Setting the Scene

  You have to 'love' a challenge! There is nothing better, as an educator, than to have to think beyond the usual... beyond the norm, to not only engage and invigorate the learner, but more importantly the practitioner!    My challenge... How to better support my students to read between the lines not only for the purpose of 'Inference' but also 'Evaluation' where they are able extrapolate even more information not found in the text? This moves us into the area of Critical Literacy where deeper meanings are uncovered in relation to personal situations and context and may also challenge the assumptions of the author.  Investigation and breaking down of the Probe tests indicated both Inference and Evaluation required further support. This was also indicated in the PAT Reading Comprehension where Local and Global inference were noted as areas requiring further development.  This baseline data will be reviewed at the end of the year using both the Probe and also PAT

Preliminary Findings:  Week 6 of Term 1 we began our school wide testing. For this Inquiry I will be mainly focussing on Reading. The PAT Reading scores were pleasantly surprising leaving me feeling somewhat encouraged that I was on the right track. However, Probe testing illuminated more areas of concern and need for focus.  Although both PAT and Probe results had shown improvement there is still work to do to continue to push those who are 'Below' up and continue the trajectory of my 'At's and Above's.'  My two 'Well Below' students are my greatest concern. These are the students reading at 8.5-9yrs of age.                             From my testing to date, including anecdotal notes from discussion and questioning, my Preliminary Findings  show all students show strengths in their ability to read with fluency, expression and decoding unfamiliar words with ease. However, areas of concern, limiting progress, can specifically be noted within Inference a

Coming into a CoL position in Term 2 leaves you feeling a little behind the 8 ball. Fortuitously, I did have a fascination, a question... so to speak, which I wanted to investigate further. Why is my use of 'Process Drama' not showing a perceived shift in Reading similar to that in Writing when studies have shown increases in 'Literacy' across the board? My question has collided this year with our in-school Professional Growth Cycle and also the Manaiakalani Cluster wide Inquiry into Reading. Although we can see shift both in school and throughout the Cluster the rate is slowing over time, particularly in Yrs 7-10.  Is there something I am omitting during my teaching of process drama or is the data collection not illuminating the full story? Are we assessing Reading Age through the lens of prescribed testing method which doesn't take into consideration transference of inference or comprehension beyond the testing platform... which may not reflect the students presen