Hi Everyone,
I've had many questions about reading, reading levels, and testing. I touched on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) at Back to School Night, but following is some information for you to reference regarding this assessment, which we administer to help determine your child's independent reading level.
We administer the DRA to all students in September and May, and to certain students in January. The test is given to measure a student's independent reading level. Our goal in September is for the students to come to us reading at a DRA Level 3. Our goal in January is a Level 10. Our goal in May is a DRA Level 16 or higher. DRA levels go up by 1's from 1-4, and then by 2's from 4-20, and then by 4's from 20 on. So, the levels are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 32, etc. I don't know why the levels skip count in this way, but they do!
The DRA tests primarily for 3 things: decoding, comprehension, and fluency. Decoding refers to whether the student accurately reads the words that are printed on the page, as opposed to saying words that aren't there. For example, if the word is "come" and the child reads it that way, he/she has correctly decoded the word because he/she said the word that is printed. If he/she says "came", then he/she did not correctly decode the word. Of course, the first step to reading is knowing the words on the page, therefore decoding is an essential skill assessed.
Next, the DRA tests comprehension...does the student understand what the story is about, as demonstrated by the ability to make predictions about the text and orally retell the story without looking back at the book? We look for the student to retell the story with little to (ideally) no prompting by naming the major story events in sequence using characters' names, and by providing as much detail as possible. Many people think that if their child correctly decodes the words in a book, the child can "read" the book, but of course we know that reading is not only decoding, but understanding what is read too!
The DRA tests whether a child can make connections to the text. Does the story remind the student of something that's happened in his/her life, something he/she has seen in the world, or of another book he/she has read? Can the student identify the author's message or purpose for writing the story?
Finally, the DRA tests the child's fluency...his/her ability to orally read the story with appropriate phrasing and expression, and attention to punctuation.
If you would like to know the DRA level of a particular book, you can go to the following website:
This Scholastic Book Wizard will tell you the DRA level of almost any book out there. Just be sure to click the circle next to "DRA" above the white box in which you type the title of the book, otherwise you will get the reading level for other leveling systems. Scholastic has an app you can download that does this same thing.
Please know that none of this information is meant to overwhelm you; instead, I believe we can work together more effectively when we all know this information. The skills we assess using the DRA are ALL the skills we already practice (or will be practicing) in school, and are the same skills you will practice (or may already be practicing) at home. The DRA language in this e-mail is simply a more formal presentation of all the skills the students are already (or will be) practicing!
So....how can you help? READ, READ, READ,!!!! READ EVERYDAY, NOT JUST ON SCHOOL DAYS!!!!! Read to your child, read with your child, have your child read independently! If you are in a time crunch and must choose between our paper homework and reading, PLEASE ALWAYS CHOOSE READING!!! Have your child read out loud to you to practice fluency, and have your child retell the book to you using the characters' names and as many details as possible. Talk about favorite parts, making connections, the author's message, and what would happen if the story extended beyond the last page. I can not overstate the importance of this, and you will most likely get plain old "sick and tired" of hearing me say it!
Barring changes to LCPS policy, your child will take the DRA all the way through 5th grade. Please keep this e-mail for future reference, and please let me know if you have any questions! I have read and reread it, and hope it makes sense, but it's early and my coffee cup is empty!
Finally, and most importantly, please know that your kids are amazing, smart, wonderful 1st graders. Thank you for all you do to support their individual learning, and our classroom as a whole!
