1. Star 360: Reading & Math Assessments
IVE LRC
Monthly Newsletter
September 2017
LRC Teaching Staff
Star 360: Reading & Math Assessments
Certified Teachers
Maria Borden
Mrs. Borden: 2nd year at IVE
Nora Armstrong
Mrs. Armstrong: 1st year at IVE
Paraprofessionals
Ann Armstrong
Mrs. Armstrong: 32nd year at IVE Teaches Math groups
Don Cho
Mrs. Cho: 2nd year at IVE
Teaches math groups
Laurie Giehl-Forman
Ms. Laurie: 1st year at IVE
Teaches Reading & Writing
Sherry Wiens
Ms. Sherry: 2nd year at IVE
Teaches reading & math
Kin Vong Ms. Kin: 2nd year at IVE
Teaches reading & supports students’ behavioral growth
Unique Needs Specialists
Celeste Palmby
Ms. Celeste: 2nd year at IVE
Supports student’s behavioral growth & teaches reading
Natacia Vanison
Ms. Natacia: 1st year at IVE
Supports students’ behavior growth.
Special Services adopted STAR 360 in Fall The school year was a trial run. This year we are using Star 360 to support LRC’s teaching and we are sharing the data with parents and classroom teachers.
Q: What are STAR 360 Assessments?
A: STAR 360 Assessments are short tests that provide teachers with learning data. Star tests are computer adaptive, which means they adjust to each answer your child provides. This helps teachers get the best data to help your child in the shortest amount of testing time (about one-third of the time other tests take).
Your child may take a STAR 360 test for early literacy, math, reading, or other subjects of their teacher’s choice.
Q: What do teachers do with STAR 360 Assessments?
A: Teachers analyze the data they get from STAR 360 Assessments to learn what students already know and what they are ready to learn, to monitor student growth, and to determine which students may need additional help. STAR 350 Assessments are heavily researched and scientifically proven to help teachers guide each student on his or her unique path to mastery.
Q: What do STAR 360 Assessments do for my child?
A: By pinpointing exactly what your child knows, teachers can personalize your child’s practice to keep them growing. Plus, short test times ensure your child spends more time learning and less time testing.
Q: Where do I go if I have questions?
A: Your child’s teacher is the best source of additional information about your child’s progress with Star Assessments
Look for your child’s assessment results to go home in the next week.
Maria Borden (M-F) Nora Armstrong (T-Th)

2. How Do We Group Students? Information for Parents
Homework
How Do We Group Students?
Studies in child development show that the most successful interventions are short, intense, and purposeful. For that reason, there is not a significant coloration between student growth and homework. Similarly, several grade level teams at IVE have made the choice to not send home homework.
In LRC, we expect students with Reading goals to complete the home-reader assignments given in the general education classroom.
Students with Math goals in grades K-2 do not receive homework from LRC.
Students with math goals
in grades 3-5 are expected
to complete the LRC
Math homework and
attempt the gen-ed
homework.
Group Size
Studies show that the ideal size for individualized instruction is 3-6 students. All groups are capped at 6 students.
Math & Reading
Students are ability grouped. This means there may be multi-age groups.
Writing
Grouped by grade to allow better correlation with skills being learned in the general education classroom.
Social/Emotional & Behavior: Social Skills
Students are purposely grouped in multi-age similar skill deficit groups.
Timing
We work extremely hard with classroom teachers to have students attend the mini-lesson in their gen-ed classroom and then receive support in the resource room. We will never pull students
from science or social studies. In the event that there is
a special event (e.g. class party), your child will attend
the special event in their classroom.
Information for Parents
WA State Resources:
ISD Special Education Process Info:
ISD IEP Information:
Issaquah Special Needs Group: 
Bullying - Resources and Reporting:
How Do I Help My Child With
Understanding Standardized Test Scores:
Looking Ahead
Academic Progress Monitoring: Completed every Friday for all academic areas.
Social/Emotional & Behavior: Data gathered through direct observation, general education teacher completed survey & point sheet.
10/11: Fire Drill 9:30am
10/23: No School- Teacher Work
Day
11/10: No School- Veteran’s Day
11/15-11/130: STAR 360 Administration Window #2
Starting in October, the newsletter will be ed and on Class Website.

3. What We Are Learning Math Writing Social Skills Reading
Emergent Math: Students are learning to use number bonds to show parts of a whole. We are also writing addition “number sentences” and “expressions.”
Grade 2: Adding and subtracting within 100 using the strategies of counting-on, 100’s chart, tens and ones.
Grade 3&4: Adding and subtracting within 500 using regrouping. Using the strategies of the standard algorithm (e.g. borrowing & carrying) and tens and ones.
Grade 5: Review of the RDW (Read Draw Write) strategy to solve word problems. Emphasis on using tape diagrams to draw what the problem is asking. Moving into converting between decimals and fractions AND writing both decimals and fractions in expanded notation e.g. 23.4= (20x2)+ (3x1)+ (.1x4)
More information on Eureka Math Strategies can be found at
Writing
Students who receive pull-out support are grouped by their grade level. They receive remedial support on strategies that support the genre of writing being taught in their general education class.
Grade 2: Personal Narrative
Grade 3:
Grade 4: Opinion Writing
Grade 5: Personal Narrative
Students who receive push-in support receive instruction from their general education teacher. They receive additional support from special education staff with deciding topics, expanding ideas, staying on task, and during editing with conventions and spelling support.
Social Skills
Students who qualify in social/emotional or behavior are served in a class that I call “Social Skills.” Social Skills class content varies depending upon the needs of the students; however, all groups focus on one or more of the following categories: anger management, executive function deficits, impulse control, expected school behaviors, friendship skills.
All groups have been building a base of brain knowledge that will support this year’s learning.
1. Parts of the Brain: We have been focusing on the amygdala (“Security Guard” which activates the body’s fight, flight, or freeze mechanism), hippocampus (“Memory Keeper” helps us know what will happen and thing about consequences), and the prefrontal cortex (“Wise Leader” which helps us make safe and expected choices).
We have supplemented last year’s learning with additional information using videos.
2. Everybody’s Brain is Different & You are Normal:
In our learning we have touched on what ADHD and Autism are and how they affect people with ADD/HD and Autism.
Kinder: Support is being offered through push-in during play center time
Grades 1-3: M,W,Th Lesson. T: Yoga/Mindfulness
F: Team Task
Grades 4-5: M,T,Th: Lesson F: Team Task
Lunch Bunch: Wed led by Mrs. Borden & Ms. Terry (SLP)
Reading
Emergent Reading: ReadWell Kinder Curriculum with supplements. Working on letter names and sounds.
Grade 2: Students were given a placement assessment to put them in the appropriate lesson in the Read Well 1 curriculum. Students are focusing on reading sounds in isolation, reading words in isolation, reading passages, and answering comprehension questions.
Grade 3: Students were given a placement assessment to place in the appropriate level curriculum. Students placed into the end of Read Well 1. They will finish the Read Well 1 curriculum and move into the Read Well 2 curriculum which places additional focus on reading fluency.
Grade 4 & 5: Students with decoding needs are working our of the Language! Curriculum. Students with fluency and comprehension needs are working out of the Read Well 3 curriculum which places extra emphasis on reading non-fiction passages.
Questions/Concerns:
Don’t hesitate to contact us.