Module 3: Text Chapters & Article

Chapter 7 of the Opitz text illustrates the stages of early literacy, gives examples of assessments to determine where a child may be in terms of literacy development, and instructional strategies to guide students further and foster understanding of text. The chapter argues the difference between the mistakenly similar emergent literacy and reading readiness models. I believe that emergent literacy is the more inclusive theory, as it can continue to be applied as the reader develops; however, I also understand what is meant by reading readiness as I teach Kindergarten, enough is known about letter/sound relationships and concepts about print, and language has developed enough that the student is prepared to begin generalizing these literacy skills. It is a really fun time when students just begin to understand that text conveys meaning and begin to interact with their textual environment.

The most interesting part of Chapter 7 for me was in relation to concept development, as a special education teacher of the lower grades, I try to develop and scaffold goals and objectives that foster concept development.

The text goes on further to explain the use of an IRI and miscue analysis. I remember administering the QRI-4 as an undergrad at KSU and found the most useful portion of this chapter was the example of the miscue markings. I had long since forgotten the actual markings and just made up my own system. I also found the sample summaries and charts useful because they got me thinking about different ways to collect data rather than sticking with the same old.

The final chapter of the required reading for this week offers explicit information on teaching phonics skills. This was particularly interesting for me as I only have Kindergarten students this year. I especially found the section on sequencing instruction relevant to my current position. Teaching children to apply the knowledge of phonics is so important because it is something that can be accessed and applied at any level of literacy.

Finally, the article for this learning module promoted the effectiveness of formative assessment. I thought this was an excellent tie-in because this kind of assessment can be applied to any skill at any point in relation to literacy development. These assessments occur mid-learning to determine where the students are in relation to where you want them to go. The purpose is to use the student responses to guide instruction. Formative assessment promotes the belief that more can be achieved by periodically and consistently re-evaluating and providing conscientious feedback regularly.

Opitz, M., Rubin, D., & Erekson, J. (2011). Reading diagnosis and improvement: Assessment and instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Roskos, K., & Neuman, S. (2012). Formative assessment: Simply, no additives. Reading Teacher, 65(8). 534-538.

Module 3: Video Reflections, Phonemic Awareness and Segmentation

These videos gave examples of syllabication and segmentation of words into phonemes. These strategies are great for helping students become aware of the individual sounds within words. The development of this skill occurs over time as the child becomes more able to control the sounds used in language. In the videos I saw a student using blocks to represent the sounds within words; this is a great strategy for providing a tactile cue and reinforcing the left to right pattern when reading. I also saw some word building using a flip card; this would help students learn patterns by analogy. These kinds of activities are ideal for helping beginning readers make sense of text and also for applying to larger words found in more advanced text.

Module 3: Literacy Strategies Project

This presentation was valuable in its explanation of possible problems that students may encounter in regards to phonics. The skill that I learned the most about was the difficulty a student could have recognizing the 2 words within a compound word. This is because all I see when I look at the word pancake is pan and cake. I actually do a short compound words unit with second grade and my favorite book to use is Jan Brett's Jamberry.  
I found the 5 ways in which readers decipher words (decoding, spelling patterns, analogizing, sight words, and context clues) to be a helpful reminder of what should be included in instruction. I often find myself spending more time on 2 or 3 of them rather than connecting all 5 to help all of my students. And it is generally reassuring to me that phonics instruction is important; I've heard so much recently about phonics being less needed in regards to the whole language movement but I've never doubted the importance of a solid foundation of phonics skills so it can be applied as the reader develops.

Module 3: Overview of Assessment PPT

I found this PowerPoint to be a clear and concise explanation of all things assessments. It was actually something I may print off and keep just for the definitions alone, so when a parent asks me about scaled scores and stanines, I will have something concrete to refer to. Something that struck me as I read over this presentation was the explanation of assisted testing. I am quite familiar with this method although had not really considered it a "thing." In my class, we take LOTS of data on required prompt levels. They could be prompt levels for compliance or accuracy but we use them and record them in code.
It caught my attention as well, that assessments reflect increased academic demands through the grade levels. This is something I would expect and have seen since my class is K-2, but I also increase academic demands throughout the year since nearly all of our assessments are teacher-made. I use visual cues to construct materials and then as the students gain skills and independence, gradually fade the cues and prompts.

Module 2: Opitz Chapters 5-6 and Informal Assessment Article

In Chapter 5 of Reading Diagnosis and Improvement (Opitz, 2011), several types of informal assessments are detailed and this was a great refresher for me. In my classroom, some of our instruction is in the form of Discrete Trials which produces mounds of raw data on IEP goals and objectives. While this kind of instruction is effective for repeated and intensive skill practice, it does not help to establish connections with content or strategies, so I limit this instruction to a portion of the day and compare the data compiled with checklists and observations from other instructional segments. The table on p. 63 was a great reminder of the different types of informal assessment and their best suited purpose.

            Some assessments that I need to implement more often are anecdotal records and rubrics. I could develop a rubric that included educational and behavioral objectives. Most of the assessments that we use are informal so I found the article Making the Most of Assessments to Inform Instruction (Risko & Walker-Dalhouse, 2011) very informative. If designed and implemented correctly, this is the most telling and informative kind of assessment for evaluating instruction. Because classroom assessments have traditionally been modeled after school-wide benchmark tests they do not illustrate the students' progress or potential; these kinds of assessments do not really measure the effectiveness of day to day instruction. I love that the article stated that "there is no research to suggest they have direct educational benefits for students." That statement completely validated my feelings of such assessments!

The idea of having students collaborate on formative assessments is wonderful. If they're being evaluated on the content, then they should be involved in the process. This would help them take ownership and adjust their approach to learning as needed.

To me, designing multi modal assessments could be quite daunting, but if you take the author's advice and start a little at a time, perhaps adding one assessment every quarter, it would not be as overwhelming. I use computer and technology based assessments in my classroom; we recently received an Ipad as a donation and it helps me take data as well. These kinds of assessments have helped me to support my knowledge of students' progress with multiple sources of data.

As far as standardized assessments go, I have not had to give the CRCT in three years since I have K-2 in my classroom. Therefore, my students on Gen Ed assessments have completed benchmarks and checkpoints. Although I have not heard of all of the tests mentioned in the book, the descriptions of the different types and the definitions of associated terms helped to remind me of how much work goes into creating and implementing the tests.

Module 2 PPT Reflection: Strategies that Support Emergent Literacy

This presentation was a great refresher on the stages of literacy development. It really helped to put things in perspective to look back and think about what each stage looks like.
I remember my very early literacy experiences as quite enjoyable, my grandmother and mother read to me daily and this instilled a love of reading for me as I grew up. This is why I feel that repeated, positive exposure to text at a young age is a predictor of success in reading, along with language development, and making reading and writing functional. If a child does not have the language development to process the information, the act of receiving language through text will not be meaningful and reading and writing need to be recognized as a means of exchanging information to be engaging.
The assessments mentioned in presentation are some of the same assessments that I've just completed with my Kindergartners. You can definitely tell which students have more exposure and experience handling books at home when you assess Concepts of Print with a five year old. Some of my students know all of the pre-primer Dolch words and some do not know which page to start reading on. This is why differentiation starts early and is so important.

Module 2 Reflection: PPT & Article

Assessment of Reading and Writing Processes PPT & Emergent Writing in the Primary Grades Article

I agree with the information presented in the PPT regarding the importance of study skills. In my small group classroom we spend a substantial portion of our school day working on school behavior and building independence. For this reason, we have to prioritize the hierarchy of skills necessary to participate in school. While my students most frequently have a limited vocabulary due to a language delay, I agree that this is the most easily observable trait to determine what their reading comprehension may be and the best way to assess vocabulary is just by listening. Because of the developmental nature of language, words that children feel comfortable speaking will take a little longer to come out in their writing.

One area I try to spend a lot of time on in my classroom is writing; this is difficult when the students have limited language and fine motor delays. We use technology to put together words and phrases that express feelings and describe what we see. Because some of my students may never speak, and sign language is not a practical means to communicate with most public, writing is an essential skill for them to have. The nature of their disability also means that they will most often not be assessed as within the same levels of writing development detailed in the article, Emergent Writing in the Primary Grades.

In the past when evaluating students' writing. I have found the portfolio method to be my favorite means to illustrate student progress. I enjoy being able to show where a student began regarding their expressiveness, organization,  and conventions, and then showing the progress made after interventions and lots of practice.  

Module 2: Video Analysis-QRI 5 Intro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHAZyRKKbic

The brief video cited above, demonstrates an appropriate way to establish a rapport with a tutee or student for whom you are administering an assessment like the QRI-5. During such an introduction, you should ask some general questions related to the activity to establish the student's background, confidence level, and general feelings related to the topic. Asking leading questions also helps to set the expectations of the assessment. Dircections should be clear and concise so there is no confusion. I think the teacher in the video did an excellent job of using her teacher voice; this helps the student to understand the purpose of the work.