4-15-2008

April 15, 2008 Mid-day Meeting

Attended: Kim Rollings, Joanne Engel, Donna Elmore, Mary Teresa Maule Alft, Veronique Taylor, Debbie Pye, Sue Feaster, Gail Peck


 * Prepared agenda for 4-22-08 Language Arts meetings
 * Staff Learning Walk – early May
 * student engagement
 * consistency
 * Language Arts Assessment Review
 * revision of current assessment summary (in draft stage)
 * Pilot of MAP for Primary
 * Prerequisite Test
 * Skills Checklists
 * at a future LA meeting, we will look at these tests together
 * Phonics Assessment
 * MAP, running records
 * continuing to research
 * Third Trimester LA Assessments:
 * criteria for stages has not changed
 * familiar text E-J; unfamiliar text K and higher
 * teachers choice of assessment method – Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System OR existing benchmark books
 * if using F&P, score with F&P guidelines, but use existing stage criteria for stage placement, for example:
 * if a student successfully reads an F&P cold text for Stage 7, then the student is considered to have mastered that portion of the progress sheets
 * if a student does not successfully read an F&P cold text for Stage 7, then the student needs to be looked at with a familiar text to determine stage mastery
 * these options will help us to continue to learn the F&P system, but not change stage criteria mid-year
 * The use of Fountas & Pinnell unfamiliar texts for assessment will be effective September 2008.
 * If you are using the F&P assessment, the F&P recording forms are in the filing cabinet in the copy room; the completed forms should be placed in the student folder and the information recorded on the progress sheets.
 * If you are using the existing benchmark books, the comprehension rubric should be completed and the running record should be placed in the student folder.
 * The Harcourt holistic assessments will be used again this year. Please keep all holistic booklets in the student folders to pass along to next year’s teacher.
 * Items for future LA meetings:
 * Staff Learning Walks feedback
 * MAP for Primary Prerequisite Test and Skills Checklists: Walk through each test with teachers. Need to find a student name to use for the demo.
 * Fountas & Pinnell DVD to refresh staff on running records
 * Fountas & Pinnell DVD - Comprehension Conversation directions


 * Items for future LLT meetings:
 * Keep Harcourt holistic assessments in folder for next year?
 * Do we use Harcourt holistic assessments next year? Are there other Harcourt assessments we need to look at?
 * Look for phonics assessments on F&P DVD; revisit phonics assessment
 * Incorporate MAP (RIT and Prerequisite/Skills) and Harcourt holistic (?) into progress sheets
 * Incorporate "status of the class" format into reading records
 * Revise format of progress sheets: how do we gather individual student data & class data, while decreasing paperwork and improving ease of assessment driving instruction?
 * Share information from the Common Assessment Workshop
 * Status of Destiny for bookroom
 * Timeline for assessments
 * Anchor papers for F&P written response (are they on the DVD?
 * How do we assess student mastery of reading strategies?