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Reading Teachers Chatboard

Lack of progress through reading levels!

by Emily Up North

Jun 6, 2011

I am wrapping up the school year and have discouraging results in my students' reading progress. I teach fourth grade on a reserve where most of my studnets are reading well below grade level. Several students have not met the goals outlined in their IEPs. In fact, a few of them have not progressed in reading levels at all.

They have all developed greater fluency, stronger decodoing skills, and can use the comprehension strategies that we have worked on in class in a supported setting. But they are not able to use them independently well enough to pass the reading benchmarks.

I have been teaching for 15 years. I have used Four Blocks for most of that time. In the past three years I have switched to the Fountas and Pinnell guided reading structure, as it is what we are doing here in my current school. This year I committed to doing it all; modelled reading, shared reading, and guided reading in levelled groups. I have worked hard with the students in all three areas to...See More

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beachy On 6/06/11, Emily Up North wrote: > I am wrapping up the school year and have discouraging > results in my students' reading progress. I teach fourth > grade on a reserve where most of my studnets are reading > well below grade level. Several students have not met the > goals outlined in their IEPs. In fact, a few of them have > n...See MoreOn 6/06/11, Emily Up North wrote: > I am wrapping up the school year and have discouraging > results in my students' reading progress. I teach fourth > grade on a reserve where most of my studnets are reading > well below grade level. Several students have not met the > goals outlined in their IEPs. In fact, a few of them have > not progressed in reading levels at all. > > They have all developed greater fluency, stronger decodoing > skills, and can use the comprehension strategies that we > have worked on in class in a supported setting. But they > are not able to use them independently well enough to pass > the reading benchmarks. > > I have been teaching for 15 years. I have used Four Blocks > for most of that time. In the past three years I have > switched to the Fountas and Pinnell guided reading > structure, as it is what we are doing here in my current > school. This year I committed to doing it all; modelled > reading, shared reading, and guided reading in levelled > groups. I have worked hard with the students in all three > areas to make sure that they understood the strategies, > were able to practice them, and then nudged them towards > using them independently. I made sure that the strategy we > were working on as a whole class, we were also working on > in small groups. We reviewed, we noted when we were using > strategies in other subject areas. We refered to anchor > charts that we created throughout the year. > > I have read Strategies That Work, and dog-eared it. I have > read Fountas &Pinnell's book for grades 3-6, and dog-eared > it too. I have reread both looking for better ways to help > my students access the meaning in what they read. > > I am really struggling with feeling like a poor teacher. > This is the first time in 15 years that I haven't felt that > my students have made solid progress in reading. > > I also feel insecure because there are staff members at my > school who judge teacher competence on how far our students > progress (a whole other stress and kettle of fish). > > What am I doing wrong? Please help!

Emily, it doesn't sound to me like you're a poor teacher at all. I know it's discouraging to have those danged test results show sub-par results--seriously, as a Resource SpEd teacher in a Title 1 school, I'm familiar with that feeling. It helps me to remember that the tests are on grade level material, and if my students could do that they wouldn't be in my class at all. Just because your students don't meet some arbitrary standard the conclusions cannot be that they aren't making progress and you aren't a good teacher. Look at where they started, then look at what they can do now. Keep in mind that reading skill happens in fits and starts and is rarely linear. You recognize how they've improved, particularly in their fluency and decoding. Success in your structured setting now will result in success in other situations later. It's excellent that you continually look for ways to improve your instruction. It's also excellent that you are willingly showing up every day, loving and teaching these kids who face such difficult challenges. It takes a particular kind of greatness to teach SpEd and another type of greatness to teach on the rez. Practice patience, and use the summer to recharge and refresh yourself. Those kids need you, and will continue to improve under your guidance.

Jun 9, 2011

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Jun 9, 2011

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ruth On 6/09/11, beachy wrote: > On 6/06/11, Emily Up North wrote: >> I am wrapping up the school year and have discouraging >> results in my students' reading progress. I teach fourth >> grade on a reserve where most of my studnets are reading >> well below grade level. Several students have not met the >> goals outline...See MoreOn 6/09/11, beachy wrote: > On 6/06/11, Emily Up North wrote: >> I am wrapping up the school year and have discouraging >> results in my students' reading progress. I teach fourth >> grade on a reserve where most of my studnets are reading >> well below grade level. Several students have not met the >> goals outlined in their IEPs. In fact, a few of them have >> not progressed in reading levels at all. >> >> They have all developed greater fluency, stronger decodoing >> skills, and can use the comprehension strategies that we >> have worked on in class in a supported setting. But they >> are not able to use them independently well enough to pass >> the reading benchmarks. >> >> I have been teaching for 15 years. I have used Four Blocks >> for most of that time. In the past three years I have >> switched to the Fountas and Pinnell guided reading >> structure, as it is what we are doing here in my current >> school. This year I committed to doing it all; modelled >> reading, shared reading, and guided reading in levelled >> groups. I have worked hard with the students in all three >> areas to make sure that they understood the strategies, >> were able to practice them, and then nudged them towards >> using them independently. I made sure that the strategy we >> were working on as a whole class, we were also working on >> in small groups. We reviewed, we noted when we were using >> strategies in other subject areas. We refered to anchor >> charts that we created throughout the year. >> >> I have read Strategies That Work, and dog-eared it. I have >> read Fountas &Pinnell's book for grades 3-6, and dog-eared >> it too. I have reread both looking for better ways to help >> my students access the meaning in what they read. >> >> I am really struggling with feeling like a poor teacher. >> This is the first time in 15 years that I haven't felt that >> my students have made solid progress in reading. >> >> I also feel insecure because there are staff members at my >> school who judge teacher competence on how far our students >> progress (a whole other stress and kettle of fish). >> >> What am I doing wrong? Please help! > > > Emily, it doesn't sound to me like you're a poor teacher at > all. I know it's discouraging to have those danged test > results show sub-par results--seriously, as a Resource SpEd > teacher in a Title 1 school, I'm familiar with that feeling. > It helps me to remember that the tests are on grade level > material, and if my students could do that they wouldn't be > in my class at all. Just because your students don't meet > some arbitrary standard the conclusions cannot be that they > aren't making progress and you aren't a good teacher. Look at > where they started, then look at what they can do now. Keep > in mind that reading skill happens in fits and starts and is > rarely linear. You recognize how they've improved, > particularly in their fluency and decoding. Success in your > structured setting now will result in success in other > situations later. It's excellent that you continually look > for ways to improve your instruction. It's also excellent > that you are willingly showing up every day, loving and > teaching these kids who face such difficult challenges. It > takes a particular kind of greatness to teach SpEd and > another type of greatness to teach on the rez. Practice > patience, and use the summer to recharge and refresh > yourself. Those kids need you, and will continue to improve > under your guidance.

Jun 18, 2011

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