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The ground is covered in snow here in Minnesota, which reminds us of many things. Bundle up, drive carefully, and don’t forget those winter benchmark assessments! The recommended testing window is December 19 – February 6. Once the testing is complete, how can you make the most of the data you collect?

When you have data from both fall and winter assessments, you can analyze the student’s week-by-week growth in fluency. This growth can be compared to the Average Weekly Improvement (AWI) table to give you a more complete picture of the student’s progress.

Congratulations to Star Student Seth S. from Dunlap, IL! Seth is a third-grade student at Hickory Grove Elementary School. Seth’s teacher, Linda Siekmann, had this to say about him:

You've likely heard the old saying, “to everything there is a season.” This timeless wisdom applies to many aspects of life—including, yes, benchmark assessments.

After Read Naturally implemented Benchmark Assessor Live assessments, we realized a need to reinforce the importance of following testing date guidelines. To ensure the most accurate data, schools must conduct benchmark assessments during specific periods of the school year, and these tests should be a certain number of weeks apart.

​Congratulations to Star Student Dash R. from Yorktown, IN! Dash is a third-grade student at Yorktown Elementary School. Dash’s teacher, Amanda Webster, had this to say about him:

Here at Read Naturally, we love hearing a great success story! We are always so thankful to educators who take the time to reach out to us and share their excitement and the excitement of their students. Recently, Susan Kruger, educator and author, sent us a story about her son:

Last week, we discussed the importance of using the Read Naturally placement passages to place your students in Read Naturally. Yet even if you follow that procedure to a tee, some students will perform unexpectedly. Therefore, the next step in the placement process is to evaluate each student’s initial placement to ensure it was correct.

Congratulations to Star Student Chase A. from Pawcatuck, CT! Chase is a seventh-grade student at Pawcatuck Middle School. Chase’s teacher, Elaine Temel, had this to say about him:

Years ago, Read Naturally cofounder Candyce Ihnot asked a little boy named Christopher about his experience shopping for new shoes. “How many pair of shoes do you usually try on?” she asked. Christopher responded by rattling off several numbers, which helped Candyce make her point. In order to find the best fit, kids often need to try on a number of different styles and sizes. Similarly, students new to the Read Naturally program need to “try on” a few levels to find the fit that’s exactly right for them. We call this process placement.

Every word has a story. The more pieces of the story you know, the more likely you are to remember the word’s meaning. For example, during this high season of political discourse, consider the word ballot. This word originated in Italy and translates to “small ball or pebble.” Italians once voted by casting a small ball or pebble into a box, which explains why, in English, a ballot is a device for casting a vote. To students learning the word ballot, the story of the ancient Italian voting system, as well as the connection to the word ball, will likely help them retain the meaning of the word better than if they were asked to simply memorize the definition. And wouldn’t it be fun to teach them these little clues and bits of trivia?

Congratulations to Star Student Cody F. from East Burke, VT! Cody is an eleventh-grade homeschooled student. Cody’s mother and teacher, Juanita, had this to say about him:

Make Your Student a STAR!

Read Naturally Star of the Month​Share your student’s success story—nominate him or her for our Star of the Month award. Win a Barnes & Noble gift card for the student and a Read Naturally gift certificate for your class!

pointer Submit a Star-of-the-Month entry

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