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Mary/PA - Good evening. Welcome to tonight's Reading Recovery Meeting here at Teachers.Net.
Mary/PA - Pam, are you a RRT?
Pam/Ga. - Yes, third year. I think I'm experiencing a "slow server" with this computer tonight
Pam/Ga. - What is the subject tonight?
Mary/PA - Much of the Internet has been slowed down by that virus
Mary/PA - There is no subject
Pam/Ga. - Oh, yes. I forgot about that.
Mary/PA - What would you like to discuss?
Mary/PA - Have you started your second round?
Pam/Ga. - Well, I find that anytime I discuss anything with another RR teacher, I learn more! That's the great thing about RR.
Mary/PA - That's for sure, There is always something to learn.
Pam/Ga. - I'm beginning tomorrow.
Pam/Ga. - I'm excited...I have my first little girl! I've served all boys first round and also second round last year.
Mary/PA - I've started with 4 and having 3 more tested this week
Pam/Ga. - I had one discontinue at Thanksgiving and two more last week.
Pam/Ga. - A big disappointment though, one I was so sure about did not discontinue.
Mary/PA - I had one girl first round and have 3 so far this round.
Mary/PA - What happened?
Mary/PA - Or didn't happen?
Pam/Ga. - I had him on a "strong" Level 15 and he only got to Level 8 (inst.) with the testing teacher!
Mary/PA - Is his time up?
Pam/Ga. - There is no doubt he is ADD (no meds.) and he was very distracted by P.E. next door.
Pam/Ga. - Poor motivation as well. I think he just didn't want to do it.
Mary/PA - Can you hang onto him for a bit longer and try to have better testing conditions for him later?
Pam/Ga. - No, it was 21 weeks.
Mary/PA - That's a shame.
Pam/Ga. - Do you have any really great RAK activities for second round students?
Pam/Ga. - Do you have any really great RAK activities for second round students?
Mary/PA - How is he in the reg. classroom?
Mary/PA - What does his teacher say about his reading and writing?
Pam/Ga. - Very distracted. His teacher was amazed at the success I was having with him.
Pam/Ga. - Same story at home.
Pam/Ga. - Classroom teacher is also struggling trying to get Guided Reading groups off the ground.
Pam/Ga. - He really needs to be in small group instruction in the classroom!
Mary/PA - Pam, I learned long ago that the best RAK activities are reading and writing. Especially with the second round children. They have been struggling for so long, when we put them in a situation where they can read lots of books with no problem, that makes them feel so good about themselves.
Mary/PA - Plus it builds up what they already can do.
Pam/Ga. - Good point.
Mary/PA - I had my first RAK last Thursday with a little guy who couldn't read the level one text during the OS.
Pam/Ga. - There isn't a minimum number of weeks in a child's program, is there? I have a student that I think will really move quickly.
Pam/Ga. - My computer is freezing up. I'm logging off and restarting my computer.. ... Be back later.
Mary/PA - He has some item knowledge and had some known words. I set him up with a pile of books to look through and read. He read 9 books during his first session and was so happy and proud of himself. He said that he had never read a book before! I thanked me over and over again. He said he really liked coming to see me...it is so much fun, he said....it was enough to make me want to cry!!!
tyylee - I was reading your discussion and was thinking about our last continuing contact session. We discussed discontinuing and the fact that there isn't any 'level of performance' that is required for discontinuation. Rather it is determined by the child's processing over all, not just in the testing situation on that particular day.
Mary/PA - Pam, I don't think there's a min.
Mary/PA - tyylee, I agree, but some places still hang onto that level...whatever it is.
tyylee - If I were Pam I think I would try testing the child again with her sitting in on the testing situation. I have done that in the past, not doing the testing but being there and it really helped some distractible children.
Mary/PA - If she gets back online, maybe you can suggest that. I too think it's a good idea.
tyylee - We are being told that the processing behaviors are the important things. But we also discussed that you couldn't really see the processing below level 10-12.
Mary/PA - Hello canser, are you a RRT?
Mary/PA - Sadie, are you the same Sadie that we used to see here?
Sadie/rr/ca - tyylee, we are told the same thing. Kids need to be at a minimum of L12 midyear plus have some strategies under control.... well on their way to a self extending system.
Mary/PA - tyylee, same here
canser - i am a single dad trying to teach a 6 year old to write but he is writing his letters starting from the bottom
Sadie/rr/ca - Yes, mary... I added the rr/ca because I know there is now another Sadie who visits frequently (not a RRT)
canser - any one know where i can get the sheets that have the arrows to show how to write?
Mary/PA - canser, that's a habit that will take lots of work to undo.
tyylee - We were told that L12 is not a definitive number and they might discontinue at a lower level if they are really using the strategies.
canser - what do i do to stop it?
Mary/PA - canser, there is a program that you can get that will make it possible for you to make your own sheets.
Mary/PA - It's called StartWrite
Sadie/rr/ca - Tyylee, my TL doesn't like to be held to a number either.... she wants to make sure that there is enough going on in all areas. But our district guidelines have 1st graders at about a L 9-10 midyear so we like to be a little higher than that. Our CT's are really hung up on the numbers.
Sadie/rr/ca - Are there any other RRTs from California here?
Mary/PA - canser, lots of practice forming letters the correct way
canser - can i get it on line?
Sadie/rr/ca - oops... I guess that would just be you tyylee since Mary is from PA
kinderkate - I'm from CA - hi sadie,mary all
Mary/PA - canser, yes...hold on, I'll look for it
tyylee - Indiana here, sorry. But my son lives in Ca.
Sadie/rr/ca - kinderkate.... are you all as worried about the budget cuts as we are?
canser - thank you
Mary/PA - here it is http://startwrite.com/
kinderkate - Whew - worried isn't the word!! Petrified.
Mary/PA - That was easy
canser - thank you very much
Sadie/rr/ca - There have been talks that RR may end up on the chopping block. And class size reduction will soon be a thing of the past.
kinderkate - They (the powers that be) have said we will be here for the rest of this school year. But next year is up in the air.
Mary/PA - You are welcome, canser
Sadie/rr/ca - Hey I have some good news!
kinderkate - Sadie - are you going to the ca rr conference in march?
tyylee - Same in my state. Luckily I am paid out of Title 1 funds but our Continuing Contact and Teacher Leader are in Danger of being cut.
Mary/PA - I'd like to know why all the money troubles...not that things were easy in the past, but things are getting really bad now...there is no money for anything now
kinderkate - What - sadie - tell us!!
Sadie/rr/ca - I don't know if anyone remembers (but a couple of years ago I came on and shared that I had been awarded the Nancy Polluck Fellruth scholarship to attend the National Conference in Ohio?
Sadie/rr/ca - Yes, kinder.... are you?
Mary/PA - I remember!
kinderkate - Tyylee - I don't think you can have a rr program without a teacher leader, can you?
Sadie/rr/ca - Well.... another teacher from my district.... a teacher in training got it this year!!!
Sadie/rr/ca - We can't believe that 2 teachers from our area, never mind our district both got it!
kinderkate - Wow - how does a teacher qualify for it??
Mary/PA - That is great, Sadie!!!
kinderkate - Sadie - we MUST meet!!
Sadie/rr/ca - tyylee, I am also paid from Title 1. My concern is that with all of the cuts they will need more of Title 1 for other things and won't be able to afford me.
Sadie/rr/ca - Kinderkate, are you a member of RRCNA? If so, when they send out the flyer there is a blurb in there about the scholarship. Or you can go to the website.
kinderkate - Same here - Sadie and Tyylee - we are paid with Title 1, but so were the classroom aides and they have been gone for a LONG time.
kinderkate - Yes, Sadie - I guess I'm not reading my info like I should. Oops.
Sadie/rr/ca - oh, oh... along came greedycat!
greedycat - hello to all of you. Budget woes are the topic of the day here and everywhere, I guess
Sadie/rr/ca - (and that was the end of that! lol)
Sadie/rr/ca - where are you, greedycat?
greedycat - South Carolina
Sadie/rr/ca - I read on the main board a while back that Bush had appropriated a lot more money for Title 1. Does anyone know about that?
greedycat - We just held the southeastern regional RR conference in Greensboro, NC
Mary/PA - I always wondered where greedycat was from
greedycat - Yes, Sadie, I have heard that but haven't seen any of it
kinderkate - One good thing - RR has been given the OK for NCLB money.
Mary/PA - They say that, but we don't see it ;o(
greedycat - Have any of you already lost any RR teachers over the last year or so?
Mary/PA - Not yet
kinderkate - One of our school board members is really against RR. She doesn't know what it is. She keeps comparing it to Success for All - a classroom program.
Mary/PA - kinderkate, have you invited her to observe a lesson?
greedycat - it's discontinuation time here...about week 18 or 19 for students' programs
kinderkate - No losses of rr teachers here - but next year I don't know
Sadie/rr/ca - kinderkate, while I am not a fan of SFA (from what I have heard) there is a RR teacher in our consortium who works at a SFA school. She says that RR works well there.
Mary/PA - I did that a few years ago
Mary/PA - greedycat, that's what we're doing right now.
greedycat - That seems to often be the case..the folks that are against it don't know what it is there are against. It would be hard to be against helping struggling students to catch up to their classmates, wouldn't it?
Sadie/rr/ca - I discontinued one child and am in the process of testing 2 more. One, sadly, will probably exit, but the other is doing will.
Sadie/rr/ca - well
Mary/PA - Well ladies, I have some work I really have to get back to. Enjoy your chat, stay as long as you like.
Sadie/rr/ca - A couple of years ago while returning from our state RR conference, there was a city council member on our flight. I convinced her to come and observe a RR lesson. She did!
Sadie/rr/ca - One thing that you can do is contact local papers and ask them to do a feature on the program. I did that after I won my scholarship and ended up with a full page spread!
Sadie/rr/ca - i can't wait. It is the highlight of my school year. Hope I'll still be going next year!
kinderkate - We've had rr teachers in SFA schools too - I keep saying, it doesn't matter what literacy program is being used in the classroom - there will still be that bottom 20 per cent who need RR.
kinderkate - Bye Mary
Sadie/rr/ca - oops... that was a pm for kk
kinderkate - Wow, Sadie - great idea.
Sadie/rr/ca - Well... i need to go too. Bye all! Hopefully I'll see you in March kinderkate!
kinderkate - For me too, Sadie. By this time of year I just feel like I need something like the conference to be able to carry on.
greedycat - we have gotten a shift in the past by having people come observe BTG. They are impressed by the professional conversation there.
kinderkate - Oh well lol, sadie, Me too
greedycat - good night all
kinderkate - Bye all. And good luck for the RR program and those needy kids.
