DRA Scores for 2nd grade

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know what the DRA score benchmark is? DS received a 24 (beginning of 2nd grade) and just wondering what our goal should be fore the end of the year?

[Anonymous]

To be considered as reading at grade level, 2nd graders need to be at a 28 or higher by the end of 2nd grade. Keep in mind that this is a benchmark for all 2nd graders- so the vast majority would be reading far above that level. "Grade level" is set at the 25th or 16th percentile, depending on the test.

[Anonymous]

24 at the beginning of 2nd grade is good.... better than most in my experience. Should be a pretty solidly independent reader at a 24. I don't think of DRAs as "goals." Most likely he will be around 30 or a little higher. The end-of-year benchmarks become narrower as the grades get higher. So 28 at the end of 2nd, 38 at the end of 3rd. 48-50 at the end of 4th. So, you won't see huge increases in DRA as they become better readers.

[Anonymous]

Yep. 24 at this point us fine.

Fourth grade benchmark is 40. There is no 48. 50 is benchmark for the end of fifth. Level 50 for a fourth grader would be above grade level.

[Anonymous]

24 is fine at the beginning of school year. The bench mark at end of 2nd grade is closer to 40 at our elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:24 is fine at the beginning of school year. The bench mark at end of 2nd grade is closer to 40 at our elementary school.

Where is your child in school? Lake Wobegon? In our FCPS, benchmark was 28 at the end of second grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:24 is fine at the beginning of school year. The bench mark at end of 2nd grade is closer to 40 at our elementary school.

Where is your child in school? Lake Wobegon? In our FCPS, benchmark was 28 at the end of second grade.

Well, technically 28 IS closer to 40 than 24 is!

[Anonymous]

28 is second grade benchmark at every FCPS. 40 is benchmark for fourth at every FCPS .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be considered as reading at grade level, 2nd graders need to be at a 28 or higher by the end of 2nd grade. Keep in mind that this is a benchmark for all 2nd graders- so the vast majority would be reading far above that level. "Grade level" is set at the 25th or 16th percentile, depending on the test.

This isn't true. The majority of students would be clustered around or slightly above the benchmark.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be considered as reading at grade level, 2nd graders need to be at a 28 or higher by the end of 2nd grade. Keep in mind that this is a benchmark for all 2nd graders- so the vast majority would be reading far above that level. "Grade level" is set at the 25th or 16th percentile, depending on the test.

This isn't true. The majority of students would be clustered around or slightly above the benchmark.

You are incorrect. You are talking about "Average" reading levels. Benchmark reading levels are where they want ALL students to be at or above. Those are set at the 25th or 16th percentiles depending on what is being tested. The schools get dinged by the number of students that fall below grade level not for students that fall below grade average.

[Anonymous]

The FCPS schools my kids have been at don't even test above a certain level. They figure, why bother.

[Anonymous]

What I think 19:49 is trying to say is that the majority of kids test around that level at her child's school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS schools my kids have been at don't even test above a certain level. They figure, why bother.

It also takes quite a bit of more time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be considered as reading at grade level, 2nd graders need to be at a 28 or higher by the end of 2nd grade. Keep in mind that this is a benchmark for all 2nd graders- so the vast majority would be reading far above that level. "Grade level" is set at the 25th or 16th percentile, depending on the test.

This isn't true. The majority of students would be clustered around or slightly above the benchmark.

You are incorrect. You are talking about "Average" reading levels. Benchmark reading levels are where they want ALL students to be at or above. Those are set at the 25th or 16th percentiles depending on what is being tested. The schools get dinged by the number of students that fall below grade level not for students that fall below grade average.

I think you're a little unclear on the concept of a normal distribution.

If you lined up 100 2nd graders by height there would be a huge cluster in the middle where you'd need to stand kids back to back and do a lot of measuring, because without that they all look about the same. The kid at the 75th %ile, will end up only an inch or two above the kid at the 25th, while the kid at the 25th might be a good 5 inches taller than the very shortest.

Reading levels are the same way. the "majority of students" are going to be very near the 25th %ile in terms of level. If you've got a goal of a DRA 28, and things are going as anticipated you'll probably have

20% of kids spread out between a DRA 1 and a DRA 24, with more kids as you get closer to the grade level.

A large number of kids right at 28

A similarly large number of kids at 30, and somewhat less at 34, although still a relatively high number.

About 20% of kids spread out from 38 (a year ahead) and above, again with more kids closer to 38 and number gradually diminishing as they get higher.

About 75% (the substantial majority) are going to be clustered between a DRA 24 and a 34, or "right around or slightly above benchmark".

Kids are clustered at (25th %ile) or slightly above the benchmark, they're clustered at the median, which is often about one level above the benchmark.

[Anonymous]

Is this beginning or end of year? Why does our FCPS school only test up to level 16 in 1st and 28 in 2nd at the beginning of the year if this is the case?