K-6 Update
01.17.20
How do Kids Learn to Read? What the Science Says
Testing Norms
Do - Teach the skills being assessed on the end of window assessment.
Don't - Give students the reading passage before the test.
Do - Have students practicing with challenging texts every day.
Don't - Read the reading portion of the test aloud to students. If their IEP, ILP, or 504 plan indicate then read appropriate portions of all tests and assignments aloud (just not the text to read).
Do - Differentiate instruction throughout the week to meet the unique needs of your learners.
Don't - Modify the tests for students unless specifically stated in their IEP, ILP, or 504.
And on to NWEA:
Do - Give NWEA the same way all three times it is administered.
Don't - Provide testing accommodations not specifically listed in a student's IEP, ILP, or 504 plan. For example, it would not be appropriate to give the test one-on-one for every student in your class (because they surely don't all have an IEP, ILP, or 504 plan that says you should).
Dyslexia Update
Senate Enrolled Act 217 (the dyslexia law) is now in full effect in Indiana and we have been working to implement it effectively. There are some new systems in place in grades K, 1, and 2 that you may have already experienced such as:
- Screening in six subskill areas of reading
- Identifying students who may be at risk for dyslexia
- Providing evidence-based intervention for students at risk
It's important to note that your school has likely been using systems such as these before, but that SEA 217 has required us to standardized and tighten up our approach. I would argue this is a good thing. I have been meeting weekly with your reading interventionists this year to develop our plan to ensure that not only are we in compliance with the law but that we have the best possible intervention protocols in place for our struggling learners.
One question that I want to address, however, is "Who is responsible for providing intervention for students we identify as 'at risk'?" If you are a classroom teacher with a student in your class who is identified as "at risk" then the answer is you. There may be other staff within your building who provide additional support to this student, but the student's growth and success will have a lot to do with the actions you take (or don't take) while they're with you. It is true to say that they will likely be receiving additional intervention (perhaps from the Title I teacher, a para, a special education teacher, or someone else). A student will need both high-quality tier one instruction from you, and excellent tier two instruction from their interventionist in order to make the growth necessary to become a strong reader.