Understanding the Oklahoma Reading Sufficiency Act

1. Understanding the Oklahoma Reading Sufficiency Act SB 346 – Third-Grade Graduation Amendments to SB 364 - HB 2511 HB 2526 HB 2306 HB2625 HB 2497

2. This information is provided for parents of OKCPS Kindergarten - Third grade students, as well as community stakeholders. It is designed to help explain the requirements for K-4th grade reading instruction. It will address the State Requirements for promotion to fourth grade.

4. The Reading Sufficiency Act in its entirety, SDE resources, and a complete description of district, school, and teacher responsibilities are available at: http://www.ok.gov/sde/reading-sufficiency-act. Questions, concerns, or comments regarding the law or it’s implementation can be emailed to rsa@sde.ok.gov.

5. Parent Help Center http://okcpscurriculumteam.weebly.com/ OKCPS Parent Information Page http://tinyurl.com/okcps-rsaparents

6. Read! Talk! You are your child’s first teacher. Play! Ask Questions!

7. The “Big Five” Teachers in the early grades focus on strengthening students’ skills in five key components of reading: 1) Phonological Awareness 2) Phonics 3) Fluency 4) Vocabulary 5) Comprehension

8. Phonological Awareness Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds of spoken language. This includes noticing rhyme and recognizing the separate, small sounds in words (phonemes).

9. Phonological Awareness http://www.readingrockets.org/helping/target/phonologicalphonemic/

10. Phonics Phonics is understanding the relationships between the written letters of the alphabet and the sounds of spoken language. This knowledge allows a reader to “decode” words by saying correct sounds as they see the letters.

11. Phonics http://www.starfall.com/

12. Fluency Fluency is the ability to read at the appropriate rate to allow for accuracy, expression, and comprehension. .

13. Fluency Wolf! . By Becky Bloom http://www.education.com/reference/article/building-fluency-home/

14. Vocabulary Vocabulary includes all the words the reader can understand and use. The more words a child knows, the better he or she will understand what is read. Knowing how words relate to each other is a building block that leads to comprehension.

15. Vocabulary http://www.spellingcity.com/parent-spelling-resources.html

16. Comprehension Reading comprehension is the ability to understand what has been read. This includes understanding the plot of a story or the main information in an article.

17. Comprehension http://okcreac3hcoaches.weebly.com/comprehension-at-home.html

18. Writing A sixth critical component of reading your student should practice each day is putting their thoughts into writing so they can be shared with others.

19. Writing http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/

20. Early Check Ups Schools use a screener to measure the reading proficiency of all elementary students. These tools “check up” on a student’s level of success with key early reading skills.

21. Oklahoma City Public Schools use the screener, easyCBM to assess all elementary students for risk of reading difficulties. Watch this brief video to get an idea of what it is like for a student to take these tests: http://www.easycbm.com/training/training.php?taskid=1

22. Time on Task The Reading Sufficiency Act requires an increase in the amount of instructional time devoted to reading. All students are provided with a 90 minute reading block. Students who are determined to be at risk for reading difficulties are provided with an additional 30 minute strategic intervention block. • Students who experience the greatest difficulty learning to read are also provided with a 30 minute intensive intervention block.

24. Student Attendance is Critical K-3 students who need the most intensive assistance learning to read receive a minimum of 150 minutes of reading instruction every day. Every school day is filled with instruction. Students who routinely do not attend school, arrive late, or are checked out early cannot make adequate progress as a result of the instruction missed during their absences.

25. Planning for Growth Each K-4th grade student in OKCPS is provided with an Academic Progress Plan (APP). The APP describes the child’s level of reading proficiency and the instructional supports and services used to help the child. The signature section of the APP notifies parents that their child must meet the Third-Grade Graduation Requirements in order to be promoted to fourth grade. The APP describes the child’s specific reading difficulties. The plan also describes the intensive teaching practices that will be used to help the child catch up to grade-level reading. This intensive instruction will be provided during regular school hours in addition to the regular reading instruction.

26. OK Requirementsfor Third Grade Graduation The Reading Sufficiency Act now provides third-grade students four ways to satisfy the proficiency requirements for promotion to fourth grade.

27. Why Third Grade? As students progress through the grades, the texts that they are required to understand become more complex. A substantial reading deficiency must be addressed before students can successfully move on to the more difficult schoolwork of fourth grade and beyond.

28. Reading Growth Patterns Are Established Early Reading Achievement Intervention often occurs here. Early intervention is more effective, because there is less to “catch up.” (Good, Simmons, & Smith, 1998)

29. The Purposeof Retention? Retention does not mean that the child is a failure. It does not mean that teachers or parents are not working hard enough. The purpose of retention is to give children who have substantial reading deficiencies more time and the intensive instruction they need to catch up in reading.

30. More Time Now Can PreventLong-Term Disability Intensive intervention early in school is much more effective than waiting until students are older. In much the same way as a physical therapy, the best intervention may be inconvenient or frustrating at the time. However, providing our kids with the correct intervention and adequate time to master the skills, can prevent a lifetime of trying to overcome the crippling effects of early weakness.

31. OK Requirementsfor Third Grade Graduation 1. Proficiency Demonstrated through a Reading Screener 2. Score of Limited Knowledge (or higher) on the Reading OCCT 3. Good-Cause Exemption 4. Conference- Based Promotion* * This method is only effective for the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years. Specific details for each of these requirements are provided in the following sections.

32. Proficiency Demonstratedthrough a Reading Screener A student who demonstrates grade-level proficiency in reading through a SDE approved screener is qualified for promotion. The screener used in OKCPS is easyCBM. A student whose composite risk level islow/white for the Fall, Winter, or SpringBenchmark has satisfied the requirements of the Reading Sufficiency Act for promotion to fourth grade.

33. PRF VOCAB

35. Proficiency Demonstratedthrough the OCCT The Oklahoma Criterion-Referenced Tests a.k.athe Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests are designed to measure students’ progress on the Oklahoma Academic Standards. Students in Grade 3(and above) take the Reading OCCT each spring.

36. How Reading is Graded by The Oklahoma State Test

37. Proficiency Demonstratedthrough the OCCT A student who scores Proficient or Advanced on the third-grade Reading OCCT has satisfied the requirements of the Reading Sufficiency Act for promotion to fourth grade.

38. Proficiency Demonstratedthrough the OCCT A student who scoresLimited Knowledge on the third-grade Reading OCCT may qualify for promotion to the fourth grade. Prior to promotion the parent(s) of the child will be provided: - notice that the child is not reading at grade level - the option for retention in third grade - the student’s most recent grade level of reading proficiency - Information regarding summer reading programs, school and/or community based reading tutoring.

39. Proficiency Demonstratedthrough the OCCT A student who scoresUnsatisfactory on the third-grade Reading OCCT are at-risk for RSA Retention.

40. Promotion Through Good-Cause Exemption Some third graders who score Unsatisfactory on the Reading OCCT can be exempted from the retention requirement and be promoted to fourth grade. This is called a Good-Cause Exemption. Good-Cause Exemptions are only given to the following students:

41. Good-Cause Exemption #1 Students who are identified as English Language Learners (ELL) on a screening tool approved by OSDE department of Bilingual/Migrant Education and have a Language Instructional Educational Plan in place prior to administration of the OCCT and have less than two years of instruction in an ELL program.

42. Good-Cause Exemption #2 Students with disabilities who are assessed with alternate achievement standards- OAAP. The student must be identified as needing special education services prior to the administration of the third grade criterion referenced test; The student must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in place prior to the administration of the third grade criterion referenced test; and the student’s IEP must: direct that the student is to be assessed with alternate achievement standards through OAAP.

43. Good-Cause Exemption #3 Students who score a minimum of the 45th percentile on an alternative standardized reading assessmentapproved by the SDE. Approved alternative assessments include: Stanford Achievement Test (SAT 10) Iowa Test Basic Skills (ITBS) ITBS Core Battery TerraNova, Third Edition

44. Good-Cause Exemption #4 Students who demonstrate through a student portfolio*, evidence of mastery (beyond the retention level) of the third grade state standards for reading and evidence of reading on grade level or higher

45. Good-Cause Exemption #5 Students with disabilities who take the OCCT and who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP); who have received intensive remediation in reading for more than two years but still demonstrate a deficiency in reading; and were previously retained or in a transitional grade during pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, second, or third grade.

46. Good-Cause Exemption #6 Students who have received intensive remediation in reading through a program of reading instruction for two or more years but still demonstrate a deficiency in reading; and who were previously retained or in a transitional class during pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, second, or third grade for a total of two years.

47. Good-Cause Exemption #7 Students who have been granted an exemption for medical emergencies by the State Department of Education.

48. If you believe your child may qualify for a good-cause exemption, please contact the building principal.

49. Conference-Based Promotion by an Academic Team A student not otherwise qualified for promotion may be evaluated for "probationary promotion" by the Academic Team. The student’s Academic Team is composed of: (1) the student’s parent(s) and/or guardian(s) (2) the student’s primary reading teacher (3) a teacher in reading who teaches in the subsequent grade level (4) the school principal (5) a certified reading specialist

50. Conference-Based Promotion by an Academic Team The student will be promoted to the fourth grade if the Academic Team members unanimouslyrecommend "probationary promotion." The recommendation for conference-based promotion will be made to the school district superintendent.