DRA Test scores
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Anonymous
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Here's a thought....
Just email your child's teacher and ask if she will test the child with the DRA in the spring and then say that you'd like to keep working with "Mary" during the summer and you were wondering what suggestions she (the teacher) has for finding "just right" books. You don't need to change the system and in fact, you aren't going to change it. Just work with your teacher so that you can help your child better. |
Anonymous
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Originally I was responding to the PP who said that at their FCPS school, a DRA2 reading test was given in kindergarten in the spring verses the word analysis test. At my school I was told even if a child gets a perfect score in the fall, they will retake the same word analysis test in the spring. That is simply a stupid waste of money and time. My only response was that FCPS should make this DRA2 test available to all kindergarten students who are eligible just like they apparently do at some FCPS schools and as they do at neighboring county elementary schools.
Why does PP suspect no one can change kindergarten testing? I certainly hope larger changes than this take place each year within FCPS. This is the first year all kindergarteners are full day for one thing. I'm sure that will create a couple of changes. I personally have a good idea of where my child is at with reading, but don't really want to have to go to the new teacher the following year at the beginning of the year and ask them to put my child at a certain level even before they do the testing. I feel it is a bit impolite. FCPS tests about one month later than the neighboring jurisdictions as well, so you have to wait some time before the teacher tells you where she/he thinks your child is at with reading. If they are not ever changing things, they shouldn't waste money with tests for those children capable of reading well and should have the teacher fill out a different assessment instead. This would probably accomplish the same objective. |
Anonymous
Whoa... Backing up to:
You mean those little books that kids read during the DRA2 assessment? They're available to the public 
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Anonymous
| PP. The children in my child's class who are unprepared are more than just not reading in that they can't even sound out all the letters, can't write letters at all even in their name, don't know how to get along with children very well, etc. Many children start reading at age 4. My child turned 6 after the cutoff in kindergarten and so it is not that unusual for it to have been 2 years since beginning to sound out sounds in words to the start of kindergarten. At least a third to half of my child's class is reading, some of them well even though they just turned 5. Children who are reading I think should be assessed in the spring as at least early readers, not as children still learning their letter sounds. Some of the previous comments seem to point that kindergarteners are getting a DRA reading test at some point. Currently most are not being administered a reading test either in the fall or the spring. |
Anonymous
No. Scholastic has a DRA look up feature to help you find similar leveled books. Take a book your child is reading and look it up and you get a rough idea of where they are, but they always score lower than what they are reading for pleasure because the test is about more than just decoding the words. Nothing nepharious. |
Anonymous
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You can just google "guided reading level" and "NAME OF BOOK" (filling in the book you are considering. Then you will get various sites that have that book listed.
You can also look at this link for the conversiion from guided reading level to DRA level: http://www.bedford.k12.va.us/literacy/dra/dra_info1-07.htm Or this one: http://www.readinga-z.com/correlation-chart.php |
Anonymous
| 19:43 here. LOL! I spelled nefarious incorrectly. Long day!!!! |
Anonymous
Probably true. But technically and legally, nothing keeps this from happening. While DRA2's publisher probably has an ECONOMIC reason for keeping this stuff away from the public, if you were to look behind the curtains, you'll find that unlike the Virginia SOLs, DRA2's publisher is under no commitment with FCPS to keep the DRA stuff confidential. If that makes sense to anybody, or if y'all think this is a non-issue, I'm all ears. |
Anonymous
Sounds like you all have some gifted children. I hope you have a gifted program in your towns to keep up with all the reading they are doing. We do and my daughter's in it. She is soooo gifted. She can read college level material and she is in the 5th grade. Man it is so great to have a gifted child. 
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Anonymous
| My son is at level 16 in reading and scored 193 on his DRA2 WA at the end of K class. I was told by his teacher that he is reading at third grade level or higher. |
Anonymous
Level 16 is benchmark for first grade. |
Anonymous
| Agreed, level 16 is benchmark for the end of 1st grade. |
Anonymous
| Where do you see the level? My son also scored 193 (I think that was the max) but I see him as a pretty average reader. |
Anonymous
| 193 is the highest you can go on that test. I think the benchmark for kindergarten is 169. I forget the exact benchmark because my DC just finished first. DC got a 193 last year and is, so far, a fairly average reader (DRA 16 at the ned of first --although I think he actually reads a little better than that and that they probably just made sure he hit the benchmark rather than worrying about the exact number). I wouldn't get too hung up on it. I don;t think it's a very accurate test and it really is just a measure to see if your child is progressing. |
Anonymous
| Our son is in Kindergarten and scored a 183. I understand that is good but where can we read about the scoring? Thank you for any replies. |