[MOSAIC] Corrections/assessment

Sun Jul 1 11:00:54 EDT 2007

Sally:  you make a lot of sense.    One more point I would like to make
....   I like quick assessments, but realize the need for more indepth
assessments like a DRA.  The DRA gives great info, but it takes a bit of
time.  The approach that my colleague Nancy Padak and I take is that a
quick assessment such as our Three Minute one or any other that may be
devised can be given to all children 2-4 times a year very quickly.
Those children who perform  poorly or for whom we need more information
are good candidates for the more indepth assessment like the DRA.   We
feel that not every child needs a full blown DRA or IRI - such
assessments take time that might otherwise be used for teaching.
Rather, we think that we should rely on teachers' good judgment
sustained by a quick objective assessment, and save the more thorough
assessments for the children for whom we really need more thorough and
detailed diagnostic and formative assessment.

Timothy Rasinski, Ph.D.
Reading and Writing Center
404 White Hall
Kent State University
Kent, OH  44242

email:  trasinsk at kent.edu
Phone:  330-672-0649
Cell:  330-962-6251
Fax:  330-672-2025
Informational website:  www.timrasinski.com
Professional Development DVD:  http://www.roadtocomprehension.com/

-----Original Message-----
From: mosaic-bounces at literacyworkshop.org
[mailto:mosaic-bounces at literacyworkshop.org] On Behalf Of thomas
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:19 AM
To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Corrections/assessment

Hi Tim,  I see now. You are saying the purpose of your assessment is to
be
that "several times a year" calibration and you've worked to  make it
short
and still authentic and valid and reliable.  Sounds good to me.  I guess
the
only remaining concern I would have is for the teacher to be
knowledgeable
enough and know her/his students well enough to be able to judge the
difference using a particular passage might have on an individual
student.
So if the "test" and the classroom performance overall disagree, the
teacher
would know to try a different passage? A lot depends on the schema and
interest a student brings to a particular text.   Does this make sense?

Triangulation is my motto.  In the end I need to have a wide range of
information to reflect and ponder on, preferably with my peers if
possible.

I'll take a look at the assessment at Scholastic!

Sally

On 6/28/07 5:09 AM, "RASINSKI, TIMOTHY" <trasinsk at kent.edu> wrote:

> Sally -- I agree that teachers' judgements of student progress is
essential
> and  most important. However, I think you answered your own query
(very
> elegantly I might add) in your note below.  I think we all need
calibrate our
> judgements against some norms from time to time (say 3 times a year or
so) to
> ensure that our own judgements are on track.   That is why I think it
is
> important to keep assessments as quick and focused as possible.
>  
> Timothy Rasinski 
> 404 White Hall 
> Kent State University
> Kent, OH  44242 
> 330-672-0649 
> Cell -- 330-962-6251
> FAX  330-672-2025
> trasinsk at kent.edu
> informational website: www.timrasinski.com
> professional development DVD:  http://www.roadtocomprehension.com/
>
<https://exchange.kent.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.roadtoco
mprehe
> nsion.com/>  
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> From: mosaic-bounces at literacyworkshop.org on behalf of thomas
> Sent: Thu 6/28/2007 12:47 AM
> To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group
> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Corrections/assessment
> 
> 
> 
> Here's what I don't quite understand.  Why do I need an assessment
approach
> separate from my teaching?  As a teacher I need to be reading with,
> interacting with every student often!  I don't need a "separate"
assessment.
> It might be valuable to every once in awhile double check with some
outside
> benchmarks if you will (say several times a year to "calibrate" my
judgment
> with that of others) but mostly I need to be able to read with every
student
> individually REGULARLY and I need to be conferencing with and
negotiating
> writing goals and progress with every student regularly.  I need to
have
> internalized how to listen to and see student work knowledgeably.  So
WHY
> the big concern with assessments that are separate from my being able
to
> reflect on what students are doing with the actual real work of my
classroom
> as we are DOING IT?
> 
> Honestly, why aren't we trusting our own internalized understandings
of how
> to see studentlearning and progress through the actual work of the
> classroom.  I'm not trying to be difficult.  I just don't get why this
would
> not be our ultimate goal.
> 
> Sally 
> 
> 
> On 6/27/07 5:42 PM, "RASINSKI, TIMOTHY" <trasinsk at kent.edu> wrote:
> 
>> Nancy Padak and myself developed an assessment system we call
Three-Minute
>> Reading Assessments, Grades 1-4, and 5-8  (Scholastic).  It is quick
>> assessment that is a cross between running records, informal reading
>> inventories, and DIBELS.  From a few minutes of reading teachers can
get a
>> sense for their students' word recognition, automaticity in word
decoding,
>> expression/prosody, and comprehension.     We purposefully made it a
quick
>> assessment because we know that time is precious in classrooms and
that time
>> given to assessment is time taken away from instruction.
>> 
> 
> 
> 
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