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Project Title: Mobile Observational Reading Assessment: mCLASS™:Reading 3D™
School / Organization(s): Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland
Wireless Generation, New York
Web site: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/
http://www.wirelessgeneration.com/
Contacts / Presenters: John Burke, John_Burke@mcpsmd.org
David Stevenson, dstevenson@wgen.net
What purpose does your assessment tool serve? Enables teacher administration of K-2 reading assessment, including DIBELS®, Reading Record, and Balanced Literacy assessment measures, using a handheld computer. Upon synchronization, data is aggregated centrally and presented in classroom, student, and school-level reports to support instructional planning and parental communication.
Please indicate the category that best describes your project:
Technology as an Assessment Tool:
NCLB Statewide Assessments (Preparation, Delivery, Analysis)
Classroom Assessments (tests, quizzes)
Electronic/Digital Portfolios
Computer Scored Essays
Information Management Systems
Tools for Observation of Student Work/Behavior
Special Needs/Alternative Assessments
Other: Tools for Observation of Teacher Practice
Assessing Technology Skills (NETSŸS and NETSŸT):
Digital Transcript
NCLB 8th Grade IT Literacy
High School IT Graduation Requirements
IT Certifications (Cisco, Microsoft, etc.)
21st Century Skills
Other:
How long has this assessment tool been in use within your organization? The MCPS Primary Reading Assessment (including the Reading Records and Balanced Literacy measures) has been under development and in use in paper form in MCPS since 2000.
mCLASS™:DIBELS® (the DIBELS assessment measures) and mCLASS™:Reading (Reading Records) have been in use in MCPS since spring 2004.
mCLASS:Reading 3D – the synthesis of mCLASS:DIBELS, mCLASS:Reading, and the MCPS Primary Reading Assessment, was co-developed by Wireless Generation and MCPS and has been in use in 19 schools since January 2005.
Who is the audience for this assessment tool? K-2 reading teachers, reading specialists, principals, and district administrators. The assessment tool is used by teachers and specialists; the data is used by teachers, specialists, principals, and district administrators.
What technology is used?
Handheld computers – Palm Pilot devices, used by teachers and specialists;
Desktop computers, connected to the internet – Synchronization stations, used to upload assessment data and download roster data;
Desktop computers, connected to the internet – web browsers, used to view student, class, school, and district data.
Approximately how many people are currently using this system?
What professional development (for students or assessors) is required to use the tool? Minimum of two days of training for assessors. In MCPS, the software is part of a larger reading initiative under which teachers have received 100 hours of professional development, covering assessment and instructional practices.
To use the tool effectively, what else should the school have in place? The assessment measures should align to the school’s (and district’s) reading assessment program.
The school should have high-speed internet access. The school should have (or be interested in developing) a culture of data-driven conversations on student reading.
If you haven't already addressed it, how does your tool help students or teachers demonstrate that they are meeting standards? The DIBELS instrument is a nationally normed, gold standard measure of children’s reading ability, and is directly aligned with the five big ideas of Reading First. It provides data on students’ risk status and supports the progress monitoring of students on key reading skill areas.
The Reading Record benchmark standards and Balanced Literacy measures are MCPS locally developed measures, directly correlated to student performance on the TerraNova CTBS. They provide data on students’ reading levels and performance on key early literacy skills.
The complete assessment is a rapid yet comprehensive measure of students’ pre-reading and reading ability, directly aligned to national standards.
What are your next steps in developing or implementing this tool? This fall, the software will be rolled out to all 125 elementary schools in MCPS, and is currently being evaluated by several major urban districts. Ongoing development will continue to refine the reporting and instructional coaching based on feedback from the field.