Nicola-Similkameen School District #58

Learning Intentions I will understand the differences,

similarities and the purposes of the Common and Leveled kits

I will be familiar with both processes. I will look for ways to make this useful

in my teaching environmentI will remember many useful concepts,

including running records, reading levels, correlation charts, observable reading behaviour & open-ended thinking

EPRA/DARTYou decide when the information will serve you

bestYou decide who will participate, and you can

adapt/modify for any student in your class, as long as you have a plan (not an IEP, but an iep)

You understand why: AFLEveryone uses the same how – the routine is

consistent, so that colleagues can collaborate and interpret information

Non fiction with text features, photographsOral reading, conferencing and showing

knowledgeOptional in this district

Correlation ChartColourDRA NumberPM Benchmarks NumberGrade EquivalentLetter

EPRA: Common TextSeptemberAssessment for Learning

JuneAssessment of Learning

Kindergarten

1 3

Grade 1 3 10-12

Grade 2 12 16ProtocolOral reading running recordConference questions and strategy observationThinking pagePerformance Standard QS or Kindergarten

continuum

EPRA Common TextWhole class at onceSchool team to help (principal, SET,

LAT)45-60 minutesQuick introduction, criteriaIndividual reading meetings as

students move on to the thinking page (5 minutes max)

PM Benchmarks/DRA/Jerry Johns/Alberta Diagnostic/Gates/CTBS

Time consuming (20-45 minutes each)Comprehension components do not correlate to the

curriculum PLOsCan be misused for quantitative data collectionMandatory in some districts twice or thrice each year

for data collectionCommon misassumption that reading levels are exactEmphasis is on the decoding, not on deep

comprehensionStandardized tests are poorly constructed (research

and curriculum), do not measure group comprehension and are skewed against rural and aboriginal children

Running Records

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5 Minutes more on Common Text

Go ahead, touch your kit. Look through it. Get familiar with it. Write your questions on a post-it note.

Official EPRA video #1EPRA Grade 2.movUse the chartMake notes about what you learn that

is important to you.

Any final questions about the Common Text?

Good. Now we are moving on.

Leveled TextEach school has a kitYou can use it any time you have questionsYou can use any kit with any

grade/combined grade classThis works best with guided reading sized

groupsThis gives you information about what

reading behaviours/strengths your students have, and gives you an approximate reading level

Leveled TextNon fiction text4 levels for Kindergarten (1, 2, 3, 4)

6 levels for Grade 1 (2, 3, 8, 12, 16, 16+)

6 levels for Grade 2 (8, 12, 16, 17, 21, 23)

DRA!!!

Leveled Text: Kindergarten

Leveled Text: Grade 1

Leveled Text: Grade 2

Leveled Text Introduce all the texts to the group –

title, a few pages, a little bit of discussion

Review how to select a ‘just right’ text (Daily Five, BookMatch, or the language you use in class)

Decide if you will have them complete the thinking page (optional)

Leveled Text: Helpful hintsMixed level groupsNo more than 6 at a timeHave students read to you before doing the

thinking pageBe comfortable asking, “Did you look at

____? It might be a better fit.”Do a bit, do it wellSkip the thinking page to start with – keep

the time to a minimumDo not use these books for teaching!

(CLEAN)

Leveled TextHave the other students working on their ownGive the group 40 minutes, but allow extra

time for students who need time to finishTeach the students strategies to determine

independent/instructional/frustration levelsTell them: this helps me help you find the right

fit booksRunning record page can be used several

times throughout the year

Leveled TextTime to get your hands on it15 minutes to read the materials,

especially the protocolWrite your questions on the post-it notes

Each of you be ready to BE a student that you are imaging this NOT working with

Leveled Text: My turn Modeling conferencesI am relaxed and only do as much as I

need to, in order to get the information I need to be a better teacher for you

Bring it on!

Leveled Text: Scoring/Coding/Marking or whatever euphemism you want to use…

Highlighter pen/Quick Scale/ContinuumWorksheet from PS Reading for InformationHighlight key wordsWrite a few goals for the class or a group

when you see trendsMake some individual notes somewhere,

with whatever you use, or right on the conference page (I call it my report card talk)

If you are doing your entire class, there will, this time only, be release time (1/2 day) to work with me on coding and developing a class profile (please contact me)

How to Use a Literacy TeacherI will model, demonstrate, team teach any of this

with the intention of teaching you to do it yourselfI will sit with you after you have done a group and

have a professional What’s Next conversationI will offer suggestions (if asked) on strategies to

support item x in your worldI will meet with you, upon invitation, to go over

how to do the Common (May/June) Text Assessment in your class and then schedule ½ day for everyone to code together here at the SBO (no in lieu of time)

Why Are We Doing This – Research!My hero, Richard Allington, who compiles all

the best literacy research across the world says…

In studying the nation’s best first and fourth grade classrooms, the practice of using multi-text and multi-level instruction and curriculum design was paramount. Every student was reading with text at their own level, not at ‘grade-level’.

Struggling readers need more teacher time, more intensive reading lessons, and more teacher-directed reading lessons targeted to their specific instructional needs.

Do 8 things, do them well and do them now:Begin an intervention planMatch reader and text levelDramatically expand reading activitiesUse very small groups or tutoringCoordinate intervention with the core

classroom (in addition, not instead) Deliver intervention by expert teachersFocus instruction on meta-cognition and

meaningUse texts that are interesting to students

Do not think ‘one size fits all’ with intervention or classroom instruction; using a class set of the same reading materials will ensure that students will continue to fall behind. Multi-level texts for the content areas are essential.

Effective classrooms have a distribution of whole-group, small group and side-by-side instruction.

The proportion of the school day allotted to whole-class assessment is a predictor of a school’s academic success/achievement. The more whole-class teaching offered, the lower the academic achievement in that school.

There is significantly greater growth

in schools where teachers have been

trained to do running records (and

their subsequent analysis, diagnosis

and intervention – assessment for

learning) and student reading

development is monitored over time.

A Bit More Video…EPRA Grade 2.mov

Learning Intentions I will understand the differences,

similarities and the purposes of the Common and Leveled kits

I will be familiar with both processes. I will look for ways to make this useful

in my teaching environmentI will remember many useful concepts,

including running records, reading levels, correlation charts, observable reading behaviour and open-ended thinking