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Company Correct Placement Is Important for
Students' Success in Read Naturally
Correctly placing students is crucial to success in Read Naturally. When working in Read Naturally, the instructor must determine the right combination of reading level and goal rate for each student. The reading level and goal rate need to be challenging enough to require the student to work hard to pass the stories but not so challenging that the student becomes frustrated or discouraged.
You may already assess students using a fluency assessment tool such as Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor (RFBA) or DIBELS, but it is not appropriate to use these assessment results to place students in Read Naturally. To correctly place a student, you must separately test the student for placement using the process in the Placement Packet or the placement program included with the Read Naturally Software Edition or Read Naturally ME Decision Assistant.
Students often place a full year or more above their reading level. Students using the Read Naturally strategy are successful in levels above their instructional levels because of the support provided, such as the audio support in the Read Along step. In the Read Along step, students read along multiple times with a narrator reading a story with expression and accuracy. This audio support helps students work above their actual reading levels. The goal is to challenge students by placing them in stories that they initially cannot read accurately or at an acceptable rate. As they move through the steps, their ability to read the story with accuracy, expression, and comprehension increases.
Checking Placement
Once a student has finished two or three stories, check the student's data to see if he or she is placed correctly. Refer to the student's story pages, graphs, and/or student reports to find the necessary data.
To check placement, ask yourself:
- Is the cold-timing score about 30 less than the goal for students below fifth grade or 40 less than the goal for students in fifth grade and above?
- Can the student read at the goal rate after practicing 3 to 10 times?
- Is the hot-timing score at or just above the goal?
- Does the student answer most of the questions correctly?
A student is correctly placed when most of his/her data fit within these suggested ranges for cold and hot timings, number of practices, and comprehension questions. Use these guidelines and your teacher judgment to determine if placement is correct.
If the student has been placed incorrectly, explain to the student that you made a mistake when placing him or her. Then, adjust the student's level or goal as needed.
