READING IN GRADE 3 The following presentation was created in an effort to help parents understand the expectations and assessments for students in grade 3.

READING IN GRADE 3: A PARENT’S GUIDE TO “READ TO ACHIEVE” Created by Sara Ross, School Counselor Bath Elementary School

WHAT IS READ TO ACHIEVE? “Read to Achieve” is a North Carolina legislative act that states:  All students must be proficient readers by the end of third grade. In other words, your child must read on a third grade level by the end of this school year in order to be promoted to the fourth grade.  Students who are not proficient readers by the end of third grade must be given extra support.

WHY DOES READING PROFICIENCY MATTER?

READING DRIVES ALL INSTRUCTION! If a student has difficulty in the subject of reading, he/she will have trouble reading and understanding information in Science, Social Studies, and Math books and handouts. It will also be hard for him/her to read and understand instructions and directions for classwork and tests.

HOW WILL PROFICIENCY BE DETERMINED?

3 RD GRADE READING PROFICIENCY WILL BE DETERMINED BY  3 rd grade BOG  mClass Assessments  RtA Portfolio Passages  3 rd grade EOG  RtA Alternate Assessment  3 rd grade EOG Retest (if needed)

BEGINNING-OF-GRADE TEST (BOG)

1. BEGINNING OF GRADE (BOG) TEST During the 2 nd week of school, all 3 rd grade students took a state assessment called the BOG (Beginning of Grade) that measured student’s reading level.  3 rd grade is the only grade that takes a BOG.  Test data is used as a baseline  No standardized test data from other years, since EOGs begin in the 3 rd grade  BOG results provide a student level, ranging from 1 to 5  Levels 3, 4, and 5 are considered “Proficient”  Levels 4 and 5 reflect “College and Career Readiness” – which shows that a student is on track to enter into the Job Market or Higher Education after High School

MCLASS/DIBELS ASSESSMENTS

Students begin taking mClass assessments in Kindergarten, and continue to take them through grade 3. The Text Reading Comprehension (TRC) provides a grade equivalent of each student’s reading level. The TRC assessment is administered in a one-on-one setting and requires students to read books of different levels and answer questions in an oral and written manner.

MCLASS/DIBELS ASSESSMENTS (CONT) The TRC levels are conveyed using letters of the alphabet. The closer to the end of the alphabet, the higher the reading level. TRC Proficiency Levels:  By the end of Kindergarten: D  By the end of 1 st grade: J  By the end of 2 nd grade: M  At the beginning of 3 rd grade: M  At the middle of 3 rd grade (assessed in January): N  At the end of 3 rd grade (assessed in May): P

RTA PORTFOLIO PASSAGES

 Beginning in late October/early November, 3 rd grade students will be given reading passage assessments at least twice a week  Passages are 1-3 pages, followed by 5 multiple choice questions  The questions at the end of a passage will assess students’ understanding of 1 of 12 reading skills for 3 rd grade  To demonstrate proficiency, a student must score an average of 70% for each skill. The 70% average is calculated using the top three passages  There are 10 different passages for each of the 12 skills

RTA PORTFOLIO PASSAGES (CONT) How the Portfolio Passages work: 1.Third grade teachers will teach a skill 2.Students may take an instructional passage (i.e., practice) for that skill 3.The teacher will review and explain the instructional passage with the class, and go over the questions and correct answers 4.Over the following weeks, students will take three passages for that particular standard/skill

RTA PORTFOLIO PASSAGES (CONT) 5.If a student scores an average of 70% on the three passages, they are proficient on that skill. If not, the teacher will work with the student to reteach the skill, and other passages will be administered. Because there are a total of 10 passages per skill, if a student does not score an average of 70% on the first three, they will have 7 additional opportunities to show proficiency. 6.The teacher will teach the next skill, and steps 1-5 will be repeated *Students will need to demonstrate proficiency (averages of at least 70%) for all 12 skills.

RTA PORTFOLIO PASSAGES (CONT) Read to Achieve Passages must remain at school, so you will not see these assessments in weekly folders. Each 3 rd grade student will have a portfolio folder where graded passages will be stored. A score spreadsheet will also be maintained for each student. You are welcome to check your child’s progress throughout the year, and review their work on the passages. To do so, please schedule a conference with Sara Ross (School Counselor).

OTHER ASSESSMENTS

OTHER ASSESSMENTS USED TO DETERMINE PROFICIENCY  3 rd grade Reading EOG  Read to Achieve Alternate Assessment: A reading test created by the Department of Public Instruction  3 rd grade EOG Retest: If students have not showed proficiency on any other assessments and did not pass the 3 rd grade Reading EOG, they will have the opportunity to retake another form of the 3 rd grade Reading EOG at the end of the year

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Read to Achieve

WHAT IF MY CHILD DOESN’T DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY ON ANY ASSESSMENTS? If a student does not pass any of the assessments, he/she will be invited to attend Reading Camp during the summer to help acquire the skills needed to be proficient. Reading Camp:  Includes 72 hours of small-group reading instruction  Over at least 3 weeks of the summer  Offered at NO cost to parents  Transportation is provided  At the end of Reading Camp, students are given another opportunity to show proficiency through the RtA reading test

WHAT IF I DON’T WANT MY CHILD TO ATTEND READING CAMP?  The benefit of Reading Camp is that it provides additional, small-group instruction to help your child with the reading skills not mastered during the school year. It is in the best interest of the student to attend.  Reading Camp attendance is determined by parents  Parents can choose for students to attend private tutoring programs (at their own expense)  If a student does not participate in the Reading Camp, they may contact the BCS Central Services and find out the testing date. Parents may bring their student to the Reading Camp location for testing on the appropriate day.

WHAT IF A STUDENT DOESN’T SHOW PROFICIENCY AFTER READING CAMP? If a student does not show proficiency after reading camp, that student will receive a “retained reading” label on his/her record. The student will be placed in a fourth grade classroom, where he/she will receive intensive reading interventions and transitional third and fourth grade reading instruction. One-on- one and small group instruction will be implemented. A reading assessment will be administered in November. If the student shows proficiency, there will be a mid-year promotion and the “retained reading” label will be removed from his/her record.

ARE THERE ANY EXEMPTIONS? Yes. Students may be exempt from mandatory retention in third grade, but eligible for reading camp and extra services if one of the following applies:  Student is Limited English Proficient (LEP) with less than 2 years of instruction in an ESL program  Student has disabilities and an IEP which indicates  The use of Extend1 assessment  At least a 2 school-year delay in performance  Receipt of intensive reading interventions for at least 2 school years  Students who have received reading intervention and previously been retained more than once in K-3 grades

HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD Strategies to Improve Reading

READ!!!! Read with your child. Practice makes perfect and the only way to get better at reading is to read. Help your child find a book that interests him/her, and listen to him/her read daily.

REVIEW READING ASSIGNMENTS Throughout the week, 3 rd grade students work on Practice Book pages that teach various reading skills. These pages are graded and sent home each week in the work folders. Help your child review their Practice Book pages to reinforce the skills. If they got any of the answers incorrect, work with your child to correct them.

TAKE-HOME BOOKS Each night, 3 rd grade students are assigned leveled-reading books to take home. Students may have the same book multiple nights. We want 3 rd graders to read the same book for multiple nights. This will help them to master the vocabulary and read the book smoothly and fluently. Please listen to your child read this book each night, and ask him/her questions as your child reads.

ANY QUESTIONS?

QUESTIONS ABOUT READ TO ACHIEVE? We realize this is a LOT of new information! If you have questions or need help at any time, please contact your child’s 3 rd grade teacher or Miss Ross, School Counselor at