Our Standards
* All students in our classroom have IEP's. During the IEP process, goals and methods of assessing students are discussed and agreed to by the IEP team. Each student has his/her own goals, and the methods of assessment can vary from student to student. Our skill levels range roughly from beginning 1st to beginning 5th grade, so a cookie-cutter approach to assessment is impossible.
And unlike the student goals for students in the resource room or co-teaching classroom, our students' IEP goals do not always align with their grade-level expectations for reading, English Language Arts, or math.
* All students in our classroom have IEP's. During the IEP process, goals and methods of assessing students are discussed and agreed to by the IEP team. Each student has his/her own goals, and the methods of assessment can vary from student to student. Our skill levels range roughly from beginning 1st to beginning 5th grade, so a cookie-cutter approach to assessment is impossible.
And unlike the student goals for students in the resource room or co-teaching classroom, our students' IEP goals do not always align with their grade-level expectations for reading, English Language Arts, or math.
* Classroom Assessments for Beginning of the Year
At the start of school, we assess reading using Phonographix assessments for knowledge of sounds, sound blending, sound segmenting, and phoneme manipulation. We used Reading A to Z and Evan Moor leveled passages to assess comprehension and fluency. In math, we used teacher-made assessments based on E.D. Hirsch's Core Knowledge math curriculum. Assessments are leveled by grade, each containing a performance component that had to be demonstrated (for example, skip counting by 2's), a math calculation section, and a problem solving component. For the writing assessments, students are given spelling tests and also asked to demonstrate their knowledge of grammar by punctuating sentences and identifying parts of speech. Finally they write good sentences and paragraphs (when applicable), using appropriate grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization to the best of their ability. *Ongoing Classroom Assessments My aides and I assess constantly as we work with individuals or small groups of students. Depending on the lesson, we may use one or more of the following methods to assess: observation, questioning, student demonstration, checklist, work samples, student-teaching- student, mastery tests, teacher-designed tests, and assessments provided by a specific program we are using (for example, Phonographix blending and segmenting assessments and Reading A to Z benchmark passages for reading skills). |
* District Assessments
All students who are in our reading and math classes take the iReady Reading and iReady Math diagnostic tests. These tests are computer-based, and most of our students take these with accommodations (extended time, small group environment, math test read to each student, usually by computer voice). The tests results will indicate the grade level at which your student is functioning. We monitor each student during the test to see if the he/she is really trying or just guessing. The more seriously they take the tests, the more reliable the results will be. We will continue to take the iReady tests throughout the year. These test are only one factor used in determining how your student is progressing toward his/her goals. * State Assessments Some of our students will take the regular education state MAP tests at the end of the year. If your student is required to take these tests, he/she will take the tests with the accommodations agreed to at the IEP meeting. |
Homework Policy (McKenna's Opinion)
I'm not big on homework as I consider time spent with family much more important. However, as students get older, it's important that they develop more responsibility, so we will have one homework assignment per week: it will involve your student's spelling words. In addition, studying for 15-20 minutes a day outside of school seems like a good idea for all students.
I'm not big on homework as I consider time spent with family much more important. However, as students get older, it's important that they develop more responsibility, so we will have one homework assignment per week: it will involve your student's spelling words. In addition, studying for 15-20 minutes a day outside of school seems like a good idea for all students.