen provided examples of successful tutoring programs. The chapter emphasized not only the importance of providing students with tutroing but also the importance of training indviduals to properly work with students. Tutoring is so much more than just giving students meaningless activites. My favorite type of tutoring is reading recovery. When I taught in Ohio our school had a reading recovery teacher and WOW, what a difference the program made. She worked with struggling students in first grade and by second grade they were usually reading on grade level. I try to incorporate some of the components in my reading sessions.
You said that you have been teaching so I am just wondering what you teach? I think it is so important for the individuals doing the tutoring to be trained so that they can give the students the best experience possible. I think it really pays off for some students to get one on one with reading so that they get the attention they need.
Deletemjb
DeleteChapter 3 talks about assessments and how assessing students performance is a long-standing practice of classroom teachers. Assessment is the "process of gathering data in order to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of student learning." This chapter goes over the many different assessments such as intelligence, achievement, and diagnostic which are formal assessments. It also talks about informal assessments and how they don't compare students but serve the purpose of analyzing and checking students. I like how it shows surveys you can use such as the personal interest survey as a teacher it is important to know each students interests so you can provide them with individualized reading and writing opportunities.
ReplyDeleteI have one question as being what is the most popular test given to students in school?
This reading helps to understand how important assessing students is going to be and how important it is to know each of your students. I also think it is important for students to assess themselves so that they can see how they are doing and not the teacher just telling them.
In my own personal experience I can remember when in my internship how my mentor teacher would be assessing the students over there writing and words. It seemed like she was assessing every couple weeks so it allowed me to see how important assessing a student is to see the growth that they are making.
Chapter talks about tutoring and how it can benefit many students by having the individualized instruction. Tutoring allows for instant feedback to the students. The different types of tutors are: reading specialists, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, computer assisted, and web-based. Tutors need to plan tutoring sessions just as effective teachers plan for every classroom lesson. It is important in the first lesson to build a rapport with each other and learn each others interests. Technology plays an important role in tutoring and how you can use videoconferencing.
The only question I have is when it comes to paraprofessionals is why don't they have to have more of a degree? I know some para's that aren't very educated and I think it is a disservice to the children.
After reading that the students who aren't reading by the third grade have a higher drop out rate makes me look at how important it is to get students the help they need and if that means one on one tutoring then we have to make sure they get it.I never thought of tutoring as so important but I am now realizing how important individualized help can be.
In my own experience I remember getting a tutor for reading in 8th grade in which my parents made me go to. I didn't try when I was there and felt it was a waste of my time. In saying this I feel that tutoring is something a student should want to go to or it most likely won't benefit them to the fullest.
Jared-
DeleteI don't know what all schools use in Kansas for assessments, but the schools in my districts use a series of informal assessments in a curriculum called Literacy First in Reading. This assessments allows the teacher to asses the students every couple of weeks to see if they are progressing in each areas of reading. If they are they move up levels and are able to participate in small groups according to their reading level/reading skills. If they do not pass the assessments, the teacher leaves them in the same group that they were working with to try and master that skill.
For you second question, I don't know what district you work at, but I was a Para for 3 years before I quit to be come a full time student. I had to have at least 45 hours of college credits or take the Paraprofessional test to even become a Para. I know of several people in my district who did not have enough credits or could not pass the test. But then there were Para's that had enough, but didn't last long because they thought it would be an easy job. I honestly think that Para's are underpaid and under recognized. The reason why I decided to go into education was because I was doing all the work for the corresponding teacher, but was only getting paid Para wages. Granted I was in the Special Education department and they do more, but I was even called to sub and take over classrooms and prepare lessons for students. The only thing that I did not do was prepare IEP's and attend IEP meetings. I spent more time with the students than the teacher did and she only spent time with them when she tested them. That is why I decided to become a full time special education teacher. The other para's in the building ran copies and helped in the lunch room. They also subbed in the classroom and took over classes when teacher's have meetings. Depending on what grade level they were para's for, they also pulled students during small groups. I knew several para's who actually graded papers for the teacher's because the teachers didn't have time!!
When I read your post it made me think of some of the paras at the school I work at. I think I agree with you. I feel they should have a little more education. The paras can take a test to be considered highly qualified but in my opinion that does not make them qualified to help educate students. Some are there, unfortunately, just to collect a paycheck. I am a para who does take my job seriously. In fact I am teaching four math classes a day and since the beginning I felt I loved it enough to go to school to get paid more for the job I was already doing.
Deletemjb
DeleteChapter 3 talked about different assessments. I really enjoyed this chapter, because even though I am familiar with watching teachers assess students, I really was able to understand each assessment and what and when they were used for. I am familiar with the Kansas State Assessments, because when I was a para for special education that is all I did. I prepared the students for the Assessment. I am also familiar with some informal assessments, because of a curriculum our district uses in reading called Literacy First. The curriculum allows the students to be tested every couple of weeks to determine if they are understanding and comprehending different areas of reading. If the students do understand, they are moved to groups of students who have the same level as them. If the students don't pass, they stay in same group until they pass. At that point those students are given more one on one tutoring during small groups either with the teacher, Literacy First Coach, ESL teacher, or a para. I really like the Literacy First curriculum. This is because students are not held back because other students do not understand. They work with students at their same academic level and keep going up the ladder. Currently my 1st grade son is in the highest group there is. He is reading at a 2nd grade level!
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 talks about tutoring. There are several types of tutors: reading specialists, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, and computer assisted tutoring. When I was a para I felt like that is all I did. Grated I was in the Special Education department and that was my job, but I just helped students pass their tests. At the time I felt that the school only taught for the test. I tutored the 3rd graders who were getting ready for the state assessments and I had different scenarios of what could be on the test and I prepared them for the test. I honestly don't think they really comprehended the material and understood what was being taught. I think now our district is a lot better with that! I know my son's school isn't like that, because I quiz my son all the time of what he has learned, why he as learned it, and what it means.
I feel that being a tutor we are supposed to help the students. We need to make sure that we help them comprehend what they are being taught rather than "teaching for the test!" I am really excited about this semester of tutoring, because I love teaching students and working one on one with students. I find myself "teaching" everyone all the time, including my husband!
I also really liked that it showed examples of assessments. That was very helpful. I am a para also and the only assessment that I have done is DIBELS so I am excited to learn and do other assessments that I haven't seen before.
DeleteI am anxious to see what happens in the next few years here in Kansas. I am grateful that we are no longer tied to NCLB because of our waiver, but I am not quite sure what exactly this means for us. It will be interesting to see exactly what the state comes up with and what our requirements will be. It is an exciting time to become an educator, but that also means that a lot of change is coming.
Deletemjb
DeleteChapter 3 talked about assessments. The two basic types of assessments are formal and informal. Formal are assessments that are given in controlled conditions so that groups can be compared. Informal assessments are recorded observations of an individual student. The chapter talked about the different standards for assessments. It talked about the 3 types of formal assessment. The three are: intelligence, achievement, and diagnostic. There are different ways to score the assessments. I think that it is important that the chapter mentioned the standards for ELL taking assessments. I really liked figure 3.10 in the text. It showed an example of how to grade and do a miscue analysis. The chapter also discussed some of the student self-assessments. I think that self-assessment is just as important as us assessing the student. This chapter was very helpful in describing and showing examples of the different assessments that we could see as a teacher. This was very helpful for me to see the assessments and their many different examples.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 I think is one of the most important chapters for us to read. This chapter is all about tutoring. Tutoring is one on one instruction. There are 5 different types of tutors: 1. Reading specialist, 2. Certified teachers, 3. Paraprofessionals, 4. Computer-assisted, and 5. Web-based. The chapter went into detail the responsibilities of a tutor. It also talked about the 5 different types of tutors and what their role is. There are different types of tutoring programs as well. The most important part of the chapter to me is planning and conducting a tutoring session. I really enjoyed reading how the chapter broke the reading into three sessions and gave examples on what to do and expect in that particular session. I also thought that it was interesting to read the ELL lesson plan examples. Two out of the three of the students I am tutoring are ELL. This chapter gave me great ideas.
mjb
DeleteI really like starfall.com too. I am going to try in my tutoring session to have a time when the students can get on my ipad and use some of those websites.
ReplyDeleteWow! Chapter three was full of great information. I have a hard time remembering exact what test is what and then what it is called on top of that. This chapter organized all of the information for me in an easy to read and understand method. I expect that this book will also serve as a great study tool as I prepare for my licensure exams as well as a great resource in general. I find that I use informal assessments all the time. I am a pen and paper person and I am always writing things down. I can only imagine how much of this I will do as a classroom teacher since I did it all the time as a para and still do it as a substitute. I also noticed that many of the ideas used in this chapter we will be doing with our tutoring groups. It will be nice to have some hands-on experience, especially with some that I have not used before.
ReplyDeleteChapter thirteen had some good ideas to use in my own tutoring sessions this semester. I can't wait to assess my students so I can start planning our sessions. I hope that my group doesn't have a lot of different interests or planning could get tricky if all four of them like totally different things. I like that the sample lessons included time for all aspects of the big five. With a group of four I am hoping that I can include some technology activities for them to use while I am working one on one with the other students.
Saralyn,
DeleteI liked how chapter 3 was organized as well. I've learned about the various assessments numerous times; however, this clearly identified the important pieces of information in specific sections that were easy to follow. Definitely agree that this book will be a good study tool for licensure exams!
I am looking forward to assessing my students and being able to start planning as well! I know that this is going to be a phenomenal learning experience for me, and hopefully my students too! Great information!
mjb
DeleteOne thing I liked in the chapter reading was the informal assessment description. The informal assessments assess the individual students progress and I feel that is a better deal than the standardized. We will always have people who read at different levels. I read very slow and many times need to re-read sections to ensure I understand them. Even to the point of re-reading the passage out loud when silent reading and mouthing the words doesn't work. My husband can read a book in a couple of days, AND UNDERSTAND WHAT HE READ! An example: I read the Hunger Games. I read up to a chapter a day. I got the second book on my Kindle and started reading that a couple of weeks before Christmas. My husband picked up the first book, read it. I bought him the next book for Christmas. I am still reading the second book and he has been done reading both books since early January!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, we will always have readers of different levels, but if we can get the student interested in reading, our work is not complete but well on its way!
When we try to push the student to read in the norm level, we may be discouraging him or her from reading!
Chapter 13 discusses the benefits and types of tutoring. I am especially excited about this because I work with so many students who simply can not read. I have often wondered if I should begin at the beginning with these students, however, could not come up with a way of doing it without making them feel like idiots!
I also liked the descriptions of tutoring with the various educators.
I think that you are exactly right that regardless of ability and reading level the most important thing that we can do for students is to get them interested in reading. Get to know the student and what their interests are and show them how a good book can extend and build upon their individual interests.
DeleteI also take longer to read things but I think it is because I don't have the time to sit down and read a whole book like that! I wish I did, and cannot wait til I do but I am also just a slower reader. Chapter 13 also got me excited about tutoring. The two girls that I am tutoring are on complete different levels. One of them really struggles with comprehension and fluency and the other girl just reads too fast and doesn't catch onto what is going on. It was nice to read and see all of the different strategies and resources I can use. Good luck and thanks for sharing!
Deletemjb
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ReplyDeleteChapter three gave a lot of information about assessments and the different types of assessments available. I enjoyed revisiting some of the types of assessments that I have become familiar with since I began the process of becoming a SPED teacher. The choices of informal and formal are different in that the informal assessments can be as simple as putting a check next to a student’s name if you see them understanding and demonstrating a given concept. It is given to determine if the student understands what is being taught. The informal assessment is going to be similar to the state standardized assessments.
Chapter thirteen gave us more information about tutoring. Some of the suggestions given will be beneficial as a tutor. I felt if we took it a step further and bring some of the ideas in the classroom we can benefit an entire class. It is a shame school districts cannot afford to pay someone to tutor students in a low ratio afterschool. As a paraprofessional I think I would love to do this.
I have no questions regarding these chapters.
I felt chapter 13 allowed me to reflect on tutoring a bit more. It has given me information to be more confident as I tutor. Working in the classroom, I have experience with some of the programs mentioned in the reading such as Starfall and the Maze Test.
I really was able to connect to this reading, especially chapter 3. I think the review of the assessments comes in handy for us. In fact in one of my other classes I had to write a paper about assessments.
These two chapters were very useful readings considering how close we all are to going out into the field. I knew in general about assessments but I didn't know the depths to which they can go. It feels like a lot of pressure to assess the students correctly and to be able to do the best for them. I am sure that with more hands on use of them the coding and notations won't seem so foreign and they will be very beneficial. I enjoyed reading the chapter on tutoring as well. I had never really thought of paras as tutors but it makes sense. The first time I had experience with tutoring was when I was in the 4th grade and a boy and I got to go and help 1st graders with reading. It was a very rewarding experience and I also got to be a tutor when I was in highschool as a part of my english class. I think that those outside of the student's normal educational setting can bring a freshness as well as excitement to the table for the students. I am excited to meet my students!!
ReplyDeleteI, like you, knew general information about the different types of assessments, but it was nice and informative to read more into depth about them. I also felt like the chapter on tutoring really prepared me more and made me feel more confident about we are going to be doing. Thank you for sharing and good luck!
Deletemjb
DeleteChapter 3 contained a lot of information about assessments and the different types of assessments a teacher can use with students. The first thing I noticed in this chapter that I really liked, was the figure on page 44. This figure is a nice break down of the formal and informal assessments that can be used in the classroom to check the students. It is nice to be able to read about each assessment to learn more about how each can be used in the classrooms. In previous classes, we have discussed the different assessments that we can use, this chapter was a great refresher. Another aspect of this chapter that I enjoyed was figures 3.10 on page 53 and figure 3.11 on page 54. In the recordings from Mrs. Stoppel, we have gone over miscue analysis and how to administer it. Figure 3.10 shows us what to use and how to use it when listening to the students. The next figure, 3.11, is a graph that charts the text and the type of miscue the student had during the reading. I think being able to see this drawn out in a table would make it so easy to see where the student is having problems right away.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 is all about tutoring. Having these two chapters together this week, before tutoring starts and more information on the assessments. I would have never known that there was so much information about tutoring to read and learn about. Reading about how the first few tutoring sessions should go as well as having a sample lesson plan, even though they are different from ours, was great to see how our tutoring sessions will kind of run. This chapter also had great figures showing how to help students with challenging words, log sheets for strategies, and log sheets for the books the students have been reading in tutoring. I found that all of these were great ideas that I'm looking forward to using all of these in my own tutoring sessions.
Megan,
DeleteI also noted how Figure 3.10 on page 53 was extremely helpful! The videos we've watched over miscue analysis seemed easy enough to understand, but this visual laid out the markings very nicely and quickly cleared up any questions I had regarding how to mark for substitutions, mispronunciations, etc. The chapter on tutoring provided a lot of great information. This chapter too shared a figure on page 354 about helping students with challenging words, as you mentioned, that was absolutely wonderful! I always try to catch myself saying "sound it out" and change it! Great information!
I agree, seeing the sample lesson plans that were laid out for the tutoring sessions was wonderful. I also liked all of the assessments spelled out, along with exactly how to score them. Seeing it in the text made it seem much more doable.
Deletemjb
DeleteChapter 3 in our textbook covered the topic of assessments. The beginning discussed formative and summative assessments which we've learned about prior to this course. Whenever reading about this topic I always try to think back to when I was in school. I thought about particular classes where the teacher ALWAYS did formative assessments, or those who did summative, and my experiences with those. I am the ultimate worst tester ever, so neither were positive experiences for me, but it's interesting to think about and be able to relate my feelings to how some students in my class might possibly be feeling some day. The text then went on to discuss a number of test variations like criterion-referenced, norm-referenced, diagnostic, and so on. All of these tests have components within them that make them unique in reference to how they administered, when, and what they determine.
ReplyDeleteOn page 53, figure 3.10 showed an example of substitutions, mispronunciations, omissions, etc. which were discussed in our videos for last week. I copied this page for future reference so I won't be trying to remember how to correctly mark a selection. I am anxious to begin the assessments for my reading group so I will be able to better relate to the information about miscue analysis and various scorings that were discussed in this chapter. The section on Informal Assessment for English Learners was interesting to read because students whose first language is not English is becoming more and more prevalent in today's schools. The section provided a website that was offered free services to informally assess English learners in a variety of topics related to reading. I thought that was an awesome resource to keep note of!
I was so excited to read chapter 13 because even though it's what this course is centered around. I tutor other students from my local school district in math and reading outside of school. One of the students I've been tutoring in reading for awhile is still struggling terribly bad. I was beginning to think that I was just an awful tutor! However, it was a matter of finding the right thing that just 'clicked' for this student. The first sentence on page 343 under benefits of tutoring states, "struggling readers benefit from being tutored, and tutoring can be effective for second language learners." I thought about how much of a struggle it's been, but that all along he was benefiting from the process. I'm so very excited to be in this course and LEARNING so much about this subject and be able to practice it through tutoring students. I enjoyed reading about the components of a tutoring session and the lesson planning involved. Just like the plans we are creating for this course, the text laid out in detail the necessary parts and their explanation. Figure 13.7 on page 354 was my favorite part of this chapter. I remember last semester in RLA methods, Dr. Walizer clearly said she didn't want to hear us saying "sound it out" to a student because to a struggling reader, that isn't even possible. However, it's difficult to think of ways to assist them instead of saying those three words. Figure 13.7 provided helpful suggestions to helping tutees tackle difficult words!
That is exciting that you already have experience tutoring. I am a bit aprehensive about starting this process, for fear I will not do good for the students.
DeleteI am also a terrible test taker. At FHSU, I tend to do good on my assignments, then we have to take the quiz, and I do terrible. It is so frustrating. I like the idea of several different types of assessments in the classroom, to help out kids that do not test well.
mjb
DeleteI liked reading these 2 chapters together. Chapter 3 focuses on assessment strategies, both formal and informal. It was a great "refresh" read because I like to read about differed types of testing and testing scores because I feel like I forget some of the basic information in each category and when I re-read about them, it makes me remember facts that I've learned in the past semesters. I don't remember ever reading about Miscue analysis so that was informative for me. It was really helpful to read about how to prepare and administer a miscue analysis with provided steps. This chapter provided some great examples that I want to keep for the future, in particular Figure 3.16 - 3.19. I think anecdotal records will be something that I will use daily to keep track of student progress/activity. This chapter offered so many great assessment strategies that will be great to refer back to. I do not have any further questions. The questions that I had prior to reading, have been answered in the text.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13, which is titled "tutoring," starts with a inspirational quote on page 341. The quote reads, "Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one." This chapter and this class has already done so much for me. This will be my first actual time tutoring and reading this chapter really made me feel more at ease. This past semester, I was doing guided reading with a 5th grade boy who was reading at an early 3rd grade level and I just started to learn the basics in RLA Methods course but I feel like I helped him out so much. If only I could have had this chapter as a resource of reference, it would have made things so much easier for me. I learned what exactly you have to do to become a "tutor." I honestly didn't know you had to go through so much to become a tutor but it is good to know. I really liked the Reading Recovery strategy on page 348. It was also helpful to see an example lesson plan that we can refer back to as we are writing ours. It is helpful to see and read about what goes on in a tutoring session before writing my lesson plans. It was also nice to see an example of what has worked for people on each session 1*3. Figure 13.7 is definitely something I will refer back to. Alot of us remember that we are NOT SUPPOSED to have students sound it out because most of the time they do not understand how to do so which is why they are having a hard time reading in the first place. I like how this figure offers us several strategies that seem really beneficial. I am really glad I got to read this chapter before writing my lesson plans and before my first tutoring session. I really feel like it has prepared me and made me feel more confident about writing the lesson plans and what to include in each tutoring session. I do not have any questions about these readings.
Stacie,
DeleteI agreed with your post in several ways. I also felt the first chapter was a great refresher and offered some new insight. I also liked the quote to start chapter 13. I really liked figure 13.7 as well because it shows us how to help the tutee tackle the tough words without just giving them the correct answer. That's the whole idea, giving them the tools necessary to figure it out for themselves, hence giving them the confidence they need to use it in the future.
mjb
DeleteChapter 3 discussed the different types of assessments. It went into more details over the different types of assessments we will be doing, along with provide very detailed examples of how to score the assessments. It also broke down the different kinds off assessments that schools can give. While it did not state pros and cons, it went into enough detail that choosing the type of assessment used will be easier.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 discussed tutoring. It told exact steps on how to run a tutoring session. It gave several different ways that different tutoring sessions could be ran. There were also sample lesson plans, along with sample notes that tutors took. It discussed tutoring that took place via a computer, verses a reading specialist, verses a paraprofessional. The chapter made it very clear, that one on one tutor is almost always successful.
Heather,
DeleteI also liked the information on how to conduct the different sessions when tutoring as well as the sample lesson plans provided. This chapter will certainly help when we begin writing lesson plans and when we begin our tutoring.
Heather, how about more specifics in your future blogs?
DeleteChapter 3 seemed a bit like a review in that throughout many of my courses here at FHSU, I have learned about the different types of assessment. As mentioned in the text, each form of assessment, whether formal/standardized or informal, there are postives and negatives to both. I tend to prefer the criterion referenced tests on the formal side because I want to know if a student is learning based on their abilities to achieve success from a set of criterion and not against a large group of people with many variables. Overall though, I prefer the informal style of assessments such as miscue analysis, the cloze procedure, rubrics, and portfolios. I believe these types of assessment paint more of a picture about where a student is and when re-assessed, where they are. These assessments seem to be a better showing of the continous progress a student is making. I also like the examples in the text of the use of anecdotal notes that showed how students started in certain areas and then showed growth. As a substitute, I get to see many of these informal assessments used in the classrooms, specifically the cloze test, portfolios, and rubrics. I also really liked the idea of personal interest surveys because I feel that if you can integrate students' likes and interests into the lesson, they will be more engaged. To know your students likes and dislikes shows them that you care and when a student feels that you really care, I believe they will try harder for you. The idea of book, skill, and reflection logs was interesting to me for having students self-assess themselves. I think this gives the student a sense of ownership into their learning and they can place their own opinion of how they did on that lesson. The last chapter about tutoring was very informative as well. It made me think about how many unqualified people, based on the text's information, that we have tutoring kids in our schools. Tutors come from reading specialists, certified teachers, para's, computer assisted tutoring, and web based tutoring. I have witnessed I believe all but the computer and web based programs. Reading about and seeing the sample lesson plans for the tutoring lessons was helpful. I like how the text laid out how each session should go and what we should be doing. I am looking forward to working with my three struggling readers and seeing how much of a difference I can possibly make. It will be fun to see. I wonder if our lesson plans and our sessions will be following the same format as what the text is giving us? As I recall, we already have forms filled out discussing the tutee's interests, so we are going to be assessing from day one, I believe.
ReplyDeleteRobert,
DeleteI know what you mean about having unqualified people working with students. I am a para and I am the one wkorking with struggling students most of the time. Don't get me wrong, I love working with them, but sometimes I wonder if someone more qualified should be working with the ones who require the most help.
I hope that I can help my three little tutees develop strategies and skills that they can use to help themselves.
mjb
DeleteI like how chapter 3 explained the different types of assessments. It gave very detailed instructions on how to administer and score them. I thought it was really cool how to tell if the material is at the easy level, instructional level, or frustration level for each student. I also liked the strategies that it gave for helping students improve in their areas of difficulty.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 was great in helping me feel more prepared for tutoring. It tells how to set up your tutoring sessions and gives examples of lesson plans.
In our school we have trained specialists who do all of the testing and they give the results to the classroom teachers, but ,like the scenario in chapter 3, I think that it is good for classroom teachers to have some background knowledge in the many types and purposes of formal and informal assessments to be able to evaluate their students' strenghts and weaknesses and to adjust lessons accordingly.
Lori,
DeleteI can definitely see the benefits of classroom teachers conducting the tests, rather than trained specialists. If classroom teachers were directly involved in this, as you said, they would have the background knowledge of student abilities and utilize this information when planning lessons. However, I wonder how teachers are able to actually carry out these tests in the manner necessary with so many students, so many other activities taking place in the classroom, as well as other aspects of the lesson plan that need to be executed.
Chapter 3 of our text elaborates on the value of assessments in the classroom. Assessments are an important tool in which teachers can measure strengths and weaknesses of students’ learning by collecting data through things like observations and testing. Formative and summative assessments are utilized by teachers to measure results of ongoing class work, as well as students’ growth in learning and checking of knowledge and comprehension at the end of units; both of these help teachers with their instructional planning. There are intelligence, achievement, and diagnostic standardized tests which can reveal the necessity of additional screening for students; these assessments can also indicate validity and reliability. Informal assessment instruments are different methods of evaluating a student’s reading and writing abilities, diagnosing any potential reading problems for individual students, checking their reading level, among some other areas as well. Miscue analysis checks a variety of areas when a student reads, such as substitutions, mispronunciations, repetitions or insertions, and omissions. Another informal assessment is running records, which involves recording a student’s oral reading with checks and other markings, evaluating the errors to determine if they are syntactic, semantic, or graphophonic; these running records are followed up with additional analysis. Other assessment tools, such as rubrics, checklists, and anecdotal records are used to reveal specific areas of student growth which can’t really be measured by a test. Chapter 13 discusses the benefits of tutoring, as well as different types of tutoring that can be very valuable to students. There are a variety of tutors: reading specialists or literacy coaches, as they may be called, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, computer-assisted, and also web-based tutors. Students who are having a lot of challenges with reading can benefit greatly from the one-on-one instruction that tutoring provides; tutoring can also be very valuable to second language learners. Tutoring provides more of a customized instructional opportunity, and students receive more immediate feedback, as well. Reading Recovery is a very common tutoring program used in the U.S. by certified teachers as a method of “early intervention and remediation”. Tutoring sessions should definitely be structured and based on lesson plans which will focus on specific goals and activities to help the student. Objectives need to be established based on goals for the student, as well as activities that will be of interest to the student. It’s important to reflect on the session upon conclusion to evaluate adjustments that may be necessary.
ReplyDeleteI’m wondering if all the data collecting with the assessments is extremely challenging for a beginning teacher. I know that it’s possible for a teacher to accomplish all of the required tasks; however, I’m curious to know how quickly one can learn, adapt, and actually be able to execute these different tasks that teachers are expected to carry out. It’s a bit difficult for me to imagine that after student teaching that I’ll be able to jump right in and do this.
Most of the information referring to assessments was review for me; however, repetition is beneficial, and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how all of these different types of assessment work. I did appreciate the information and suggestions presented in the tutoring section. I especially appreciated the recommendations one can use to help students with challenging words. I’m definitely used to the “sound it out” response, so I like the new ideas given in this section.
I am definitely looking forward to my tutoring sessions, the knowledge I will gain from this first-hand learning experience, and how I’ll be able to utilize the information on literacy that I’ve acquired. I’m looking forward to incorporating my students’ interests into the learning experience for their benefit, and I’m also anxious to provide a positive, enthusiastic approach to reading.
mjb
DeleteLori- could you elaborate more in your summaries, please.
ReplyDelete