FCPS-Are you kids taking two very long tests not part of the curriculum-math and language arts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I totally understand the need for instructional time. I wonder what the price comparison between the Universal screener and a sub day for every teacher to administer the DRA or even the would be. I personally get a lot of information when I test my kids myself. Nonverbal body language, fluency information, the wait time they need, confidence level and I just can't see this "screener" replicating any of that.

I estimate that last year I gave at least 120 individual DRA assessments (57 students x at least 2 each). I did get one sub day, which helped to make a small dent in the total assessing.

Anonymous wrote:Don't you get a lot of that information when you meet with the children in reading groups? I imagine you could probably gauge each student's DRA level accurately just from class.

Guided reading groups are helpful, but I can't administer the DRA and meet with groups. Groups stop when large numbers of DRAs have to be completed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I totally understand the need for instructional time. I wonder what the price comparison between the Universal screener and a sub day for every teacher to administer the DRA or even the would be. I personally get a lot of information when I test my kids myself. Nonverbal body language, fluency information, the wait time they need, confidence level and I just can't see this "screener" replicating any of that.

I estimate that last year I gave at least 120 individual DRA assessments (57 students x at least 2 each). I did get one sub day, which helped to make a small dent in the total assessing.

Anonymous wrote:Don't you get a lot of that information when you meet with the children in reading groups? I imagine you could probably gauge each student's DRA level accurately just from class.

Guided reading groups are helpful, but I can't administer the DRA and meet with groups. Groups stop when large numbers of DRAs have to be completed.

I think the poster was just asking if you could make the same observations you were concerned about missing from an assessment during a reading group. Not administer a DRA.

[Anonymous]

It shouldn't be part of the student's grade because the teacher hasn't taught them anything yet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ever feel like our kids are just lab rats? Universal screened (iReady), eCART, SOL, DRA, ... when do teachers get to teach and extend learning units? If a particular class is excited about frogs, it would be great if a teacher could capitalize on that and create extensions that engage the students further in multiple disciplines (e.g., math, reading, science, etc.). Instead, they're always having to stick to a pre-programmed regimine lest the testing schedule for some big data educational entity be thrown off. Or at least, it feels that way. I like analyzing data, and I understand benchmarks provide useful info, but there seems to be so much in addition to classroom tests, that the testing seems excessive.

This is why people send their kids to private school.

[Anonymous]

Do kids in private school have to take SOLs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ever feel like our kids are just lab rats? Universal screened (iReady), eCART, SOL, DRA, ... when do teachers get to teach and extend learning units? If a particular class is excited about frogs, it would be great if a teacher could capitalize on that and create extensions that engage the students further in multiple disciplines (e.g., math, reading, science, etc.). Instead, they're always having to stick to a pre-programmed regimine lest the testing schedule for some big data educational entity be thrown off. Or at least, it feels that way. I like analyzing data, and I understand benchmarks provide useful info, but there seems to be so much in addition to classroom tests, that the testing seems excessive.

This is why people send their kids to private school.

Whatever. My friends who have kids in private have homework every night and several tests every week. Some private schools have no tests, but a lot of them do. FCPS is far from being standardized.

Sounds like some of these tests are just being replaced by I-ready. Are ecart quarterly tests still being taken or just the I-ready tests?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ever feel like our kids are just lab rats? Universal screened (iReady), eCART, SOL, DRA, ... when do teachers get to teach and extend learning units? If a particular class is excited about frogs, it would be great if a teacher could capitalize on that and create extensions that engage the students further in multiple disciplines (e.g., math, reading, science, etc.). Instead, they're always having to stick to a pre-programmed regimine lest the testing schedule for some big data educational entity be thrown off. Or at least, it feels that way. I like analyzing data, and I understand benchmarks provide useful info, but there seems to be so much in addition to classroom tests, that the testing seems excessive.

This is why people send their kids to private school.

Whatever. My friends who have kids in private have homework every night and several tests every week. Some private schools have no tests, but a lot of them do. FCPS is far from being standardized.

Sounds like some of these tests are just being replaced by I-ready. Are ecart quarterly tests still being taken or just the I-ready tests?

FCPS requires one eCart test. It has been that way for years. I don't know if it has been dropped for this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ever feel like our kids are just lab rats? Universal screened (iReady), eCART, SOL, DRA, ... when do teachers get to teach and extend learning units? If a particular class is excited about frogs, it would be great if a teacher could capitalize on that and create extensions that engage the students further in multiple disciplines (e.g., math, reading, science, etc.). Instead, they're always having to stick to a pre-programmed regimine lest the testing schedule for some big data educational entity be thrown off. Or at least, it feels that way. I like analyzing data, and I understand benchmarks provide useful info, but there seems to be so much in addition to classroom tests, that the testing seems excessive.

This is why people send their kids to private school.

Whatever. My friends who have kids in private have homework every night and several tests every week. Some private schools have no tests, but a lot of them do. FCPS is far from being standardized.

Sounds like some of these tests are just being replaced by I-ready. Are ecart quarterly tests still being taken or just the I-ready tests?

I teach third grade. This year the students will take IReady (fall, winter, spring), possibly one eCart (I have to check) and the spring SOL tests. Depending on IReady results a will be given the DRA. I don't think that's terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do kids in private school have to take SOLs?

No.

[Anonymous]

IReady takes a very long time. My students are quickly wearing out and just click any answer to get to the games that are embedded. Then I have to give a DRA to kids who don't do well. I haven't learned anything helpful from the scores. By the time they get to the part with the reading stories, after all the phonics and other isolated skills they are toast. They are told to just guess if they don't know an answer, so they are. A waste of instructional time like you wouldn't believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IReady takes a very long time. My students are quickly wearing out and just click any answer to get to the games that are embedded. Then I have to give a DRA to kids who don't do well. I haven't learned anything helpful from the scores. By the time they get to the part with the reading stories, after all the phonics and other isolated skills they are toast. They are told to just guess if they don't know an answer, so they are. A waste of instructional time like you wouldn't believe.

So stop and finish it later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IReady takes a very long time. My students are quickly wearing out and just click any answer to get to the games that are embedded. Then I have to give a DRA to kids who don't do well. I haven't learned anything helpful from the scores. By the time they get to the part with the reading stories, after all the phonics and other isolated skills they are toast. They are told to just guess if they don't know an answer, so they are. A waste of instructional time like you wouldn't believe.

So stop and finish it later.

There's no time. When you have 25 students to test and a limited window, you are either completely giving up on instruction for weeks or just doing what the PP above said and telling them to guess and giving them the DRA.

I hate the iready test. It's not developmentally appropriate, it's too long, and it's not giving meaningful data.

[Anonymous]

There's no time. When you have 25 students to test and a limited window, you are either completely giving up on instruction for weeks or just doing what the PP above said and telling them to guess and giving them the DRA.

I hate the iready test. It's not developmentally appropriate, it's too long, and it's not giving meaningful data


Definitely this- I truly think someone who bought the test for FCPS or was involved in the decision making process posts here because it is so clearly the wrong way to go. I am wondering what the correlation between DRA level and iready test score is. Teachers still have book baskets in DRA form- are they being told to switch to lexile level that the DRA test supposedly gives or is there a conversion chart? If there is a conversion chart, it is not on the iready website and is it made public for parents??

[Anonymous]

Correction- Teachers still have book baskets in DRA form- are they being told to switch to lexile level that the IREADY (not DRA) test supposedly gives or is there a conversion chart

[Anonymous]

Can someone state the difference between MAP tests and IReady tests?

I thought FCPS did MAP testing in the past.