Test Exam Tips & Suggestions

Take multiple choice first; If you read a strategy mentioned in the multiple-choice; write it down
and use it in your essay

Study DOMAIN 3 - REPEATED READING/FLUENCY

Read the National Reading Panel Report

Memorize a list of Instructional Strategies;

always identify the instructional strategy, not the instructional task

Email Melanie (Facebook Group) melanietatco@gmail.com or text at (559)772-22643

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 Important reminders

Always follow prompt

1 hr to write the case study

15 mins: Leave time to re-read and add revisions/corrections

Practice multiple case studies; email Emily 1 Sample via Google Docs

About The Exam

50 % of the test is based on multiple-choice

50% of the test is based on the written case-study

The case-study uses a 4 point rubric. AIM FOR 3PTS

Look at Rubric****

Case-Study Steps

Analyze Data

Identify Teachable Need (refer to DATA)

Match the need to an instructional plan

Describe Instructional Plan

Provide Rationale
 You Must Be Able To ...

Address the Prompt

Demonstrate an understanding of the relevant content

Apply that knowledge to the content when addressing

the prompt

Provide support in the response with evidence and

rationale
Show your understanding of all domains

What should I have prepared?

Memorize “Go-To” activities

Include “Buzz Words”

Writing Style: use sentence frames;

“The students lack in/of _____, suggests ______”

How To Make My Essay Stand Out

Focus on what interventions the teacher did

Provide clear/specific

Write to the 500 mark minimum

Re-read the response more than once

Mention specific assessments/buzzwords

My 5 Step Plan

1. Read the evidence correctly and find a pattern

2. Note Strengths, Weaknesses, and Strategies on

3 Column Graphic Organizer

3. Focus on students likes, dislikes, motivation,

and attitudes towards reading

4. Organize, use buzz words

5. Cite activities and strategies

 Graphic Organizer for the Exam:

Write Strengths, Weaknesses, Strategies;

Create a 3-column graphic organizer

Use Data;
Pay attention to students likes, dislikes, motivation, attitude towards reading

Cite the evidence;

“.....according to the Isolated word inventory, …..according to the running record”

Possible Strategies;
If the student is weak in fluency? Repeated reading
If the student is weak in literal comprehension? The student should use graphic organizers
and identify the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, why)

Where is the information I need that I can write on?

What strengths are supported with evidence?
What teaching points can we sustain?
CHOSE 2 TEACHING POINTS FROM 2 DIFFERENT DOMAINS
Which teaching points do you have a solid strategy for?
Notes: 3rd-grade student
BOY - Beginning of the Year
Issues with Fluency/Disruptive; constant self-correction, reading was not automatic;
*ALWAYS IDENTIFY GRADE/TIME OF YEAR (BOY/MOY/EOY)
*IDENTIFY READING RATE IN COMPARISON TO AVERAGE GRADE
 Strengths: Weaknesses: Strategies:

The student is committed to Disfluent; student struggles Explicit instruction in

memory (use metacognitive
skills to read common sight
words)
Based on the running record,
the student is self-correcting to
monitor for meaning. As
indicated by ……
*self-correction indicates the
student has to monitor for
meaning
with fluency and automaticity.
The student has a low reading
rate of 57 words per minute, in
comparison to XXX words per
minute (XX grade lvl).
Student struggles with
polysyllabic words
Student struggles with
compound words
decoding compound words
Word sorts; not a form of
instruction, its a form of
practice
Repeated reading;
something that is validated
by the NRP;

What domain is “compound words” in?

*Reference DOMAIN 2 if the student cannot decode the word (word analysis)

*Reference DOMAIN 4 if the student cannot define the word (comprehension)

How do we explain the ‘repeated reading’ strategy?

*Do not confuse this with re-reading

Re-reading: go back and re-read

Repeated reading: a systematic strategy that has student read the same text over time;
use this strategy to improve rate
ESSAY OUTLINE
Paragraph 1:

name grade, age; start with strengths;

you must focus on the strengths of the student first;
Clearly identify the need as evidence by data;
write in needs in order/by the ranking of importance;
Paragraph 2:

identify 2 prominent areas of weaknesses.

Use buzz words (“...as indicated by the evidence…”)
(“she has this need … as indicated by…”)
*Paragraph 3:

identify 1st weakness, 1st strategy, 1 rationale (reference National Reading Panel Reprt)
“to improve this skill, the teacher will …..”;
follow a guided practice plan to allow gradual release of responsibility;
“I DO/WE DO/YOU DO”;
Instruction should have an explicit and direct system of progression;
Rationale: “ If the student continues with this instructional plan, she is sure to go on to be
a grade level reader” “Based on the NRPR, if the student continues with this instructional
strategy, she will demonstrate improvement in becoming an independent reader”
*The bulk of my essay
*Paragraph 4:
identify 2nd weakness, 2nd strategy, 1 rationale (reference NRPR)
“to improve this skill, the teacher will …..”;
follow a guided practice plan to allow gradual release of responsibility;
“I DO/WE DO/YOU DO”;
Instruction should have an explicit and direct system of progression;
Rationale: “ If the student continues with this instructional plan, she is sure to go on to be
a grade level reader” “Based on the NRPR, if the student continues with this instructional
strategy, she will demonstrate improvement in becoming an independent reader”
*The bulk of my essay
Paragraph 5:

CLIFFNOTES
P. 265 - CASE STUDY PRACTICE
TARA

Read prompt; identify the name, age, grade;

Assessment - Reference domain 1

My essay must include three parts

Identify 3 strengths and/or weakness; 1 strength, 2 needs
*Address 2 needs and build on each strategy
Rationale: Reading Proficiency

Identity quantifiable needs: can we assess the student’s needs (assessment)?

Level of frustration: 4th grade

Low Accuracy Level: 92%
Struggles with reading multisyllabic words that are visually similar
 MSV- Meaning, Semantic, Visual
Lacks phonics knowledge to decode words; she needs to be taught syllables types, vowel
patterns, multisyllabic words, to improve her accuracy and reading proficiency

Slow reading fluency should indicate word-level instruction; Best supported on the data
provided by the running record, Tara (6th grade) benefits from direct instruction of learning
multisyllabic words, with intervention on vowel digraphs. The teacher should follow up with
repeated reading to improve fluency. The teacher should allow the student to read decodable
text or text with controlled vocabulary as a way to transfer the skill and allow the student to
work independently.

ASSIGNMENT A PRACTICE:

Notes:
2nd grade
Below benchmark
Reads controlled vocabulary text (nearly all words are HFW or sight words)
Teacher does read aloud over days as teacher monitors reading
Accuracy, Rate or Prosody? Which is most likely linked to and explain how the strategy
promotes the development of ________.
ASSIGNMENT B PRACTICE:
Grade: 5th grade
Pre-Lesson: Reads chapter books on tree classification
Small groups: (Tree Classification: Each group is given a set of labeled photos and diagrams of
type of tree)
Task: Students will use photos, diagrams, and will write down characteristics and present
findings
Data Collection: As students share, teacher writes down key words/terminology and phrases on
visual board
Conclusion: Teacher conducts a final whole-class discussion where students identify
commonalities of more than one type of tree and sort trees by such characteristics.
Differentiation of instruction: use sentence frames, oral response frames, use of realia and visuals
for EL Students,

“What’s the difference between the reciprocal teaching strategy and the jigsaw activity?”

Jig-saw; breaking down of content, every student is doing a piece of the lesson and come back
to teach the class; in this type of learning the student will facilitate their own learning; this
includes group roles (e.g. note taker, time keeper, presenter, editor) which allows ownership of
learning

Reciprocal; students can participate in different learning environment but have the same
content

“What is the difference between Practice and Strategy?”

Practice: What you want to learn; what will you do?

Strategy: the means by which you do it; how will you do it?