I had a blog post in mind for this week, and I even took pictures, and then somehow I deleted the pictures, and I can’t find them on the cloud or in the cloud or above the cloud so it will have to wait for another day.
Ho hum.
Whatever.
It’s Saturday!
I want to clarify something on last week’s post about the Benchmark Assessment Kit, otherwise known as B.A.S. Who knew it would be such a hot topic? Not me. I thought I was all alone in my feelings. Not so. Not so AT ALL.
However, I did feel as if one or two people thought maybe I had concluded that the B.A.S. was a worthless pile of kindling to be used for building fires upon which then I would make some s’mores, and have a glass of wine with friends while wearing autumn clothes and being wrapped up in cozy blankets.
But I honestly do not think that.
Nope.
I don’t know it well enough to even state an opinion about the worthiness of it or lack thereof.
In fact, I didn’t even use it this week to assess my kids when I had a sub in order to do so.
HOLY COW I CANNOT BELIEVE I JUST PUT THAT IN WRITING EVERYONE PROMISE NOT TO TELL ON ME.
PROMISE!?
Okay.
My whole team decided we were overwhelmed and needed to STUDY THE KIT LIKE WE WERE STUDYING FOR THE S.A.T.’s, and we were taken by surprise that our sub day was on Monday. You usually get to pick your day, but our district has changed the way this works, and most subs were only available on Wednesdays which, by the way, is our early release day meaning we would lose an hour of assessment time. I MEAN, COME ON.
I’m sorry, but an assessment kit, of any kind, whether it’s the B.A.S. or This or That, should NOT make us break out into a sweat and stress us out to the point that we sort of feel like crying.
IT SHOULD NOT.
We had NO TIME to prepare. We were trained on a Monday and the training portion of the kit only lasted an hour and a half. The rest of the training was on guided reading. Then we found out on Thursday that our sub day was Monday.
HELP.
S.O.S. on the B.A.S.
So.
We made a unified decision that we would use our old kits as a JUMPING OFF POINT. As a way to lessen our stress, alleviate anxiety, and use our time wisely. We knew we would be able to get through ALL of our kids using the old kit. Then we could use the old kit scores and the conversion chart to get a B.A.S score so that the next time we need to do a running record, we have a better idea of where our kids might start in the B.A.S. You know. Rather than going in blind and just staring at the kid and wondering if he is a C or a D or LMNOP.
Doesn’t that just make sense?
We made a pact we wouldn’t tell anyone we were using the old kit.
And then all throughout the day on Monday, everyone kept asking us how it was going with the B.A.S.
And we were like . . . um . . . well . . . you see . . .
And then we all confessed. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
And every single person said that makes complete and total sense.
Our union rep even said well, yes, you get a grace period, you don’t have to use it first trimester, they said that.
I wonder what I was doing when they said that.
Digging for the Butterfinger candy bar in the dish that came around?
Going to the bathroom for the fourteenth time?
Doodling?
Dozing?
Anyways, you don’t have to actually promise not to tell on me because, apparently, it’s okay that I didn’t use the kit this first time.
Who knew?
Not me.
I did get through all of my kids. I know exactly where everyone is now.
AND WE FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY STARTED READING GROUPS, TOO!
FINALLY!
This year has started out so slow and yet, so fast, and then we lost that week at the beginning of the year due to the Holy Fire . . . and I just feel so behind!
But it’s okay! WE STARTED. That’s what matters.
Anyways, to sum up last week’s post and today’s post: I would just like to rule the world and conduct running records when I want to, when it fits into my schedule, and the rest of the time, (THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME), I would like to teach. I’m not hating on the B.A.S. one way or the other. 🙂
Have a great weekend, everyone!!
PS Don’t cry over assessment kits. Really. Don’t do it. Use your tears for This is Us. Because it’s back on and that’s what tears are for. Obviously.
Don’t feel bad. I think whenever they turn things upside down with something new (and as important as an assessment tool), it takes time to integrate it into what you know works well. I teach first and just finished my second week of reading groups (and we started school Aug. 20!). We got a new online assessment tool called Literably which I dabbled with at the end of last year. Well, “in my professional opinion” (I learned that from a CTA representative and you can say that and not get in trouble), you shouldn’t have a 6 year old reading into an iPad and expect to get good results! 3 of the kids that got referred to intervention got pulled out when their parents filled me in on how they were not struggling readers. I would have known that had I been able to do my traditional 1:1 reading assessment! That put me really behind this year. I still feel like I am figuring out what my kids can do, and conferences are just around the corner. Hang in there!
Omg I so glad I read this! We go for training on Tuesday. All last year we were never told we could still have a sub for running records. We assumed with not doing reader by 9 that ship had sailed. Well long story short we put in for a sub back in August. Our day was before we knew we were scheduled for this new training. So we used the old kit too. After hearing you mention or someone in the thread that they will test at least 2 levels lower with the new kit freaked me out. I was like how am I going to explain this to parents if their reading grade goes down! I’ve done reading groups for a month now. I was so excited they were making good growth. Now I’m feeling like maybe I should’ve waited and use the new kit after Tuesday and try to do new running record on at least my lower half of my reading groups! Stressing out!
Omg I so glad I read this! We go for training on Tuesday. All last year we were never told we could still have a sub for running records. We assumed with not doing reader by 9 that ship had sailed. Well long story short we put in for a sub back in August. Our day was before we knew we were scheduled for this new training. So we used the old kit too. After hearing you mention or someone in the thread that they will test at least 2 levels lower with the new kit freaked me out. I was like how am I going to explain this to parents if their reading grade goes down! I’ve done reading groups for a month now. I was so excited they were making good growth. Now I’m feeling like maybe I should’ve waited and use the new kit after Tuesday and try to do new running record on at least my lower half of my reading groups! Stressing out!
Well said. I am in your same boat and would have done the same thing. We did guided reading training last week we don’t know when we are being BAS trained so we have to use something else. We printed Reading A-Z assessments for now. So glad you have not started reading groups yet, I started after you and have felt like a loser since I have not done groups yet. Hoping to soon.
Just as an FYI Fountas & Pinnell make their assessment kits pretty easy to use. In fact, there are word lists in the back of the BLM book that you can use to determine your starting level for students… there is a little chart that says if student gets 11-20 words right on list 2, start them at a C for example (those numbers are not accurate!). And the list is pretty spot on for a starting place for most students. And honestly, if you’ve ever done a RR or used the LLI (leveled literacy intervention) program from F&P it’s the exact same process. I’ve been using Benchmarks for a long time and they really are accurate and well made. And nothing to be scared of or overwhelmed by- so much easier than say a CASI (I teach junior).
we call it F&P ing – say that loud 🙂
I’m so with you. This will be my second year using B.A.S. in 3rd grade. Last year was brutal because I had to give so many to figure out where kids were. It’s very different than the assessment we used before. I’m hoping this year will run more smoothly! And, like you, I’m hoping to get some teaching time in between assessments. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Jan
Laughter and Consistency