How to Understand Scores From a Developmental Reading Assessment

The Developmental Reading Assessment, or DRA, is a standardized tool used by classroom teachers in grades K-8 to evaluate the independent reading level of their students. It helps teachers keep records of the progress students are making in the areas of reading comprehension, fluency and accuracy. The test is administered individually to each student by the classroom teacher. Some states require this assessment to be administered two to three times per year. When a teacher shares results of this assessment with parents it is important to understand the results, what they mean for their child at school and what parents can do to help their child improve her reading proficiency.

Instructions

1

Request the results of the DRA from the teacher. These will probably be shared at parent-teacher conferences. DRA levels correspond to the grade level at which the student is able to independently read and understand material. A student whose DRA level is from A-2 indicates he is reading at a kindergarten level. Levels 3-16 imply a first-grade reading level. Second grade scores range from 18-28. Scores between 30 and 38 mean the student is at the third-grade level. Scores from 40 to 44 show fourth- and fifth-grade reading levels, respectively.

2

Ask the teacher what these scores mean in terms of the strategies and skills the school is using when teaching your child to read. The school should provide copies of the guided reading book that your child is reading from. Teachers should also share information regarding the child's fluency, reading rate, comprehension and typical errors made by the child.

3

Request sample book lists and recommendations for types of activities that can be helpful for improving your child's reading abilities at home. Reading with your child, asking her to recount the events in a story, listening to books on tape and practicing high-frequency words might be suggested.

How Can I Test My Reading Level?

A reading level is an assessment of a person's reading ability. Specifically, it describes the grade level most compatible with someone based on how well she reads. Knowing how to determine your reading level is a useful skill because it will allow you to compare your reading ability to that of your peers. It will also help you make more informed decisions regarding how to improve your reading skills.

Instructions

1

Visit the "Reading Assessment" web site listed in the Resources section below. A new web page will appear when you click on the link.

2

Scroll down the new page until you see the reading assessment table. The table is composed of 16 boxes, and each contains a list of eight letters or words.

3

Read the words inside each box from top to bottom, pronouncing each word out loud. Each successive box should get progressively harder as you move from left to right.

4

Continue reading the words until you make five consecutive pronunciation mistakes in a row.

5

Count the number of words you successfully completed before making the five mistakes.

6

Interpret the number of words you read in terms of reading level. The first number (found the tens place) is the grade level appropriate for your reading ability. The second number (found in the ones place) is the number of months into this grade level that would be appropriate. For example, if you read 52 words before making the five mistakes, this would mean that you have a reading ability equivalent to a fifth grader (derived from the 5 in 52) in his second month of the school year (derived from the 2 in 52).

Examples of Formal Reading Assessment Tools

Formal reading assessments allow a teacher to track a student's progress over a period of time in acquiring specific skills. These tests can be administered quickly, and the results are easily interpreted. The teacher can then use the test data to make informed decisions about teaching strategies and how to drive instruction.

Assessment of Skills

The Dibels (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) Assessment is an example of a formal assessment that tests the following skills: letter-naming, initial sounds, phoneme segmentation, nonsense words, and oral reading fluency. The tests range from one to five minutes in duration, and students are assigned scores that place them as being at-risk, some-risk, or low-risk. Dibels also includes a progress monitoring component, which teachers use to test at-risk students to determine if reading interventions have been successful. Dibels can be administered to students in kindergarten through 6th grade.

Comprehension Assessment

The Accelerated Reading Program measures a student's level of comprehension about books she has read. Schools that use this program have libraries that are supplied with books written at reading levels ranging from kindergarten to high school. Children are initially tested to determine their level; they then read books that have already been labeled for each level. After reading the book, the child takes a computerized test, which usually consists of five to 10 questions. Based on the score, a child earns a number of points. Teachers use this point system in a variety of ways, like awarding extra credit or points for prizes. The goal of Accelerated Reader is to encourage and motivate children to read for meaning and long-term comprehension.

The Average Salary of a CFL Player

Although the Canadian Football League's rules differ only slightly from those that guide the National Football League, an enormous gap separates the salaries of the two leagues. With a much smaller fan base and league size generating less ticket revenue, merchandising revenue and advertising income, the CFL simply can't afford to pay its players on the same level that the stars -- or even average players -- in the larger U.S. league to its south does.

Entry-Level Salary

Rookie-year stars drafted into the Canadian Football League earn salaries around $50,000 Canadian as of 2010, according to Monster.com, although league minimum for rookies is $30,000. League minimum for veteran players is $32,000, with average salaries in the league around $45,000, according to DarrenBarefoot.com. By contrast, NFL's minimum base salary is $295,000 American, roughly $292,357 Canadian as of February 2011 exchange rates, or approximately 10 times the CFL's league minimum for a similar salary.

High-End Salaries

Starters and CFL superstars may expect to usually earn between $60,000 and $120,000 Canadian, according to DarrenBarefoot.com. The highest paid player in the CFL, Winnipeg Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray, was slated to receive $500,000 Canadian for the 2011 season, although recent contract negotiations reduced that amount. Although figures weren't released, he reportedly cut around $125,000 from his compensation package, according to SportsNet.ca. By comparison, the NFL's highest paid player, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, earns about $18 million each year, according to Forbes.

CFL Salary Cap

Like the NFL, the CFL imposes a salary cap on its teams in order to keep teams relatively competitive with each other. Unlike the NFL, that salary cap is relatively small: In 2010, the league's team salary cap was $4.2 million Canadian, according to TSN.com. In comparison, the NFL team with the smallest player payroll, the Kansas City Chiefs, paid $81.8 million to its players, almost double the total payroll for all eight CFL teams.

Off-Season Employment

Many CFL players use the off season as an opportunity to bolster their annual earnings by taking on a second job, according to Monster.com. Although some serve as coaches for high school sports and as public speakers, others find employment in fields completely outside of the sports world, with other jobs as varied as positions in broadcasting to automotive repossession services.

No Way Out - And Other Scary Short Stories

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No Way out - Mike takes a bet to go inside a haunted house, but will he live long enough to collect?

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Punctuation in some reviews may be corrected.Intended for younger readers; however, some scenes may be too intense for readers under 8.

How to Use a Protractor

A protractor is a tool that allows you to measure an angle or construct an angle of a given measure.

Instructions

To Measure an Angle

1

Find the center hole on the straight edge of the protractor.

2

Place the hole over the vertex, or point, of the angle you wish to measure.

3

Line up the zero on the straight edge of the protractor with one of the sides of the angle.

4

Find the point where the second side of the angle intersects the curved edge of the protractor.

5

Read the number that is written on the protractor at the point of intersection. This is the measure of the angle in degrees.

To Construct an Angle

6

Use the straight edge of the protractor to draw a straight line. This line will form one side of your angle.

7

Find the center hole on the straight edge of the protractor.

8

Place the hole over one end point of the line you have drawn.

9

Line up the zero on the straight edge of the protractor with the line.

10

Make a mark at the number on the curved edge of the protractor that corresponds to the desired measure of your angle. For example, mark at 90 for a 90-degree angle.

11

Use the straight edge of the protractor to connect the mark to the end point of the first line, forming an angle.

Forever Black (Forever Trilogy #1)

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When Ellery moved to New York with her boyfriend, she thought theyd live happily ever after in their small New York apartment. She never thought hed pack his bags and leave because he needed space.

With her newfound single status and fear of being alone, Ellery buries herself in her artwork and paintings until one night she helps a mysterious intoxicated stranger get home safely. Little did she know the mysterious stranger is none other than CEO and millionaire Connor Black. After finding Ellery in his kitchen the next morning and assuming she broke his #1 rule about sleepovers, he becomes intrigued, not only by her stubbornness and defiance, but by her kindness.

Connor Black, emotionally dead and damaged, that stemmed from a personal tragedy, made a vow to never love or fall in love with a woman, until Ellery Lane walked into his life by accident. After she opens up and shows him her world, Connor starts to feel emotions and feelings he never knew existed. Despite the rumors and warnings regarding Connor Black and his use and misuse of women, Ellery finds herself being drawn into his world.

Ellery knows they can never be together because she is harboring a deep secret that could destroy Connor emotionally forever.

Join Connor and Ellery as they embark on a journey of courage, love and strength. Will it be enough to save them?

**18+ For adult situations and language**