Re: IMA - I need you assistance please

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Oh I hope I did not give the impression that AR is my 8th grade reading
program! It isn't! It is 25 percent of my reading grade but it is
not my reading program! Everybody is into giving student choices so
AR is the student choice portion of my reading program. I choose the
almost 30 reading selections (classics and current writers the kids may
not even be exposed to and different genres) and their matching skills
for the bulk of my reading program. AR is management and
accountability for their practice reading. Students choose their books
to read and I conference with them on those choices and progress. I
did explain that in my administrative e-mail and data. I also
included the Iowa Core Curriculum standard that fits AR! So AR isn't
the reading program!

I have all summer to look around at other ways to monitor independant
reading!

Deb ms/IA

On 6/05/09, Tom wrote:
> I hear you Deb. I hope the admin group see's your passion for the
> students and your job. Granted, the premise of your job is still
> the same, there are many ways to measure reading comprehension
> outside of AR too. With all the budget cuts in the educational
> world, I guess be happy we still have jobs and are creative enough
> to come up with a plan B. AR in our school was an extra. It was
> nice to have, showed results and kids loved to take home scores and
> talk about a book. Without AR those skill sets are still possible
> but perhaps not as easy. That could be where some misconceptions
> come from too about AR. If something is easy, it allows teachers to
> stop teaching and claim the program does it for them. If you allow
> AR to work this way, it will do you no favors. (Speaking to any
> teacher that thinks this way).
>
> I love the way AR works but also realize that it is just part of the
> reading program, not THE reading program. Personally, I think AR
> is the best program out there for Librarians that have to monitor
> data (From a personal reporting standpoint) to actually being a
> program that is well used and liked by students at the same time.
> I love the flexibility of the program and how you can apply
> different themes and such from a creative standpoint. Its so easy
> to build your reading program around it, but you have to be careful
> that it does not consume your program. Decisions on products and
> finances always change and as teachers we need to be able to change
> with those decisions weather we agree with it or not. Sometimes
> the changes are short term and may be as little as 1 year. So the
> next time the opportunity comes along, try your best to get more
> teachers and schools in your district to buy into it. Its easy to
> silence one voice, but a group of voices carries so much more power
> in decision making.
>
>
>
>
>
> On 6/04/09, Deb ms/IA....update wrote:
>> I met with the principal and he informed me that the
>> administrative team talk about AR and already decided to
> stop
>> the AR program (keep the STAR). I still presented him with
> all
>> of the data I had with the 8th grade program. Due to our
>> district not following the best practices of AR, I am the only
>> person using it so its easy to dump. I closed out my classroom
>> and completed a three day class and then I put all my research
>> and documents together along with a best practices 9 page
>> document and suggested that we wait one year and implement the
>> program as it should be implemented and then decide if it should
>> be continued. I zapped that e-mail off today. It went to ever
>> person on the administrative team. I even volunteered to head
>> up the program and come in and answer any questions. So now I
>> wait and see.........
>>
>> I also now need to research how I make up for this loss in my
>> curriculum and still monitor children and their reading
>> comprehension. My kiddos read 1,300 some odd books this
> last
>> school year. I can't fathom doing that many book talks, book
>> reports or projects!!!!
>>
>> Please excuse me for not answering back sooner. I appreciate
>> your help Ima, Tom and test. I was busy ending the year,
>> cleaning my room and typing up all this research and taking a
>> class. NOw I can begin summer break!
>>
>> Deb ms/IA

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