Segmentation" and reading nonsense words. McCabe monitors their progress weekly, using DIBELS' one-minute assessment tools on basic reading skills such as fluency, "phoneme Another teacher, known as an "interventionist," comes into the class and works with them each morning. ![]() Unnoticeable to the average observer on this particular Thursday, almost half of the children in McCabe's classroom are engaged in activities prompted by their DIBELS assessment.įor instance, the small group working on "glued sounds," as charted by DIBELS, need intensive intervention. "We know, from research, if we can get them on track in first grade, they're not going to slide backwards." "First grade is pivotal," says Bruns, the reading coach. ![]() The program, through federal funding, influences everything from high-stakes tests grade school students are finishing up this week to the textbooks school districts use to how many minutes a day primary schools devote to reading instruction (at least 90 minutes).Īsk Tyng Principal Tim Ryon, reading coach Michele Bruns or McCabe to break down Reading First's impact in the classroom and they immediately start throwing around words like assessments and strategies and "progress monitoring," which leads to DIBELS, the progress-monitoring technology behind much of what's happening in McCabe's classroom. Reading First, in funding and philosophy, is designed to produce two basic goals: Push school districts to make scientifically based research the backbone of K-3 reading instruction that should result in the second goal of every child reading at third-grade level by the third grade. Make no mistake, a fair amount of what's happening here is less festive fun than "evidence-based research," the mantra behind the $5 billion Reading First program - a cornerstone of sweeping (and often controversial) education reforms mandated by No Child Left Behind. With its bright word-covered walls, packed shelves, work stations instead of desks (not even a traditional teacher's desk), books and stuffed animals hanging from clotheslines strung across the room, not to mention the cacophony of sounds, McCabe's first-grade classroom has a touch of a carnival atmosphere. If not, teachers can use more in-depth assessments to guide them on customizing their instruction to meet the child's needs. "You know right away if your instruction is working," McCabe says. Like McCabe, they've got Palm Pilots, connected to DIBELS' national assessment network, that allow them to monitor student progress as often as weekly with the computerized one-minute assessment tests. ![]() Soon, if not already, every kindergarten through third-grade teacher in District 150 will be using DIBELS.
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