Kindergarten Registration Woes...
We interrupt our scheduled post regarding RtI to bring you a human perspective on all this Kindergarten readiness stuff...
I have heard from so many people who are fretting about Kindergarten and the whole registration/testing process, and I have to admit, I'm getting a little nervous for them. My standard line is: "don't worry - lots of children enter Kindergarten not knowing all of their sounds, letters, counting, etc, etc, etc..." AND "...your child will make tremendous development leaps between the time they are tested for Kindergarten and the time they actually start - give them time to grow..."
Well, apparently, the standards - they are a'changin'. We'll deal with that another day (translation, I need some time to do some research and make sure I have my facts straight).
In the meantime, jump on over and see how "Creative-Type Dad" plans to prepare his daughter for her interview...
And, of course, if you'd like to ensure that your child knows all their letters and sounds and are ready to read when Kindergarten starts, give us a call and we'll get you taken care of on that front. We don't promise a "summer camp" experience full of fun and games, just that we'll get the job done in a happy, supportive environment - with minimal time away from your fun summer activities. 615.553.2851.
RtI Demystified Part 4: Tier 1
Tier 1 Interventions take place in the regular classroom. Students who are considered "at-risk" are identified using universal screenings, district or state-wide test results, classroom data, etc. Interventions may be implemented by the classroom teacher, a reading specialist, or by a paraprofessional.
Students will recieve supplemental instruction, usually with a small group for a short period time while being closely monitored for progress or lack thereof. If a student does not make adequate progress, he or she will be moved to Tier 2.
Rather than regurgitate what is already out there, take a look here at how Susan Roberts of the Jefferson County School district explains how her district implements Tier 1 interventions:
http://jc-schools.net/RTI/paraprof.html
If you have questions about what interventions are being implemented for your child or about the RtI process being used in your district, please contact your child's teacher or Reading Specialist directly.
If your child is not making the gains you want to see, it might be time to look for outside help. We can help you determine the appropriate next steps.
Cortiella, Candace. A Parent's Guide to Response to Intervention (Rti).www.LD.org. National Center for Learning Disablities, 2011. Web. 19 April 2012.
McLane, Kathleen. "What is Curriculum Based Measurement and What Does it Mean for My Child?" www.studentprogress.org. National Center on Student Progress Monitoring, n.d. Web. 19 April 2012.
Roberts, Susan. "Teachers Working with Paraprofessionals for Tier One Interventions." http://jc-schools.net/RTI/paraprof.html. Jefferson County Schools, 2010. Web. 3 May 2012.
RtI Demystified Part 3: Limitations
Ok, you got all the good stuff down, now here are the limitations:
1. It is NOT an approach to identify a child with a learning disability, though identification or further testing may occur as a natural outcome of the process. Think of as prevention and intervention for students who are struggling. If a learning disability is suspected, then a talk with the Guidance Counselor is in order to help you determine if additional testing is needed.
2. This process has, so far been limited mostly to the early elementary grades - but there is lots of buzz about moving it up to the middle & high school levels, so keep a watch out for that.
That's it! Those are the basics. If you are an active participant in an RtI framework, we'd love to have your feedback and comments. Tell us what it's like out there.
Next week, we'll begin to take a look at the Tiers of an RtI model. For now, here are some more vocabulary words:
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA): (taken verbatim from the National Center for Learning Disabilities definition - cited below). The federal law dealing with the educaiton of children with disabilities. IDEA requires all states that accept IDEA federal funds to provide a free appropriate public education to all children with disabilities in the state.
Intervention: Pretty self-explanatory - this is the part where we change what we are doing and/or how we are doing in order to acheive adequate progress/success.
RtI Demystified Part 2: Benefits of RtI
So what's the point? Well, the way I like to describe is maybe your child needs a little extra help, and they are getting htat - at no extra cost and run around for you! Enjoy, and watch for the gains. Really. It's that simple.
Unfortunately, the world makes it a little more complicated than that, so here are a few more details -
1. You know your child needs help, your teacher knows your child needs help. Now, you don't have to wait weeks, or potentially months, to get that help while child continues to fall further behind.
2. Smaller groups and additional testing/monitoring ensure that each child being served is getting the instruction they need rather than moving through a one-size-fits-all approach.
3. Schools can ensure that students have been given the opportunity to receive appropriate instruction, especially in reading, before they are referred to or place in special education classes.
Ok. Sounds, good right? I think so, too. We'll stop there and move on to the limitations next time.
Read on for today's terms:
Data-Based Decision Making: Exactly what it says - using actual student data to make decisions about instructional design & implementation.
Fidelity of implementation: Using things the way they were meant to be used. This is very important to the RtI framework. This could be anything to testing/monitoring materials to instructional materials/programs.
Sources:
Cortiella, Candace. A Parent's Guide to Response to Intervention (Rti).www.LD.org. National Center for Learning Disablities, 2011. Web. 19 April 2012.
McLane, Kathleen. "What is Curriculum Based Measurement and What Does it Mean for My Child?" www.studentprogress.org. National Center on Student Progress Monitoring, n.d. Web. 19 April 2012.
RtI Demystified...Part 1: What is it?
RtI is a service module designed to help all students who are struggling...not just those identified as having a particular learning disability. Used effectively, RtI frameworks also assist schools in identifying students who may have additional learning or behavioral needs, including special education.
Why? Well, there are many children who simply struggle at certain times in their school career, with certain subjects. RtI is a great way to reach those children and avoid continued problems and potential failure. It allows the school to give that child a little boost, and helps to ensure school success.
On the flip side, many children are not identified for special education services until they are well into their school careers - sometimes not until the third or fourth grade. Effective RtI frameworks help teachers and other personnel to more quickly and effectively identify students who might need additional supports. In reverse, it also decreases the number of students who might be MISidentified as needing special education services...as I said, sometimes we just need to give them an extra boost to get over a bump in the road.
Because RtI frameworks include constant monitoring, instructors and other service providers are able to see more quickly which students might require additional supports, as well as which are and are not progressing with the given supports.
A Couple of Common Terms:
Benchmarks: expected grade-level performace of the the student - in other words, what the student should know at certain intervals throughout the year.
Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM): a method teachers use to find out how students are progressing in basic academic areas such as math, reading, writing, and spelling - how are they doing on classwork, are the skills taught being mastered? This is typically a very short test given periodically to students to ensure mastery or measure performance. An excellent explanation of CBM can found here: http://www.studentprogress.org/families.asp . CBM allows the teacher to adjust teaching strategies and content based on student performance.
Additional Resources can be found here:
www.BeaconLiteracy.com/RTI.html
Next Week: Benefits vs. Limitations of RtI
Need help or have more questions? Call us! 615.553.2851, email us, or post a question or comment!
Sources:
Cortiella, Candace. A Parent's Guide to Response to Intervention (Rti). www.LD.org. National Center for Learning Disablities, 2011. Web. 19 April 2012.
McLane, Kathleen. "What is Curriculum Based Measurement and What Does it Mean for My Child?" www.studentprogress.org. National Center on Student Progress Monitoring, n.d. Web. 19 April 2012.
Tell me the story
Pardon me while I take a moment out of work mode and pause to celebrate this beautiful season.
One of my all time favorite songs - my children have heard me sing it for years, and I probably drive them bonkers with my horrid, horrid singing - is Tell Me the Story of Jesus. It reminds me to make sure I share the story of Jesus to as many children as I can, that it's the sweetest story they will ever hear. I'm a reading teacher, so it's easy for me to get caught up in all those favorite story books and forget about the Bible Stories. And yet when I do have the opportunity to tell this bit of history, my heart feels as if it will explode with joy and anguish for what Christ did for us.
So, please take some time out away from all the fun egg hunts and bunny crafts, and tell them the story of Jesus. Write every word on their precious hearts.
If you don't have a church home where you will be celebrating the Risen Lord, we hope you'll join us. Service times for Hermitage Hills Baptist Church's three campuses can be found here: http://www.hhbconline.com/ .
Tell me the story of Jesus,
- Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth,
“Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good tidings to earth.”- Refrain:
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
- Refrain:
- Fasting alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that are past,
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor,
Tell of the sorrow He bore;
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected and poor. - Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain;
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see;
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
“Love paid the ransom for me.”
What should I have my child read this summer?
Common question for all ages. Regardless of your child's age, summer reading should be fun and relaxing. The point is to ensure that your child maintains and, hopefully, continues to build his or her reading skills.
So how do you help them decide what to choose? Really, it's up to them. Allow your child the freedom to choose a topic, a type of story, etc. Yes, of course it's ok to screen what is being read. My children have been "screened" enough to know what I do and do not consider appropriate reading materials for their age. Now, we could get into an entire debate on screening books, but let's not. That's an entirely separate topic that we can address another day. The basic starting point, in my ever so humble opinion, is that there are certain topics and story lines that should be reserved for older students and more mature readers.
So, here are a few general guidelines to get you started so that you won't stare blindly at the library or bookstore shelves or spend hours browsing through lists of digital titles:
1. Is there a particular topic, theme, or character that your child enjoys?
Superheros? Adventure? Mystery? Biography? Realistic Fiction? Non-fiction topics such as marine biology, weather, cars, fashion, cooking, etc? Start there - it will possibly get you to a good list of things to start with...
2. Ask the librarian or clerk.
If you're lucky, you might find someone who can recommend a little known treasure. Almost every library has a book of recommended reading by grade-level. Remember to look at both the readablity of the book and the age level of the topic - just because your third grader can read 7th grade material, doesn't make everything at a 7th grade level an appropriate choice. One challenge I often face with my students is finding lower readability books at higher interest levels...they are out there - you just have to ask, and dig, and search a little harder.
3. Choose several books from several genres.
You never know what might be interesting. If you child enjoys cooking, it might be fun to peruse a cookbook by Julia Child, while reading a biography about her life. You might even search and find some interesting periodicals or videos on the web (um, might I suggest www.pbs.org/juliachild ?).
4. Let your child make the final selection.
Again, yes it's ok to veto certain books or topics - you are the parent/guardian. DO, however, try not to be critical of your child's choices. These are his interests, not necessarily yours. I stress - it should be relaxing, and enjoyable.
5. Surprise yourself.
Something I have always enjoyed at our house is reading the same book simultaneously (either together or separately). It makes for fun and interesting conversation. Even if it is not your "style" of reading, you will enjoy the banter that is created. You might even create your own "book club." You will learn a little more about your child, and create a bond that no one can sever. And, oh, do they ever grow up quickly! Get it while you're still "cool enough."
So, there you go - that should get you started. Need more help? Leave us a comment or shoot us a message and we'll see what we can do to help. We would also love to know what's on your reading list this summer!
I weep.
So, yesterday my Kindergartener read my t-shirt. I wanted to weep. I almost did. Not that it is just an amazing accomplishment, lots of kindergarten students can do that. But it brings back a memory.
About 12-13 years ago, we got a phone call from a mom who was weeping. Because her daughter had just called her from High School and told her that she had just read someone's T-shirt in the hallway. For the first time. Ever. We wept.
We knew we had a good thing, we knew we were helping people. We knew there was work to be done.
And so we pine on, trying to reach the masses.
I weep with joy for all the children and adults who finally learn to read.
I weep with pain for all the children and adults that we haven't yet met, who are still struggling.I even sometimes weep with fatigue at times because I know the work will never be done. There will always be someone else out there, and we will not stop looking. And we will be here when you are ready.
Blessings to your budding, thriving, and struggling readers. May you weep with joy as they succeed.
Have great days.
