Reason For Referral: Laurin

The results from the QRI and Gates MacGinitie test show that this student suffers from issues related to decoding, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Developing intervention plans that are focusing at addressing these weaknesses should significantly help this student.

Instructional Setting: Whole classroom usage, sometimes at desks working independently or with a partner, and also working as a class.

When writing, the student does not use appropriate spacing which makes her letter illegible. The student has deviations greater than ½ inch when using scissors to cut large geometric shapes out of construction paper. The student is shy and has difficulty interacting socially with her peers and instructors.

Review of Catalina’s fifth grade report card indicates that she met or exceeded grade level expectations in mathematics, science, as well as social studies her first term. However, she struggled in most of her reading and writing skills. Catalina met grade level expectations in acquiring and utilizing varied vocabulary, implementing strategies taught through mini-lessons and conferences, spelling, and writing effort. In contrast, Catalina needed guidance in the areas of reading with fluency and expression, using self-monitoring strategies to support comprehension, critically evaluating texts at instructional level, and reading independently for an appropriate period of time. In writing, she struggled to demonstrate mastery of capitalization,

Reason for Referral: Mrs. R was misdiagnosed with Type two diabetes a few years ago. She was re-tested and found to have Type one. The misdiagnosis by her general practitioner (GP) caused her to lose weight, become anemic, depressed, and unable to sleep as a result of taking the wrong medications. It has taken her two-and-a-half-months to have an appointment with an endocrinologist to find out she was misdiagnosed. She has been diabetic for at least 9 years.

Upon arrival, Gianna was administered an early literacy assessment. Results from the assessment revealed Gianna’s Fountas/Pinnell Guided Reading Level was a ‘D, ’ in comparison to her peers reading at a level ‘J.’ In math, her teacher noticed that she showed a “good” understanding of concepts, however when she was given independent work, she had difficulty. In September 2014, Gianna’s second grade teacher requested that she receive Academic Intervention Services (AIS) in math and reading. Consequently, she received remedial reading support by the end of September. She also received remedial math support and speech and language services (K-2 Language Development Program) the beginning of

He sometimes writes his thoughts very quickly and will need reminders of basic punctuation and capitalization. This also affects his ability to spell words. He also requires extra time to edit for spelling. He needs support in editing to make sure his ideas are organized so that the reader has enough details for a clear understanding. Alex works to complete all classroom assignments, but sometimes he needs to take more time to finish an assignment more thoroughly the first time. Alex takes suggestions for improvement of his written work. Alex's writing weaknesses impede his ability to meet grade level

According to her teacher, Julia is not meeting grade-level requirements in reading. The teachers have concerns that Julia has difficulty with reading and writing. She has begun avoiding school work and is becoming frustrated as evidenced by tears, not doing her work, being more social and distracted in class.

Anthony also began developing significant academic difficulties. For the most part, he was approaching benchmark expectations in Language Arts and, specifically, he struggled with demonstrating competencies within the writing domains. Likewise, he was having some difficulty in Mathematics, approaching benchmark expectations across measured domains. Specifically, Anthony was having significant difficulty with geometry (e.g., investigating characteristics of 2- and 3-D geometric shapes and applying transformations and symmetry). In Grade 4, academic problems in Mathematics persisted and Anthony was approaching benchmark expectations with regard to Language Arts. Notably, he continued to struggle with using a writer’s notebook and the writing process. He also had difficulty demonstrating competencies in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Issues with producing quality work (e.g., using legible handwriting and producing work that was neat and organized)

Alex left third grade reading below grade level and has not come much further. Alex is self-aware of his difficulty with reading and writing. He experiences difficulty with comprehension and fluency. He is a relatively slow reader, but seems to retain and comprehend what he is reading. The target student is willing to join in our tutoring sessions and enjoys talking about his personal interests.

Literacy: Brynlee approaches learning situations with a positive attitude and persistence. She is able to use sentence starters to help convey her ideas. Brynlee is also able to use ‘and’ in her writing to connect her ideas. She is encouraged to consistently use finger spaces in her writing to make is easier to read. She has a popsicle stick to use as a physical reminder to help organize her work. She is beginning to expand her writing by adding details. For example, when writing about our lunch she wrote, “I have a hot rod it is red”. She is also encouraged to consistently use lowercase letters inside her sentences. Brynlee has an alphabet visual on her desk as a reminder. She is also in a group for literacy that focuses on sight words and word families, which will support her in further developing her reading and writing. When reading, Brynlee is able to sound out her words and communicate her comprehension skills. She would benefit from using RAZ Kids to further develop her reading abilities. Brynlee is supported in this goal by engaging in a small-guided reading group. We focus on using

Aiden’s overall achievement in English is pleasing. He makes thoughtful contributions to class discussions and will ask questions that elicit further information. Aiden is continuing to develop his confidence and speaking skills when presenting to the class. His use of expression has improved. However, more content and eye contact was needed. Aiden reads with high accuracy but is still developing his fluency and expression. He successfully decodes unknown words and monitors his reading to maintain understanding. When writing, Aiden increasingly attempts to produce creative texts. He has experimented with figurative language to describe actions and objects. Aiden can organise his writing using paragraphs and is continuing to build his spelling and grammar skills.

Kittery is a 9-year-old fourth grader at Griswold Elementary School in Griswold, CT. According to Kittery’s mother and judging by Kittery’s favorite books, her current level of reading is early first grade, which is approximately three years below her current grade placement. As I am testing Kittery for the purposes of this class and not as my student, I chose her due to her love of school even though she struggles to learn at grade level. Her mother is concerned by her lack of growth, albeit happy that she enjoys going to school. The purpose of this testing is to identify which skills Kittery needs, so that she can enjoy higher levels of text. Through the results of the reading interest survey, Kittery enjoys a wide genre of books, including

although the student exhibited good reading skills; however, his writing skills is not great for students at his age level. The student ability to read with accuracy shows a good potential to excel in school and in the real world. The student’s progress in the ability to use computer and keyboard skills indicates good potential to meet goals stated in IEP. The student would benefit from writing assignments to increase fine motor skill needed for

Constanza shows good motor skills; she is beginning to move confidently, freely and with pleasure in a range of ways. She enjoys dancing during Music class, safely negotiating space, showing good coordination and rhythm. She enjoys physical exercise and has demonstrated an appropriate level of skill in balance, she is agile and physically confident. Constanza likes to ride the tricycle and with a little more strength on her legs she will accomplish it. Constanza participates positively in our sensory activities, engages with play dough using different tools, cookie cutters, rollers and plastic knifes and scissors. She paints, holding the brushes with a primitive grip, she frequently uses a tripod grip when a thinner brush is in her hand. She