I just have to share about some awesome assessment software I have been trying these last few days. It is called ESGI - Educational Software for Guided Instruction. It is a web based assessment program that allows you to quickly and easily asses your children. There are remade assessments already loaded or you can make your own assessments - I have not tried that because the preloaded ones were just what I needed - letter name (capital/lowercase) letter sounds, initial sounds, rhyming, number identification, shapes, patterning, coin identification, cvc words...the list goes on and on! I have been testing for 2 days and I am 3/4 of the way done. What I love about it is that I can even assess on the go! I just take my iPad and we are good to go!! The kids think it is big fun too...especially with the iPad. I can't wait to finish and print out the parent results letters, and even individualized flash cards for each of my students. Our county uses Dibels as our main assessment tool, but I like having this so I know exactly what letters they don't know, not just how many they can name in a minute!! I am excited to use this to help guide and individualize my instruction as much as possible.
So, we have made it to 6 minutes for Read to Self which I am super excited about!!! We are so close to me being able to actually pull a short 10 minute small group!!! They get so excited when I color in their stamina graph. I had a good giggle to myself today when I had some kids model the wrong way to Read to Self. This one little girl was having a hard time working the whole time and was spending a lot of time looking everywhere but her book...so I immediately rang my chimes and brought everyone back to the carpet. I asked this same little girl, who by the way is probably the quietest kid I have, to model Read to Self the wrong way. I was a little unsure if she would really get into it and do the "wrong" thing.... but she SOOOOOO did! It was so cute. She totally copied the way I did it when I introduced Read to Self. I sometimes forget that some of my kids actually pay attention and remember what we talk about!!
O.K - before I go, I have to make a confession...I have a problem...My name is Ashley and I am a cronic classroom re-arranger! There I said it!! I feel better. This afternoon, after my hubby came by to pick Whitnee up for piano lessons, I re-arranged my entire room in less than an hour!! I always do it in the late afternoon, so no one sees - although everyone at school is pretty used to my addiction. :) I never know how the room arrangement is going to work in real life, and if it doesn't work, I can't stand it - so after a week and a half in my room with real life kids - all I can say, is that it was NOT working for me! Traffic areas were congested, seating was not working for me, and I just felt like there was a lot of wasted space... I could go one and on!! :) I always like seeing the kids reactions the next day too!! :) Eventually they get used to the room moving around and just smile and say "You did it again!!" Please tell me I'm not the only classroom re-arranger around here?? I would love to hear from you and we might could start our own support group!! LOL
