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Originally Posted by Amylcd  She does fine with the AR program. The test she had the issue with is the STAR computer-reading test.
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STAR is AR's reading-level test. It's supposed to be used to give teachers an idea of what level books the student should be reading to be at the appropriate AR level.
The company never intended that test to be used for grading purposes, only for evaluation to help find the child's instructional reading level (or the child's "zone of proximal development" as the AR folks used to call it).
The STAR test is also not generally used with very beginning readers. There are too many factors that can influence its accuracy. For one thing, STAR uses Cloze-style text - in other words, there's a sentence with a blank, and the child has to choose the word that completes it correctly (multiple choice). For a young child who hasn't been in school long, this is not such an intuitive concept, and unless the students are given a lot of practice with things in this format, the scores will be pretty meaningless. Did your class get to practice long enough to get comfortable? (There is a practice section available at the beginning of the test, but I can't recall how long it is. Regardless, without having practiced the same skills with pencil and paper, a lot of kids that age will not have grasped the concept well enough to have the results be meaningful. Add in unfamiliarity with computers, a mouse, etc. and you can see why results aren't always very accurate with the earliest readers.
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Originally Posted by Amylcd They get a story sent home daily (printed out on printer paper - front and back), the kids then read this to the teacher the next day. These are the papers she always receives A's (sometimes B's) on. So, he DOES hear her read (he's even giving her A's for her reading!), yet he is "concerned" because of the tests. I have no idea what his thinking is, but I intend to find out. The expectations are high. The last AR book she came home with was a level 2.0. Again, she always does perfect on the AR tests.
The grades I see come home, and the grade she got on the report card are totally different. I plan to take 20 or more graded papers (all A's) with me to the conference, and have him explain the F.
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When you go in for a conference, I would have a list of questions ready to go. But, I'd approach the conference non-confrontationally. This situation sounds so bizarre and unbelievable, that I really wonder if there isn't some serious miscommunication going on.
Before the conference, I would ask the teacher to print out a report of your daughter's AR quizzes. He should easily be able to print this out, and it should all the quizzes (book tests) your daughter has taken, the AR level of each book, and her score on each book quiz. I'd look at that before the conference and bring it with you to the conference.
Then, here are some things I would definitely want to find out at the conference:
1. I would ask to see the specific criteria that your DD's teacher uses to figure out each grade. Ask him why he would take a .3 test as accurate - has he seen other evidence that her reading level is that low?
2. What level are her AR tests at? Unless she's taking test for books at a.3 level (and I don't think those exist - at least, they didn't use to), she can clearly successfully read more difficult books.
3. Why is he basing her grade on the STAR test (or whatever he outlines when asked question #1) rather than on the work that is coming home and the AR quizzes? If he says he uses STAR for the grades, ask him what the rationale for that is. Keep pointing out that STAR is a placement test, and ask why he would base grades on a placement test, not on the actual work he sees.
4. The AR company itself says that when a child can score 80% or higher on a book quiz, he or she understood the book. Consistently scoring at 100% might be a sign that the child is reading books that are too easy (but this would have to be determined taking a lot of other things into account), and consistently scoring below 80% would be a strong sign that the child was probably reading books that were too hard (though, again, the teacher would need to use his or her judgment). The AR company itself (which, again, MAKES STAR) would not suggest following STAR results that are clearly in conflict with all the other evidence.
Then, if you don't get satisfactory answers, I'd have a talk with the principal, taking along a copy of your child's AR quiz report and your child's work.
