Week Four

This week I was able to participate in AIMSweb training for two days. AIMSweb is a program for grades 1-8 that measures student reading and comprehension through oral reading assessments. I learned how to administer and score the assessments and how to enter the information into the software. I also learned a lot about setting goals and progress monitoring. TCMS will be using this program to assist the measurement of the students in 1st period reteach. Teachers divided students into either reteach or enrichment groups based on WestTest scores, reading comprehension tests, and teacher observation. In the 5th grade, 5 teachers are teaching reteach. With room for only 8 kids in each class, the list had to be narrowed down to 40 kids. However, they is a chance this list will change when the program actually gets underway.

Although the training presented a lot of valuable and interesting information, many of the teachers were frustrated because they can't even begin to use it yet. The server is still down at the school, making it impossible to use AIMSweb or even check out library books. Technology can be a fabulous learning tool...when it's working. It can be very complicated to integrate technology when the school has a lack of resources or if those resources aren't available or aren't functioning.

Another grievance I overheard was that AIMSweb measures student progress but doesn't give any techniques for how teachers can help the students improve. If there were more focus on the intervention and less on the measurement, it might have been more beneficial for me.