Benchmarks
How often do you formally Benchmark students?
The district will pay for you to have a sub 2 times a year (Fall and Spring). Individual schools decide how to do the Winter Benchmark.
I am reading a text level that is an "I" with my students. They got 95% accuracy on this text. Can I go higher with them if accuracy is all I am looking at?
Yes. Text levels A-K have an expected accuracy of 95%.
I am a lower grade teacher and my student is decoding like a gifted little person. He can read any text that I give him. He is in 1st grade and can easily read a text level of N/O. How do I know how high to push him?
What type of comprehension activities have you done with the student. If you put this student into a 3rd grade classroom, would he be able to maintain the rigor of a M/N text? Does his writing abilities about the text match?
I've trained my students to say the title of each passage when they retell. I'm surprised their retell is so low. What else can I do?
Retelling the title doesn't give more points. It activates scheme, but it won't give them more points on their overall composite score.
Typically, it is expected that a student will drop a level over the summer (Summer Slump). Is it possible for a student to drop two or three levels? If so, what might be a common factor?
Sometimes we benchmark students too high at the end of the year. This makes the summer slump seem really severe. Because benchmarking is subjective, we need to be careful to look at the spot on reading aspects of the benchmark.
My student keeps missing and inserting small words. They understand everything, but when they miss, it takes their accuracy down to 93%, can I still pass them off?
Nope - accuracy is even in the smallest details!
What are the three different catetgories of comprehension questions that I need to make sure my students can do before I say they can comprehend at a certain level?
Within
About
Beyond
What are some things that will help give my students a higher retell?
1. Giving the main idea.
2. Providing details that go with the main idea.
3. Talking the entire minute will give them more words.
My student can read a level J with 97% accuracy. It took a while for him to get through the story, and he could answer most of the questions. Should I move him to a K for year-end benchmarks?
What do you know about this child with spot on reading? If he is accurate and mostly has good comprehension, would you hold him back because of rate/fluency?
My student read a text level of 95% on a Level M. They did a fantastic job - can I move them up?
No - they need 98% accuracy on L-Z texts.
How can I enrich some of my brightest students who seem to be able to decode everything? How do I challenge them?
Variety of genre in text reading.
Comprehension questions and activities
Reading Responses
Giving them longer reading assignments. Move through the books faster.
Choice
I have my students reading a passage with a partner at least three times a week to get them used to reading out loud and to help increase their rate. What else could I be attending to?
1. Accuracy always trumps fluency. If they are practicing reading inaccurately, then they most likely will continue with that same habit. Track accuracy before RATE!
I like to call two students down at the same time to benchmark. While I am working with one student, I always have the other student preview the benchmark book. Is this correct?
No - the only introduction that the student should have with the book is the small meaning statement that you read at the beginning of the book.
What is the difference between independent, instructional and frustrational text levels for students?
Instructional - they are between 95-97% accurate on text levels
Frustrational - They score below a 94% accuracy on the text
How can my vocabulary support enrich my students in guided reading?
What are some of the best ways for me to prepare my students for the year-end testing?
Continue all the way to the end with solid Tier I instruction. Don't let the year-end activities trump solid reading instruction in your classroom!
I noticed that we have lots of new kits in the benchmark room. Does this mean that I can keep a kit in my classroom?
No - they still need to be put on the calendar and put back into the library. It does mean that you might have to take the master copy down with you as you benchmark because it will be difficult for me to keep all of them filled all of the time.
Accuracy - you can use a decoding survey to analyze strengths and weaknesses.
What do I with those students who just cannot "hold" onto anything that they read? It appears they can read because they can decode, but they aren't able to retell information?
Jan Richardson: Stop, Think, Paraphrase
Name Callers: Can decode but not remember
Vocabulary Support: Vocabulary strategies in Journeys - what emphasis do you place on them?
1. I teach for accuracy, fluency, and comprehension in guided reading.
2. I can use Journeys to help with fluency because I model good fluent reading, and then we go back into the text.
3. My guided reading and Journeys instruction can take my students deeper in guided reading.