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The Scholastic Reading Inventory: Accessing Technology and Data to Foster Reading Across the Curriculum As a future educator I have seen a very wide gap in technology from district to district and even from building to building in a district. There is one universal lesson that can be applied to all Language Arts departments. Technology within this department is much more than just word processing papers. Students need to be exposed to all aspects of technology throughout their school career in every subject area. The most important component that I would like to have in the English department is a reading inventory system that is done on the computer. The program I have experience with is the Scholastic Reading Inventory. This inventory allows the student to select different genres of prose that they would like to read. Upon completion of the survey and various comprehension questions the child is assigned a lexile number that will correspond to a grade level. This new technology is needed because it will foster choice in the classroom, give teachers immediate access to their students, and will supply other content area teachers with an understanding of the skill level of their students. This program will give students a choice in what they read. After the children select types of books that they enjoy they are guided through a set of multiple-choice questions. These questions are set up much like the English section of many standardized tests. The student is asked to pick out the definition of a word that is used in a short paragraph. The questions will vary in difficulty and depend on how the student responds to the three sample questions that get a quick measure of where to begin the process. The test will only take about forty minutes to complete. So when we choose to embrace this software the process will only take away two class periods on a standard fifty-minute class period schedule. By using the lexile level the teacher can easily access a list of books or authors that correspond with the level. This lexile level can be accessed using the Internet at http://www.lexile.com. Once you are on this site you have the option of searching for materials by author title, or subject. Many of the textbooks used in all disciplines are also accessible. In a language arts environment this would best be applied when a unit is being planned a teacher could easily select multiple novels in the same genre with similar themes and symbolism. Imagine a classroom where your students were all able to excel at the higher level theme readings without having to worry about the difficult words standing in their way. In this type of learning environment the children are able to explore what they want within a few guidelines. Students are always more likely to take responsibility for their work if they are able to have a direct interest. This could potentially get educators to the intrinsic motivation stage that we have always dreamed of. This program, and many like it offer the teacher immediate feedback. As soon as a child does the inventory the teacher is able to easily access their information. The teacher can immediately find out who is a beginning reader, who is proficient, and who is advanced. The teacher is also able to see what genres of writing that the children prefer. This personalized information would be very helpful when purchasing or considering starting a class library. This software is quick and we do not have to wait weeks for snail mail like we do when we are pacing the floor nervously awaiting state or national test scores. Administrators and educators do not need to be concerned with students gaining access to information about their peers. The Scholastic Reading Inventory can easily be installed on a stand alone computer in a teacher’s room. There is no reason to have this program present on the lab computers or in other areas where students are able to use technology. There is little to no risk of students finding out this information when it is put on a single computer and not accessible throughout the building. When this reading level inventory is used at the beginning and end of the school year the information could be easily distributed to other content area teachers. This would be most beneficial when applied to the science and mathematics fields. Often times these materials are on a higher reading level and difficult for even the most advanced student to understand. The wording and vocabulary choices are much more difficult to follow than those that are typically found in a Language Arts classroom. When this survey is finished at the beginning of the year it would be simple to print out class list for each teacher or department. This would let the educators know that a child may be proficient in math, but may also just have difficulty with reading. This will prevent later problems in the content areas that tend to build on each other throughout the school year. This software will change the face of education. Teachers will no longer have to sit and wonder why their students are not completing reading tasks or why a student is so skilled verbally but refuses to read. The answers are all in the skill level of the students. Once we are given a tool to easily access this information the answers to our burning questions will become crystal clear. The immediate feedback and ease of accessibility will ease the tension of many of the No Child Left Behind standards. The software is easy to install, offers ongoing training, has great funding assistance potential, and is supported by company that has supported educators and schools for decades. There are only two steps in the installation process of this software. First the program for students must be installed on the computers the children will be using to complete the inventory. Then the management software is installed on the computer that the teacher plans to use to review information. The reading inventory and the management suite are both password protected and can only be accessed by the people they are intended for. Specific examples of resources offered by the management suite may be accessed through http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/sri/management.htm. This site will show sample reports, sample alerts, and much more information. This will give teachers a chance to know exactly what they are getting into. These examples would be safe to explore and would in no way threaten to damage data that is collected. Getting an understanding of this management system before it is installed will give teachers an opportunity to train themselves at their own pace without having to worry about potentially damaging data or the program. Ongoing training and support is offered for this program. The scholastic company is willing to conduct hands on workshops to prepare teachers to use the program. They also offer seminars on how to effectively insert this software and its findings into preestablished curriculums. Free hard copy information is also provided once the item is purchased. There is documentation explaining how to use the software and how to apply the lexile information in your classroom. All of the professional development information can be accessed at http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/sri/profdev.htm. There is also great funding assistance potential through this company. Scholastic recognizes the following grants and programs including but not limited to: Title 1, Title 5, Reading First, GEAR UP, and Upward Bound. Many of these programs are applied to many districts that are in need of improvement. We should use the resources that are provided because of No Child Left Behind instead of just getting angry and defensive with the regulation brought upon by this act. The Scholastic Assistance Office even provides information on applying for grants at their company and many others. A step by step procedure for completing the paperwork and is provided on their funding site http://www.scholastic.com/administrator/funding/fundingconnection/. The Scholastic company has been a supporter of education for decades. As a child I can remember reading and checking out many books from the school library with this common read and white label. I am sure that a company that has been around for many years we are able to easily trust and use the resources that they provide. There is no need for skepticism or fear when it comes to working with a company that we all have fond memories of. The price of this software does not compare to the feedback and resources that it provides. I realize that $2,000.00 is a lot of money. I am sure that this will be money well spent. I am also certain that grants and other funding is a legitimate opportunity for our district to investigate. All of the information can be accessed at http://www.cesa7.k12.wi.us/newweb/content/literacy/READS_Grant/documents/SRI_OF_F03_FINAL.pdf. I invite you to experience this technological revolution. Let’s move the Language Arts Department into the 21 st century and ensure that none of our children are left behind. |
