ProgramSpecific

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The U.S. Department of Educations 2nd Annual
National Reading First Conference
Program-Specific Assessment
Ashlock Consulting, Inc.Jennifer J. Ashlock
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Agenda
Program Specific Assessment

• Comprehensive literacy assessment
• Types of core program assessments
• Building instructional focus groups
• Instructional recommendations
• Selecting core components or other materials for
  instruction

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Stages of Reading Development
STOP
Ehri 1995, Moats 2000
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Four Types of Assessment

• Outcome - Provides a bottom-line evaluation of
  the effectiveness of the reading program in
  relation to established performance levels (e.g.,
  end of school year).
• Screening - Involves all children and is designed
  as a first step to identify those who may be at
  high risk for delayed development or academic
  failure and in need of additional reading
  instruction or further diagnosis of their need
  for special services.
• Diagnosis - Helps teachers plan instruction by
  providing in-depth information about students'
  skills and instructional needs.
• Progress Monitoring - Involves frequent
  measurement to determine if students are making
  adequate progress or are in need of more
  intervention to achieve grade-level reading
  outcomes.

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Outcomes Driven Model

• Screening
• Diagnosis
• Progress Monitoring
• Outcome

• Identify need for support
• Validate need for instructional support
• Plan and implement instructional support
• Evaluate and modify instructional support
• Review outcomes for individuals and systems

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Integrated Assessment/ Intervention/Feedback Loop
Teachers administer specific skills assessments
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Types of Program-Specific Assessment

• End of selection assessments
• End of theme/unit assessments
• Early literacy skills tests
• Concepts of print
• Phonological awareness
• Alphabet recognition
• Phonics skills tests

• Fluency
• Writing samples with rubric scoring
• Observational checklists

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Assessments Currently Being Used
List the assessments you are currently using with
students on pp. 2-3 of your packet.
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Purpose of AssessmentTwo-Minute Partner Talk

• Briefly discuss how you are using each type of
  assessment.

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Diverse Learners

The standard of always searching for the single
right best method for literacy development may be
misguided. The search instead should be for
multiple perspectives of rightness guided by the
diverse needs of learners and sound instructional
principles, practices, and craft
knowledge. Kameenui, 1993
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Critical Order Role of Teachers and Support Staff

• Analyze data and build instructional groups based
  on needs
• Take inventory and recommend materials needed for
  instruction
• Investigate and problem solve scheduling/spacing
  issues
• Investigate personnel resources with grade-level
  teams

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Grade Level FlowchartSorting Students into
Instructional Needs Groups

• Follow along on the grade level flowcharts
  provided on pp. 4-7 of your packet.

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K-3 Benchmark Students
Are my students learning whats being taught?
?
Challenge
Reteach
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Stages of Reading Development
STOP
Ehri 1995, Moats 2000
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Instructional Phonics Timeline

• K
• 1
• 2
• 3

CVC (hat) Short Vowels w/Digraphs (shed)
Short Vowels with Blends (slam) CVCe
(rake) Long Vowel Patterns (mail)
R-controlled Vowels (stir)
Diphthongs (spoil) Blending two-syllable words
(mo/ment) Reading two-syllable words
(untie) Reading multisyllabic words
(uncomfortable)
Phonics
Structural Analysis
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Kindergarten Strategic Students
Are my students learning whats being taught?
Preteach and reteach areas of the Alphabetic
Principle.
Preteach and reteach areas of the Alphabetic
Principle, and target specific reteach areas.
?
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What has been taught so far?
Alphabetic Principle Increase
Phonological Awareness Instruction
SBRR Program Scope and Sequence
Beginning of Year
End of Year
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Grade 1 Strategic Students
What is the root of the problem? What is causing
the student not to be fluent?
Provide fluency instruction that includes
feedback and correction. See Put Reading First!
?
Provide systematic, explicit phonics daily!
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Grades 2-3 Strategic Students
Why are they not fluent?
Provide structural analysis instruction daily!
?
Provide systematic, explicit phonics daily!
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K-3 Intensive Students
Are these students placed at the appropriate
level for the correct length of time?
A
?
B
C
D
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Your Turn!

• Use the sample grade 2 data on pp. 14-17 of your
  packet to practice sorting students into
  instructional needs groups.

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Critical Order Role of Teachers and Support Staff

• Analyze data and build instructional groups based
  on needs
• Take inventory and recommend materials needed for
  instruction
• Investigate and problem solve scheduling/spacing
  issues
• Investigate personnel resources with grade-level
  teams

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Explicit Phonics LessonMaterials
Is the emphasis on blending and segmenting
phonemes?
Are there explicit routines that teach students
to blend?

• PA warm up
• Introduce or review sound/spelling (explicit)
• Blending (explicit)
• Decodable text
• Dictation
• Word work

Are there sufficient amounts of decodable text
appropriate for your grade level?
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Structural Analysis Instruction
Do you have materials that will teach students
the following skills and strategies?
Teaching Word Attack Procedure Teacher shows
students how to attack big words on their own
and prompts use of procedure whenever students
are reading.
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Critical Order Role of Teachers and Support Staff

• Analyze data and build instructional groups based
  on needs
• Take inventory and recommend materials needed for
  instruction
• Investigate and problem solve scheduling/spacing
  issues
• Investigate personnel resources with grade-level
  teams

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Enjoy the conference!

• Jennifer Ashlock
• Ashlock Consulting, Inc.
• jennifer_at_ashlockconsulting.com