Nash Rocky Mount Public Schools Questions from the Read to Achieve Parent Information Sessions December 2012

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1 1. Will there be a limited number of slots available for the Summer Reading Camp or will it be open to all students not meeting the third grade requirements? Unlike last year s summer camp, the number of available slots will not be limited. Space will be available for every student not yet proficient on 3 rd grade standards as outlined by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. To minimize the number of students required to attend summer camp, all Nash Rocky Mount Public School third graders will complete a Reading Portfolio. Successful completion of three passages for each of the 12 standards constitutes grade level proficiency on the portfolio. If students demonstrate proficiency on the portfolio, they do not have to take any additional assessments. All students are required to take the READY EOG. 2. What is the difference between the Ready Reading EOG and the Read to Achieve test? The READY Reading EOG is similar to previous EOG tests. While it is required to be taken by all third grade students, the Read to Achieve test is an alternative assessment for students that do not demonstrate proficiency on the READY Reading EOG. The two tests are also different in structure. Whereas questions for the Reading Ready EOG are presented at the end of a passage, questions for the Read to Achieve Alternate Assessment are embedded within the text of the test. 3. Are the Ready Reading EOG and Read to Achieve tests paper and pencil or electronic? Both the READY Reading EOG and the Read to Achieve Alternate Assessment are paper and pencil. 4. Are the reading portfolio passages available online? The reading portfolio passages are not online. The passages are treated like any other secure tests. Therefore, the passages are not available for public viewing. 5. Will parents/guardians be provided with periodic updates regarding how their students are progressing on the Reading Portfolio? Beginning January 6th, all third grade parents will be notified of their child s progress of meeting the requirement to pass three (3) passages for each of twelve (12) standards to demonstrate proficiency in meeting the reading portfolio requirement. Student progress will be reported in the comments section of the report card.

2 6. How readily available during the school day are resources and interventions for struggling students throughout the portfolio process? Every Nash-Rocky Mount Public School has a designated Intervention/Enrichment time daily. During this time, teachers target the specific needs of each student. Any additional support students receive will be communicated to the parent/guardian by the teacher. In addition, all students who have been identified as at-risk in reading will have a Personalized Education Plan (PEP). 7. Will there be a summer program provided for rising 3 rd graders? At this time, we have not been provided with information from the state regarding how much will be allotted for the summer camp. Until that information is provided, we are not certain whether or not there will be funding to support a summer program for rising 3 rd graders. However, the state mandates the Summer Reading Program for all third grade students who have not demonstrated proficiency. 8. Typically, there are resources and sample tests for other EOG tests. Are there sample tests for Ready Reading EOG? The READY Reading EOG is a new assessment; therefore, sample items are limited. Parents may find a link to a released test on the Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools website If parents have additional questions, where can they get the answers? If you have additional questions after attending a Read to Achieve information session, you may contact the building administrator at your child s school. 10. Understanding that this is a new initiative for students and teachers, what is the state s expectation for student proficiency? One of the goals of the Read to Achieve initiative is to have every student reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade. Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools teachers will make every effort to ensure we achieve this goal. 11. What does it mean when referring to students who get special services receiving one year of growth?

3 Students who receive special services along with the regular curriculum are expected to achieve a year s worth of growth. As they move through the year receiving appropriate instruction, they are expected to move toward proficiency of grade level standards. 12. Will EC students who are in third grade, but performing below grade level be expected to take the Read to Achieve test if they are not proficient on the Ready Reading EOG? Yes. Only students designated to take the Extend I alternative assessment as indicated in their IEP are exempt from taking the Read to Achieve test if they are not successful on the READY Reading EOG or Reading Portfolio. Teachers are constantly reviewing student data to ensure that students are receiving appropriate interventions to address their reading deficits. Every school has Intervention/Enrichment time built into the daily schedule. The goal of the I/E time is to develop skills to move students toward reading proficiency. Students with an IEP have three layers of support to assist them teacher time, I/E time, and time designated in the IEP. 13. What happens to a student who despite being identified as having reading difficulty passes the READY Reading EOG however is unsuccessful in math? Will the student be retained? Any retention consideration is reviewed in committee and a decision is made based on the child s performance level and readiness for the next grade level. 14. Will parents/guardians of students in grades kindergarten, first, and second receive the same notification (Home Connect Letter) as third grade parents? Yes. Parents/guardians will receive a Home Connect Letter for any NRMPS student tested on mclass Reading 3D. 15. When students are promoted mid-year to fourth grade, will they remain in the same classroom with the same teacher? It is important that students have consistency to maintain their academic gains. To foster this, they will remain in the same classroom with their teacher until the end of the school year. 16. Students promoted mid-year will have to take the same fourth grade READY Reading EOG as students entering fourth grade at the beginning of the year. Will those promoted mid-year be behind?

4 One of the primary goals of the transition class is for students to receive intensive intervention to address reading deficits. Although they will be in a transition class to address reading deficits, they will receive fourth grade instruction in preparation for the fourth grade READY Reading EOG. 17. Will parents have opportunities to see portfolio passages? No, parents will not see these passages. They are secured documents like other testing materials. They are in the READY EOG format. 18. How will Summer Reading Academy be different from the regular daily instruction? Summer instruction will focus on individual student needs related to reading comprehension development. 19. How are students expected to catch up if they are promoted into the transitional class? Again, this teacher will be an expert teacher to target the necessary skills and strengths needed to be successful in reading. Scheduling will be intentional and creative to target all skills and needs of all students. 20. What are the hours for Summer Reading Academy? Summer Reading Academy will be four hours a day for six weeks. (8:30-12:30) 21. Would it be more helpful to focus on the needs this school year instead of during the summer? Our teachers are using mclass Reading 3D for daily reading interventions to target the areas of need. In addition, teachers are looking more closely at the English Language Arts standards to make sure they have completely addressed all concepts within the standards. 22. What if my child has an IEP and is pulled out of the classroom? Are teachers working together to plan for his needs in the area of reading? Yes, all teachers that serve that student work together to plan targeted instruction and intervention. 23. How was it that 3rd graders were targeted?

5 Research shows that third grade is typically considered an academic gateway year. It also shows that students leaving third grade with significant reading deficits rarely catch up without targeted interventions.