February 19, 2015

 Introductions  Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests  Scoring Categories  Reading Sufficiency Act  Possible Exemptions (7)  Probationary Promotion  Our Plan  Help From Parents  Q and A

 State mandated tests given to Oklahoma elementary students beginning in 3 rd grade  Students are tested over Reading and Math in 3 rd grade.

 Students’ scores on CRT tests are broken into four categories ADVANCEDSATISFACTORYLIMITED KNOWLEDGE UNSATISFACTORY

 Law began for 3 rd grade students last year; Students must score Limited Knowledge, Satisfactory or Advanced on Reading Test in order to be promoted to fourth grade.  If a student scores Unsatisfactory, then they will not be promoted to fourth grade UNLESS they meet one of the seven “good-cause” exemptions.

1. ELL Students: Students who have been identified as ELL by a state approved screening tool and have had less than 2 academic years of instruction in an ELL program (ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER)

2. IEP Students: If a student is on an IEP and the IEP states they are to be assessed with the Oklahoma Alternate Assessment Program (OAAP)

3.Alternative Assessments: Students who demonstrate an acceptable level of performance (minimum 45 percentile) on a state approved alternative reading test ***Assessments would be given after State CRT scores come back.  Stanford Achievement Test  Iowa Test of Basic Skills  TerraNova  *These tests are more difficult than the OCCT*

4.Portfolio: The student has demonstrated through a student portfolio that the student is reading on grade level as evidenced by mastery of Oklahoma Academic Standards  Our teachers are gathering portfolio for every child in third grade.  Portfolio requires signature from teacher, principal, and superintendent

5.Students with disabilities (on an IEP) who take the OCCT and whose IEP states that they have received intensive remediation in reading for more than two years AND were previously retained during pre-K, 1 st, 2 nd,or 3 rd grade

6.Any student who has received documented, intensive remediation in reading for more than two years but still shows a deficiency in reading and has already been retained in Kindergarten, First, Second or Third grade for a total of two years

7. Students facing exceptional emergency circumstance which prevent the student from being assessed during the testing window These request for exemptions must be approved by the Office of Accountability and Assessment at the State Department of Education.

 Amendments to the law exempt students who demonstrate proficiency in reading at a third grade level from the retention requirements of RSA.  Students who score at the 40 th percentile on AIMSweb Oral Reading Fluency will be exempt.

 A team consisting of the parent or legal guardian, the reading teacher, a teacher in reading in the subsequent grade level, a certified reading specialist and the school principal can unanimously recommend promotion.  The superintendent must approve the recommendation.

 Parents may not appeal the final decision. The decision to retain a child in third grade lies ultimately with the district/state after a careful review of all criteria.

 PAST: Beginning in 2011, parents of 1 st grade students reading below grade level have been notified in writing. Individual interventions take place throughout the year.  This fall parents were again notified at Parent Teacher Conferences if their 3rd grade student was not reading on grade level.  PRESENT: Daily interventions are done by our staff to address reading weaknesses.

 The district has hired tutors to work with 3 rd grade students reading below grade level. Future:  Thorough review for Good Cause Exemptions  Review for Probationary promotion  Retake reading screener

 JAN  Parent Meetings; Gathering work for Exemption #4  Tutoring starts  FEB – MAR  Tutoring APR  State Testing  MAY  Mid to late May – Test Results, Parent Contact  JUNE-JULY-AUG  Summer Academy, Probationary Promotion Meetings

 Have your children read with you building up to 20 minutes a night, 5 times a week  Great resource: parents.shtm parents.shtm  Frenzy – Ipad App  Mr. Nassbaum – free website with simple comprehension activities