Holmes Weekly Update
Week Ending 9/14/18
What's Happening this Week?
Monday: 9/10/18
- Fire Drill 10:00 am
Tuesday: 9/11/18 AIMSWEB TESTING BEGINS
- BAS Testing Begins
Wednesday: 9/12/18
- Hawk Nest 8:30-9:30
- Staff Meeting 3:00-4:00
Thursday: 9/13/18
- BLT 3:10-4:10
Friday: 9/14/18
- No scheduled meetings
This Week's Announcements: Information Item
This week's parent Update: Information Item
It was sent on Friday. Please feel free to copy/paste any portion to include in your weekly/monthly communication.
Mark Your Calendars - MTSS Data Grade Level Meeting: Information Item
Wednesday 10/10
AM: 4th grade 8:00-11:00
PM: 5th grade 12-2:30
Friday 10/12
AM: 1st grade 8:00-11:00
PM: Kinder 12:00-3:00
Tuesday 10/16
AM: 2nd grade 8:00-11:00
PM: 3rd grade 11:00-12:00
(break for lunch) 1:00-3:00
During these meetings, we will analyze benchmark assessment data, discuss student behaviors, and determine intervention groups.
More information will follow...
Our 1st Hawk Nest Lesson: Information Item
Our first Hawks Nest will meet during our regularly scheduled Second Step time on Wednesday, 9/12.
Our Hawks Nest aligns with our D97 goal of having every child known, nurtured, and celebrated. As well as serves as a vehicle for introducing Leader In Me language to our students.
Our Hawks Nest also provides students with a sense of belonging which is one of our School Improvement goals. Please be sure to make a meaningful connection with ALL students in your nest.
Your Hawk Nest roster and location for your group will be sent to you prior to Wednesday 9/12.
Our practice has been to have all 4th / 5th-grade students from your group pick up their kindergarten and 1st-grade friends from their classrooms. We will make announcements over the intercom system for 4th and 5th-grade students to go to their nests. When our older students arrive, teachers will be given the older students their index card with the names of the kindergarten and 1st-grade students with room numbers to use to go pick up their students. Once they pick up students they should give the cards back to their classroom teachers for the next week. Grade 2, 3, and 4 students will travel independently to the location of their nest.
It’s essential that all teachers remain at classroom doorways to monitor student movement.
In addition to giving you your roster, we will also give you individual index cards for your students so they know where they are going.
Please be sure to collect these after we meet so you have them for the following month.
Be sure to review this lesson to prepare for your Hawk Nest.
Reach out to a PBIS team member if you have any questions.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IpXMlEZw1mcD_Cii2A01X0iblXuMCFuxBNz3nD6y_ys/edit?usp=sharing
Request For PD: Information Item
If you would like to attend any PD session you will need to complete this PD request form and meet with me to discuss the conference and receive initial approval. Once I approve your attendance, it then goes to the district for Dr. Warke’s approval.
After you complete this Google form, you will also need to complete the attached PD approval form.
IMPORTANT BAS Testing Expectations - Action Item
Please reach out to me, Lisa or Marianne with any questions.
Benchmark Testing Logistics
Assessment Windows:
Grades K-5: Assess all students 3 times a year during benchmarking windows. Please see the district assessment calendar.
BAS App Content Available:
Kindergarten and 1st Grade: BAS 1
2nd and 3rd Grade: BAS 1 and 2
2nd graders should be assessed using BAS 1 until they reach level O.
3rd graders should be assessed using BAS 2 when they reach level L.
4th and 5th Grade: BAS 2
BAS Testing Expectations
Testing Expectations:
Students will rotate between fiction and non-fiction assessments annually. For example, in 2018-2019 school year, students will be assessed using fiction at each benchmark window. In 2019-2020 school year, students will be assessed using non-fiction at each benchmark window.
Assess students until determining their initial instructional reading level, unless you hit the stopping point. The rationale is to make sure students have a cold read during each benchmarking period.
If a student (Grade 1st - 5th) is at Level A or B, administer the Early Literacy Assessments (Letter Recognition, Letter Sounds, Early Literacy Behaviors).
Writing about Reading: Optional
This assessment can provide more information about students reading above grade level.
Stopping Points
Rationale for Stopping Points:
We want to make sure each student can read, discuss, and write independently before moving them to higher levels of text.
Stopping points can afford teachers space to dig deeply into the developmentally appropriate text complexities and also to leverage the BAS assessments to get the most information possible. The Literacy Continuum is a good resource to find out exactly what comprehension skills students need in Within, Beyond, and About the Text.
If students had high accuracy and were approaching proficiency in comprehension (6 points), BAS determines the level as independent. However, there’s a lot of comprehension work for the student to do at this level.
Texts that are more than one grade level above tend to involve mature themes that aren’t necessarily appropriate.
BAS is one of many data points. Consider MAP, pre and post-unit assessments, writing on-demands, and other classroom assessments.
Students who were beyond the grade-level stopping point at the end of the school year will be assessed at the grade-level BOY stopping point.
Stopping Points:
Click Here for D97 Instructional Level Expectations.
The stopping point is the level that is meeting expectations for one grade level above. So in 3rd grade, the fall stopping point is P, which is meeting expectations for 4th grade.
If you are unsure about a stopping point for an individual child, please contact your Language Arts Specialist or Instructional Coach for guidance.
Talking Points for Parents:
The BAS assessment gives teachers information about what your child needs to work on to grow and develop as a studious reader. The focus for the district is going deeper into each reading level, so that your child is able to make inferences, synthesize information, analyze writer’s craft and text structure, and think critically about age-appropriate texts. We are using stopping points so that we can focus on comprehension.
Recording Data
BAS data is automatically synced into the ODMS database and Branching Minds for grade K-5.
4th and 5th grade students reading below level L need to be assessed via paper and pencil and the data needs to be entered manually.
If a teacher, team or school would like to capture data for additional analysis, you may choose to enter data in a Google Spreadsheet (Click here for sample).
Kindergarten and 1st-5th Level A or B Readers
Assessments:
Administer Letter Recognition (upper and lower) and Early Literacy Behaviors to all students.
If students score at least 18 uppercase and 15 lowercase on Letter Recognition, then administer Letter Sounds and BAS Level A.
Letter Recognition and Early Literacy Behaviors data need to be entered manually into ODMS.
Letter Sound data should be entered into a school-based document (Click here for a sample).
Recording Data:
Letter Recognition and Early Literacy Behaviors data need to be entered manually into ODMS.
Letter Sound data should be entered into a school-based document (Click here for a sample).
Leader In Me Resource Sharing: Action Item
Please add any resources you've found too!
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eI1lK0w9fP0rpcSWcLRwbQvNutBsEXEy?usp=sharing
STAFF NEWSLETTERS: ACTION ITEM
As a reminder, grade level teams or individual teachers need to send newsletters to families on at least a monthly basis. Whether it is weekly or monthly, please be sure to cc me so I can remain informed on all the amazing things you are doing in your classrooms.
If you have sent any welcome letters, please be sure to forward them to me.
Google Plus Community: Action Item
If you have any issues joining, your team leader can help. We'll continue to update and post information to the community.