12- Kramer's DRA

The literacy coach returned today to assist me with a Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA). Kramer continues to worry me. He is the lowest reader in my class and has been quickly falling behind with his lessons.
My students are told to pick “Just Right” books for themselves during silent reading times. This means that the students select books that are just right for their personal reading ability. The choices the kids make vary from lengthy chapter books to short picture books. Kramer is the only student in my class who selects picture books with very few words, printed in large font.
People don’t always realize the negative avalanche effect that poor reading skills have on learning. If a child can’t independently read, then he or she can’t follow along in the textbooks studied in class. How can a student pass a written test if they can’t read the questions or write out the answers?
Reading is crucial in every subject area. Illiteracy is the number one downfall of a student’s career. Teachers do the best they can to help improve their students’ reading skills, but they never have the time required for each individual student. A major predictor of a good reader is home literacy. The best readers in class come from homes where there are many books and the parents read for pleasure.
A DRA usually takes anywhere from thirty to forty-five minutes. The assessment involves having the child read several different short books. The teacher picks a book that she thinks is closest to the child’s reading level, and then also selects a slightly harder and a slightly easier book. The three books are presented to the student, and the child is given the opportunity to pick which book he wants to read first. As the student reads aloud, the teacher keeps a running record of his miscues, or reading errors. If the student scores below a certain percentage on the running record, then the teacher will have the child read an easier book. Sometimes, a DRA will be held in several different sessions until the teacher can determine the student’s appropriate reading level.
The literacy coach met with me and Kramer while my other students were at Music. We told Kramer that we needed his assistance and that he had the very special job of helping us learn to be better reading teachers. It is always important to make sure that the student does not feel uncomfortable. We did not want Kramer to feel insecure, like he was being singled out. Luckily, due to his sweet and trusting personality, Kramer never realized that we were testing his reading skills.
We selected a range of books that were on a first grade level for Kramer to read. His eyes lit up when he found a book about a big brother taking care of his baby sister. Kramer went on to tell us all about how he also had a little sister and that he loved to help his mother take care of the baby. He decided to read this book first.
Kramer read the story with great difficulty. It was painful to listen as he struggled over words such as “bottle” and “tickle.” He genuinely wanted to read well for us and it was heartbreaking when he would pause and admit, “I’m sorry, I don’t know that word.” The literacy coach realized by the third page of the story, that Kramer had made enough miscues to fail that level. She began to help him, when he needed it, to hurry the story along.
We concluded that Kramer reads on a high Kindergarten level. He can read common sight words, such as “the” and “and” and “you.” Kramer has not learned any of the basic reading strategies that other children typically utilize. We tried to teach him “chunking”, breaking words into pieces to sound them out bits at a time. We also suggested he use the book’s illustrations as clues as to what the words are and mean. I am going to request that he be sent to the Reading Recovery teacher a few times a week. Reading with Kramer made me feel very sad. It also made me feel hopeful and ambitious. I want to be the teacher that turns his life around. I have decided that, by the end of the school year, Kramer will know how to read. He may not catch up with his classmates this year, but he can learn the tools to set him on the right track.