iReady Reading and Math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS schools in ES seem to push iReady a lot. Is it decent or just crap? What's the consensus out there?

It is a decent program that does help students. It is not crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Online learning in general is not a substitute for teacher-led instruction. iReady is one of the company’s that’s really figured out how to market itself. Does it actually help though? No, not really.

I respectfully disagree. It is in addition to the teacher. You make it sound as the student does not get instruction and they just sit in front of the computer. It does help for all students: fill in the holes, review or introduce new content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is the reason schools are pushing iready. Teachers TAS goals (15% of impact score) is tied to getting 80% of their class to meet their stretch goals. It’s mandated by the district and has forced teachers to really push iready so they have a chance of achieving this.

So the 80% is incorrect. It should NOT be the sole criteria of getting a 4 on TAS. Some schools can reach higher than 55% but they are deemed "i-Ready Super Stretch Schools". 55% is nowhere near 80%.

Hi Upper NW school elementary teacher here. Our TAS is 80% reach stretch goals. Glad your school has more manageable expectations

[Anonymous]

One thing I have noticed over the years: teachers give the kids more time to finish the EOY than the BOY diagnostic. My child always does the math one slowly and takes multiple days but scores 98-99%. She goes slow because she had one diagnostic years ago where she finished quickly and did badly. The teachers are totally fine with her speed at the end of the year, I assume because they know it will lead to a higher score. Beginning of year, she gets a lot of pressure to pick up the pace. Doesn’t really bother me that much but I have noticed a pattern. I suspected it was because teachers were evaluated on growth but now I guess that’s the answer!

[Anonymous]

Wild that no one is questioning whether there are any downsides to placing such an emphasis on screen-based learning.

I'm fine with the diagnostics, they are useful as benchmarks. We also moved mid-elementary and switched DCPS schools, and it was very helpful to be using the same diagnostic program between schools.

I'm okay with teachers using i-Ready in classrooms to facilitate small group work or to give kids who are working ahead something that is an appropriate challenge. It's not ideal but I understand the limitations on teacher time and resources. My kid doesn't seem to mind it either.

Assigning i-Ready lessons for homework, except in cases where kids are below grade level and need additional reinforcement of skills beyond homework, is ridiculous. Screen-based homework is a hard no for me, unless it involves supervised use of resources and critical thinking (like doing research for projects) or is teaching a specific technology skill (like typing). These kids spend too much time on screen in general, and now schools want me to carve out addition time for i-Ready lessons? No. When my kid has time outside of school after regular written homework or reading, she will spend it outside, being social, being active, listening to music, with family, etc. I also don't let her play games or watch videos on a tablet for non-school reasons. She gets some TV time to watch shows or movies, but we discourage time on personal devices at this age, which we feel kills critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to work through boredom and do deep work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is the reason schools are pushing iready. Teachers TAS goals (15% of impact score) is tied to getting 80% of their class to meet their stretch goals. It’s mandated by the district and has forced teachers to really push iready so they have a chance of achieving this.

So the 80% is incorrect. It should NOT be the sole criteria of getting a 4 on TAS. Some schools can reach higher than 55% but they are deemed "i-Ready Super Stretch Schools". 55% is nowhere near 80%.

Hi Upper NW school elementary teacher here. Our TAS is 80% reach stretch goals. Glad your school has more manageable expectations

The printed guidance for elementary math is to take what percentage of your kids met the stretch goal last year and add 10% to get a 4, 5% a 3, and 0% for a 2. Whether every principal requires that is a different story. This is also not 100% of my TAS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is the reason schools are pushing iready. Teachers TAS goals (15% of impact score) is tied to getting 80% of their class to meet their stretch goals. It’s mandated by the district and has forced teachers to really push iready so they have a chance of achieving this.

So the 80% is incorrect. It should NOT be the sole criteria of getting a 4 on TAS. Some schools can reach higher than 55% but they are deemed "i-Ready Super Stretch Schools". 55% is nowhere near 80%.

Hi Upper NW school elementary teacher here. Our TAS is 80% reach stretch goals. Glad your school has more manageable expectations

Is it 100% of your TAS goal?

[Anonymous]

My TAS goal(s) are made up of 4 parts--3 related to DIBELS and one for iReady.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is the reason schools are pushing iready. Teachers TAS goals (15% of impact score) is tied to getting 80% of their class to meet their stretch goals. It’s mandated by the district and has forced teachers to really push iready so they have a chance of achieving this.

So the 80% is incorrect. It should NOT be the sole criteria of getting a 4 on TAS. Some schools can reach higher than 55% but they are deemed "i-Ready Super Stretch Schools". 55% is nowhere near 80%.

Hi Upper NW school elementary teacher here. Our TAS is 80% reach stretch goals. Glad your school has more manageable expectations

Is it 100% of your TAS goal?

Yes. My school is departmentalized. I only teach math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is the reason schools are pushing iready. Teachers TAS goals (15% of impact score) is tied to getting 80% of their class to meet their stretch goals. It’s mandated by the district and has forced teachers to really push iready so they have a chance of achieving this.

So the 80% is incorrect. It should NOT be the sole criteria of getting a 4 on TAS. Some schools can reach higher than 55% but they are deemed "i-Ready Super Stretch Schools". 55% is nowhere near 80%.

Hi Upper NW school elementary teacher here. Our TAS is 80% reach stretch goals. Glad your school has more manageable expectations

Is it 100% of your TAS goal?

Yes. My school is departmentalized. I only teach math.

Wow. I feel like that is an unattainable goal. Stretch goal usually equates to 1.5 years of learning. I know it is difficult even to get half of your class to reach the stretch goal, but 80%? Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wild that no one is questioning whether there are any downsides to placing such an emphasis on screen-based learning.

I'm fine with the diagnostics, they are useful as benchmarks. We also moved mid-elementary and switched DCPS schools, and it was very helpful to be using the same diagnostic program between schools.

I'm okay with teachers using i-Ready in classrooms to facilitate small group work or to give kids who are working ahead something that is an appropriate challenge. It's not ideal but I understand the limitations on teacher time and resources. My kid doesn't seem to mind it either.

Assigning i-Ready lessons for homework, except in cases where kids are below grade level and need additional reinforcement of skills beyond homework, is ridiculous. Screen-based homework is a hard no for me, unless it involves supervised use of resources and critical thinking (like doing research for projects) or is teaching a specific technology skill (like typing). These kids spend too much time on screen in general, and now schools want me to carve out addition time for i-Ready lessons? No. When my kid has time outside of school after regular written homework or reading, she will spend it outside, being social, being active, listening to music, with family, etc. I also don't let her play games or watch videos on a tablet for non-school reasons. She gets some TV time to watch shows or movies, but we discourage time on personal devices at this age, which we feel kills critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to work through boredom and do deep work.

DCPS teachers here. I completely agree with you. I never assign IReady for homework and I don't do screen-based homework with my own children.