Making Sense of Read to Achieve Mountain Island

Making Sense of Read to Achieve Mountain Island Elementary School February 5, 2014 6: 00 -7: 00 Vicki Douvikas, Literacy Facilitator

What is Read to Achieve? The Read to Achieve program is a part of the Excellent Public Schools Act which became law in July of 2012 and applies to all schools at the beginning of the 2013 -2014 school year. Impacts ALL 3 rd graders in the state of North Carolina!!!

Read to Achieve: BOG Score • All 3 rd grade students took a Beginning of Grade (EOG test) during the first 11 days of this school year • NC READY Student Report was sent home the first week of December indicating your child’s score on the BOG test • A score of 438 indicates that your child is on track to demonstrate proficiency on the EOG

Read to Achieve: Communication to Schools and Parents • Mr. Ruppenthal sent home a letter about Read to Achieve in December • CMS Elementary Principals and Literacy Facilitators received information about the initiative in December and January • Ongoing communication from DPI and CMS arrives weekly, sometimes daily

Read to Achieve: Road to Promotion There are 4 paths in Read to Achieve for all 3 rd graders in the state of North Carolina: 1. Exemption 2. Portfolio 3. Retention 4. Pass or Pass w/Label

Read to Achieve: Road to Promotion Good Cause Exemptions • Limited English Proficient students with less than two years of instruction in ESL (0 students in 3 rd grade at Mountain Island)

Read to Achieve: Road to Promotion Good Cause Exemptions • Students with disabilities whose IEP program indicates use of alternate assessments and reading interventions (0 3 rd grade students at Mountain Island)

Read to Achieve: Road to Promotion Good Cause Exemptions • Students who have (1) received reading intervention and (2) previously been retained more than once in K, 1 st, 2 nd or 3 rd grades (0 3 rd grade students at Mountain Island)

Read to Achieve: Road to Promotion Good Cause Exemption BOG Score of 442 (Level III proficiency) (24 3 rd graders at Mountain Island are Exempt)

Read to Achieve: Portfolio Process The portfolio MUST contain the following 3 components: • Evidence of proficiency on 36 completed passages, three passages for each of 12 standards. Proficiency: 4/5

Read to Achieve: Portfolio Process • Evidence of ALL benchmarking and progress monitoring from Mclass Reading 3 D

Read to Achieve: Portfolio Process • Evidence of an ongoing PEP with goals, interventions and instructional strategies based on student data that matches the needs of the individual student

Read to Achieve: Portfolio Process • Students must demonstrate proficiency on three assessments under each standard (12) • If one standard is not mastered after 7 attempts, the portfolio process stops for that child

Read to Achieve: Summer School Mandated by the state of North Carolina as a 6 week program, for 3 hours a day for any student who did not pass or complete the portfolio during the school year OR does not pass the EOG

Read to Achieve: Pass EOG Student will be promoted to 4 th grade if he/she passes the EOG on either the first administration or retest(s)

Let’s Look at Pathway to EOG and Beyond • As an exempt student (442) • As a Portfolio student who does not complete it during the school year or does not pass portfolio with proficiency • As a student who does not pass EOG or retests

What Does This Mean? • Approximately 5, 000 -6, 000 3 rd grade students in CMS will not pass the EOG • Mountain Island 3 rd grade BOG scores are higher than the district and the state!!! • No more social promotion • Creation of transition 3/4 classrooms for the 2014 -2015 school year at Mountain Island

Advocacy from CMS • Lobbied DPI and the SBOE • Limit the # of assessments • Flexibility with Summer School • Use of alternative assessments in place of portfolio assessments

What Can You Do? • Schedule a conference with your child’s teacher • Contact state officials about the mandate • Have your child read every night • Check the Mountain Island webpage for updates about Read to Achieve • Check the CMS webpage for Read to Achieve updates

Remember… Summer School is not optional…It is required for all students who did not complete/pass the portfolio or pass the EOG or retests.

Remember… If your child does not attend Summer School, he/she will be automatically retained in the 3 rd grade.

Remember… To talk to your child about their reading level and their MAP goal.

Remember… To have your child read EVERY night from their “just right” book baggie!!! You must check and sign your child’s log EVERY night!!!

Remember… To check our website for updates… http: //schools. cms. k 12. nc. us/mountainisland. E S/Pages/Read. To. Achieve. aspx

Remember…. To check the CMS website for more information about Read to Achieve… http: //www. cms. k 12. nc. us/parents/Pages/Read to. Achieve. aspx

Remember… We cannot do this without YOUR support. We need you…. It takes a village to educate a child!!!