Digging into Data

1. Indiana Reading First Regional Meeting March 11, 2005—Auburn, Indiana Digging into Data Using Reading First Data to Guide Intensive Reading Interventions Developed by Linda Nolan

2. DIBELS provides us with a wealth of information on the students we serve… …but we need to do more than just look at scores. Scores only give us part of the puzzle. Developed by Linda Nolan

3. If we’re going to meet the needs of each individual student… …then we need to do a careful, in-depth analysis of each student’s data. Developed by Linda Nolan

4. And here’s where we run into the old “good news/bad news” bit… • While the Palms we use make the assessment process easier and faster, • They also make it far more difficult to access certain information that would be helpful. Developed by Linda Nolan

5. With the Palm, we can print out probe details that allow us to see exactly where the errors occurred. • However, the print out does not indicate what the incorrect response was, and taking sufficient notes during the testing is extremely difficult. Developed by Linda Nolan

6. FYI—if you have problems printing out the probes in this fashion, try this: • When on the probe, go to the tool bar at the top of Internet Explorer to Tools. • Scroll down to Internet Options. • Select Advanced. • Under Printing, make sure that the “Print background colors and images” box is checked Developed by Linda Nolan

7. So, why is it so important to know what the error wasin addition to where it occurred? • Let’s consider some examples from various students. Developed by Linda Nolan

8. When looking at student responses on DIBELS, we need always to be reflective. We need to closely examine each student’s responses, asking questions that will lead us to a deeper understanding. Developed by Linda Nolan

9. For ISF, ask these questions and then think about instructional implications: • What is the overall score? • Is it at benchmark? • What is the accuracy rate? • Is the fluency strong enough? • What error patterns do you observe (i.e., misses 4th question, misses specific sounds, etc.)? Adapted by Linda Nolan from Susan Hall

10. For LNF, ask these questions and then think about instructional implications: • What is the overall score? Is it at benchmark? • What is the accuracy rate? • Is the fluency strong enough? • What are the error patterns? • Lower/upper case • Letters with extensions • Font related errors • Letters in their own names • Other (note letters for instruction) Adapted by Linda Nolan from Susan Hall

11. For PSF, ask these questions and then think about instructional implications: • What is the overall score? Is it at benchmark? • What is the accuracy rate? • Is the fluency strong enough? • Does the student know how to segment? If yes, is it partial or complete segmentation? • Is the student accurate on initial sounds? Ending sounds? Middle sounds? • Other errors? Adapted by Linda Nolan from Susan Hall

12. For NWF, ask these questions and then think about instructional implications: • What is the overall score? Is it at benchmark? • What is the accuracy rate? • Is the fluency strong enough? • Does the student read sound-by-sound or blended? • Does the student know letter-sound correspondences? • What are the error patterns—initial sounds? Final sounds? Middle sounds? • Are there other error patterns? Adapted by Linda Nolan from Susan Hall

13. For ORF, ask these questions and then think about instructional implications: • What is the overall score? Is it at benchmark? • What is the accuracy rate? • Is this a fluency problem? Accuracy problem? Both? • Look at the last 3 passages the student read. What words were missed in each passage? Are there general conclusions you can draw by comparing these? • What kinds of problems did you see—guessed at words? Skipped, inserted or repeated words? Beginning phonics errors—initial/final consonants, vowels, digraphs, blends? Advanced phonics errors—multi-syllabic words, r-controlled vowels, vowel teams, silent letters? Adapted by Linda Nolan from Susan Hall

14. What can we do to obtain the information that’s missing as a result of using the Palms? • With those students for whom we feel we need more in-depth information, we can have someone mark the student’s responses on paper while the teacher administers DIBELS using the Palm. Developed by Linda Nolan

15. So now that we have the data, where do we begin these interventions? • We begin at the lowest point of identified needs in the hierarchy of reading skills. • Once the student begins to show progress, we gradually move onward. ORF NWF PSF LNF ISF Developed by Linda Nolan

16. We must remember that these skills are the building blocks that lay the foundation for success in readingand that each builds upon mastery of the previous step. ORF NWF PSF LNF ISF Developed by Linda Nolan

17. Appropriate and timely interventions are so important: • 87% of students reaching the January ISF benchmark become readers. • 80% of students reaching the January PSF benchmark become readers. • 91% of the students reaching the January NWF benchmark become readers. In 1st Grade: Reading in the Classroom: System for Observation of Teaching and Learning (Edited by Sharon Vaughn and Kerri Briggs) Developed by Linda Nolan

18. Or, looking at it another way, delayed development of reading skills… • Adversely affects vocabulary growth (Cunningham & Stankovich, 1998) • Has a negative impact on children’s attitudes and motivation to read (Oka & Paris, 1986) • Leads to missed opportunities to develop comprehension strategies (Brown, Palincsar, & Purcell, 1986) Developed by Linda Nolan

19. If children exhibit a significant lag in the growth of critical early reading skills… • They have fewer opportunities to practice reading. These lost opportunities make it extremely difficult for these students who remain poor readers during the first 3 years of school to ever acquire average levels of reading fluency. (Torgesen, Rashotte, & Alexander, 2001) Developed by Linda Nolan

20. Furthermore, several longitudinal studies indicate that children who are poor readers at the end of 1st grade almost never acquire average-level reading skills by the end of elementary school. Francis, Shaywitz, Stuebing, Shaywitz, & Fletcher, 1996; Juel, 1988; Torgesen & Burgess, 1998 Developed by Linda Nolan

21. We need to adopt more of a medical model with reading instruction… Read 2 books & call me in the morning • We need to be more diagnostic with those students who are struggling, and • We need to be more prescriptive in our approaches to their respective “cures.” Developed by Linda Nolan

22. And we must remember that there is a real sense of urgency about this. • We cannot waste a single day—there’s still time this spring to do deeper analysis of the data and then to use that data for more definitive interventions. Developed by Linda Nolan

23. Next fall, intensive students cannot afford to lose valuable instructional time until the fall benchmark testing is completed. • Instead, every intensive and strategic student should have an “interim” intervention plan in place that can be started the first day of school. Adjustments can be made when benchmark testing is completed. Developed by Linda Nolan

24. And we must exercise great care in the selection of our interventions… • We need to be sure they meet the specific needs of the learners; • We need to be sure that they meet the rigors of SBRR; • We must make sure they are explicit and systematic; • We must realize that if we don’t implement programs with fidelity, we won’t get the results we expect. Developed by Linda Nolan

25. But we must also realize that merely buying a “program” is not enough… • We need to understand why a program is organized the way it is; • We need to be knowledgeable about the sequence in which skills develop; • We need to know why we’re doing what we’re doing. Developed by Linda Nolan

26. We need to constantly monitor each student and ask ourselves critical questions about his or her progress… • Is this “program” meeting the needs of the student? • Is it moving too fast? Too slow? • Are there other strategies that would be more appropriate or productive with this student? Developed by Linda Nolan

27. One last thought… We’ll never be able to teach allchildren to read until we teach each child to read. Developed by Linda Nolan