Students’ ability to read complex text does not always develop in a linear fashion. Although the progression of Reading standard 10 (see below) defines required grade-by-grade growth in students’ ability to read complex text, the development of this ability in individual students is unlikely to occur at an unbroken pace. Students need opportunities to stretch their reading abilities but also to experience the satisfaction and pleasure of easy, fluent reading within them, both of which…
When we first meet a reluctant or struggling reader, sometimes our first impulse is to act in service to this reader. We are teachers. We want to help, and we know a great deal about how to do that, after all. So we act on what we know, and sometimes, what we know does help. But all too often, it doesn’t. All too often, what we know gets in the way of finding out what we need…
When we’re paying attention, we learn things about our students that we’ve never considered before. Over the last three years, I’ve conducted lesson studies in roughly fifty classrooms with over 700 students. As “in the moment” formative assessment assumed a greater role in this work, teachers began to make some powerful discoveries about readers that inspired very specific and effective shifts in curriculum design and instruction. These are some of those stories: 1. Each time,…
Yesterday, I described the pivotal role that assessment plays in defining the unique needs of readers. Today, I thought I would share a tool that emerged from inquiry work I facilitated in several local districts three years ago. Take a peek: GRInterventionIdeas A little bit about that: as teachers began expanding their definitions of what it meant to be a “successful” reader, the assessments they used to define the strengths and needs of those they were…
How do you distinguish reluctant readers from those who struggle? How great is the overlap in the venn diagram that represents these readers as they present in your world? Which type of reader do you have the greatest success serving? Why? How? And most importantly: how do you know? In my world, reluctant readers are those who can read but who, for many reasons, prefer not to. In order to intervene well, I need to…
Overheard: “I’m noticing that a substantial number of kids are struggling to distinguish the topic of a passage from the claim that is being made. They seem to know what the reading is mostly about, but they are confusing that general topic with the more specific claim that the author is making it. I wonder why this is happening.” “Why don’t we ask the kids why they think it’s happening?” “Do you really think…
I’ve learned that data aren’t necessarily the engine of a powerful inquiry team. The team is, and teams are often comprised of very diverse members, particularly if every teacher serves on a team (and in my experience, this must be the case if we’re aiming for systemic improvement). When I leverage the diversity of the group and promote it as a strength, our work becomes very productive. When I allow my personal beliefs and passions to…
“The simple answer is that, in most cases, schools have made mistakes. In fact, this statement isn’t terribly helpful; after all, every school makes at least some mistakes. When it comes to data-driven instruction, however, the type of mistake that a school makes goes a long way toward determining whether or not it will succeed.” Paul-Bambrick Santoyo, Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction. According to Bambrick-Santoyo, these are the eight mistakes that…
I’ll admit it: I struggle with the notion of data teams, and I struggle with those who use the terms “data team” and “inquiry team” interchangeably. I think words matter here. This is how: First, using the term “data team” could conjure the vision of a group that dedicates itself solely to the analysis of quantitative or qualitative performance data. It might also imply that such teams are formed and function separately from other…
On Sunday, I offered up this quick post about what I’ve learned from facilitating data dialogue in different schools over the years. Starr Sackstein caught wind of it on Twitter and connected my reflections to an earlier conversation that she began on her blog about the testing dilemma. As I chatted with her in the comments below her post, this thought emerged: “I tend to see trend data from standardized assessments like markers in a…