Section 1: Academic Achievement - National Center for School ...

They have determined that by the end of 1 st grade and on up through other grades, the most
accurate indicator of reading success is oral reading fluency (how many words per minute a
student can read.) The University of Oregon has set minimum benchmark levels for each
grade level. Essentially this means that in order to be a successful reader the students need to
be able to read a certain number of words per minute. Students who do not reach the
benchmark are then labeled “at risk.” These “at risk” students are then targeted for additional
reading instruction to help raise their fluency and increase their success as readers. The lower
the number of students “at risk” in the school, the more effective the instruction is according
to Reading First. This is a required assessment for the Reading First grant we were
participating in and it is data we used at the building level on a regular basis. The 2005-2006
was the 2 nd year we had used this assessment. I looked at building level numbers first so I
could compare my students to the building results, then I separated out my H&HM students.
2004-2005 2005-2006
Students at risk
Students at risk
Beginning of End of year Beginning of End of Year
year
year
1 st grade No data 53% No data 48%
2 nd grade 26% 46% 62% 47%
3 rd grade 41% 56% 58% 56%
4 th grade 63% 70% 64% 65%
When comparing student achievement from last year to this year using the DIBLES
information, I noticed that school wide the students made much better growth. During the
2004-2005 school year the number of at-risk students had actually increased during the year at
every grade level. During the 2005-2006 school year, several grade levels were able to
decrease the number of at-risk students, however, the 4 th grade showed a slight increase. In
addition, when I compared the end of the 2004-2005 school year with the end of the 2005-
2006 school year, we were successful in lowering the total overall number of kids at-risk at
three of the four grade levels. Third grade had the same percentage of at-risk students for
both years. Our school wide data showed some of the same successes as the state wide
reading assessment.
Action Research to Study Homelessness and High Mobility in School Communities 90