Topic

Action/Discussion

Introductions

Purpose of the Committee

Why

Outcome

The purpose of this committee was to review the DRP and provide an analysis that will go into the development of a budget proposal from the Curriculum Department to support assessment.

Brian Rick outlined the problem with continuing to use the DRP and the forms that are now out of print and that there is a new revised DRP.

Review the district assessment structure and where the DRP fits into the structure

The group reviewed the assessment sections in the Literacy Guides to understand the District Assessment Structure and further clarify the purpose that the DRP serves. Brian and Wendy shared the background and process in the selection of the DRP. It was clear that in the first professional development on the DRP that teachers thought that the DRP would provide more specific student assessment data and inform their instruction. However, over time the DRP became a district program assessment tool and helped the district and schools to evaluate program effectiveness.

Analysis of the strengths and limitations of the DRP using the criteria

STRENGTHS

•  Normed Test that allows for comparisons

•  Standardized, Reliable, and Valid

•  Correlation to the WASL

•  Allows for rank ordering of students

•  Can be given in a short time to a large group

•  Linked to grade level standards

•  Can be given as a pre and post test

•  Triggers further assessment

•  Suggests “just right” texts for student independent reading

LIMITATIONS

•  Older students read the same test three times and give up

Use the parallel forms for the grade levels. Give the test once a year??

•  Length of the test for the students not at standard

Check breaks given, long work periods may not be in the best interest and increase student scores. The test is developed to become more complex and so if a student takes a break, they will start in at a harder level.

•  Doesn't fully inform instruction

Teachers can take notes on how the student approaches the test, level of persistency. This may be an indicator of how they approach the WASL.

•  Book link software data is costly, hard to keep updated and may not be reliable set of titles for a specific student

Check new edition for updated booklinks

QUESTIONS/NEXT STEPS

•  We need to clarify the purpose of the DRP and what it measures as well as the tools that do support informing classroom instruction.

•  Would the off year WASL eventually replace the DRP?

•  Could a collective report of the DRP scores go to the feeder schools?

•  Teachers need language to talk about the DRP to parents explaining how it is different than the DRA, why students might score lower on this test, and a sample or model of how scores improve over the year of instruction in non fiction text.

•  Will we continue to have questions about the DRP as long as we report it on the report card if it a program assessment?

Role of the Oral Reading Fluency Assessment at the Middle School

Gigi, Susan, and Carolyn shared the purpose and strengths of giving the Oral Reading Fluency Assessment. The group discussed if there would be any value in giving this assessment at the Intermediate level? The group wanted to bring this topic to the upcoming Elementary Literacy Committee meeting March 18 th . The MS representatives felt that the fluency data coming from the elementary would be very valuable.

Next Steps

Our analysis will be discussed with the Elementary and MS Literacy Committees as well as used by Sherrie in development of her budget proposal for assessment.