Emily Fitzgerald
TEDU 566
Case Study Report
Student Background
__________ is in the fourth grade in a Richmond Public School. She is 9 years
old, and has attended this school for four years. She primarily lives with her mother
and younger brother, who is in the first grade. The examiner learned from the
interview that Regan likes to use her imagination to create stories that she acts out
at home. She also enjoys drawing and playing tag with her friends. In class, Regan
likes playing math games and reading stories about animals.
Regan was identified for this remedial tutoring in reading and writing based
on last year’s assessments. Overall, Regan has a positive attitude about reading, and
enjoys reading recreationally, as well as academically.
Regan’s percentile ranks for the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey are
72% in recreational reading nationally, 95% in academic reading nationally, which
brings it to 89% in full-scale percentile on a 100-point scale nationally. The data
indicates that Regan enjoys completing reading assignments, tests, and likes when
her teacher asks her questions about what she has read. She also enjoys receiving
books as presents and really enjoys going to the bookstore. The scores show that
Regan enjoys reading recreationally, as well as academically.
Writing Skills
Ideas and Content
Organization Voice Word Choice Sentence Fluency
Conventions
4:ProficientEvident main idea with some support, which may be general or limited.
3:DevelopingAttempts at organization, may be a list of events. Beginning and ending not developed.
3:DevelopingVoice may be inappropriate or non-existent. Writing may seem mechanical
3:DevelopingWords may be correct but mundane. No attempt at deliberate choice.
2:EmergingOften choppy. Monotonous sentence patterns. Frequent run-on sentences.
3:DevelopingLimited control of conventions; frequent errors do not interfere with understanding.
Stuck to a central main idea
Supportive details.
Beginning and ending not developed.
More of a list.
Voice not developed.
Imagery not developed.
Run-on sentences.
Little variety.
Lack of punctuation.
Regan was given a picture prompt, and was asked to write about whatever
came to mind when she looked at the picture. Regan completed a pre-writing web,
and had a number of observations about the picture. Regan was able to complete a
writing sample in five minutes and showed great interest in the picture prompt.
Regan’s writing stuck to one main idea, which can be seen throughout the writing
sample and the following example. “I see to giraffes they are big and small they have
cdors of them they are brown and white” Regan stayed on the topic of giraffes
throughout the writing sample. In all, Regan scored 18/36, using the 6+1 trait
rubric.
In the Ideas and Content section, Regan scored a 4 because she stuck to a
main idea, and added supportive details. In the Organization section, she scored a 3
because the beginning and end of her writing were not developed, and the writing
was more like a list. “they have long neks there noes look funny and there eyes look
close there is also a spoon a knife and a fork and bowls” is an example of a section
showing that her organization was more list-like. In the Voice section, Regan scored
a 3 because the voice of the writing was not developed. In the Word Choice category,
Regan scored a 3 because there was no deliberate choice and imagery was not
developed. In the Sentence Fluency category, she scored a 2 because the paragraph
was one run on sentence and there was no variety. Lastly, Regan scored a 3 on the
Conventions category because of the lack of punctuation. During the writing sample
assessment, the student had a little bit of trouble getting started. She completed a
web for prewriting, but began to get stuck as she began to write. The student looked
at the instructor a few times, checking to see if they were done with the writing.
Towards the end of the writing assessment, the student began to add more
irrelevant details because it seemed that she was running out of ideas.
Word Knowledge
Words Their Way Primary Spelling Inventory
Number of Feature Points Number or Words Spelled Correctly
Level
53/56 22/26 Early Syllables and Affixes
Known Using But Confusing Absent
Initial and Final ConsonantsShort Vowels
Inflected Endings
DigraphsBlendsLong Vowel PatternsOther Vowels
The Primary Spelling Inventory places Regan at the Early Syllables and
Affixes level. Words that she missed were chewed, clapping, and riding. She missed
3/26. Regan knows initial and final consonants, short vowels, digraphs, blends, long
vowel patterns, and other vowels. Regan is using but confusing inflected endings.
For example, she spelled chewed as “chewd,” camped as “campted,” clapping as
“claping,” and riding as “rideing.” During the Primary Spelling Inventory, the student
seemed to be a little tired. Regan was overall confident, but seemed to be slightly
distracted by the amount of noise in the room where it was being administered.
QRI Word List
Level Total Automatically Identified
Total Identified
Total number correct
Functional Level
First 20/20= 100% 0/20= 0% 20/20= 100% Independent
Second 20/20= 100% 0/20= 0% 20/20= 100% Independent
Third 16/20= 80% 1/20= 5% 17/20= 85% Instructional
Fourth 17/20= 85% 1/20= 5% 18/20= 90% Independent
Fifth 16/20= 80% 2/20= 10% 18/20= 90% Independent
Sixth 7/20= 35% 3/20= 15% 10/20= 50% Frustration
Regan is able to identify words automatically and independently at the First
and Second grade levels. At the third grade level, Regan was able to identify 16/20
of the words automatically, 1/20 of the words were identified, making it a total of
17/20 correct. This places Regan at the instructional level at the third grade. Regan
is able to identify words independently for the fourth and fifth grade levels. At the
sixth grade level, Regan is able to identify 7/20 words automatically, 3/25 words
were identified, making it a total of 10/20 correct. I did not see any patterns in the
words that Regan had difficulty identifying. This places Regan at frustration at a
sixth grade level. During the QRI word lists, the room was a little noisy. Regan
seemed to be distracted by the noise and had some trouble transitioning between
different lists.
Reading QRI Passages
Passage LevelTitle
Type of Text
Prior Knowledge (Score/Rating)
Quality of Prediction
Oral Reading(Score/Rating)Total Accuracy and Total Acceptability
Fluency Retelling(Number of Ideas/Rating)
Comprehension
OverallLevel
Level 3:A Special Birthday for Rosa
N 10/1283%Familiar
3 Accuracy: 98% INDEPENDENT
115/113 WPM/WCPM
20/3263%
IMP:4/4100%EXP:5/5100%TOT: 8/8100%INDEPENDENT
IND
Level 4:AmeliaEarhart
N 9/1275%Familiar
3 Accuracy: 99%INDEPENDENT
91/90WPM/WCPM
12/1866.6%
IMP:4/4100%EXP:3/475%TOT: 7/887.5%INSTRUCTIONAL
INS
Level 5:MargaretMead
N 1/1010%Unfamiliar
1 Accuracy: 97%INSTRUCTIONAL
99/96WPM/WCPM
6/1833%
IMP:2/450%EXP:3/475%TOT:5/862.5%FRUSTRATION
FRUS
The student was asked to read a level three reading passage “A Special
Birthday for Rosa.” The student completed this passage very quickly. This passage
was familiar to the student, who scored a 10/12 for the concept questions. The
student read with 98% accuracy, with a total of 7 miscues. The majority of the
miscues in this passage were insertions of words such as “and, on, of, and the.” The
student read 113 words correct per minute. Regan was able to retell 20/32 details
about the passage. The student answered 8/8 of the implicit and explicit questions
correctly, placing the student at an independent reading level. There were no look
backs.
The student was asked to read a level four reading passage “Amelia Earhart.”
This passage was familiar to the student, who scored a 9/12 for the concept
questions. The student read with 99% accuracy, with a total 4 miscues. The student
had a lot of repetition throughout the passage. The student read 90 words correct
per minute. Regan was able to retell 12/18 details about the passage. . The student
answered 4/4 of the implicit questions correctly, and 3/4 of the explicit questions
correctly, placing the student at an instructional reading level. There were no look
backs.
The student was asked to read a level five reading passage “Margaret Mead.”
This passage was appropriately difficult for the student. During this passage, the
student began to get frustrated towards the end. The instructor also noticed that the
student seemed bored during this passage, because she already had completed two
before this. This passage was unfamiliar to the student, who scored a 1/10 on the
concept questions. The student read with 97% accuracy, with a total of 10 miscues.
The majority of the miscues in this passage were insertions, such as “and, the, and
of.” The student read 96 words correct per minute. Regan was able to retell 6/18
details about the passage. The student answered 2/4 of the implicit questions
correctly, and 3/4 of the explicit questions correctly, placing the student at a
frustration reading level. There were no look backs.
The student can handle narrative texts more successfully in terms of
comprehension, but enjoys reading expository texts when they are related to
science or animals. Regan does not use any comprehension strategies during her
readings. The student’s performance shows the instructor that she should work on
comprehension of expository and narrative texts. Regan is very strong with her
word identification.
Listening Vocabulary Knowledge
Student Chronological Age 9 years and 3 months
Raw Score 133
Standard Score 94
Percentile Rank 34
Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) 42
Stanine 4
Regan’s chronological age is 9 years and 3 months. The student’s basal set
was established at set 8, with the student missing 1. The student’s ceiling set was
established at set 13, with the student missing 8. The student raw score was 133,
which gave the standard score of 94. Regan ranked in the 34th percentile, meaning
that 66% of students scored higher than her, and she scored the same or above 34%
of students her age. The Normal Curve Equivalent was 42 with a Stanine score of 4.
The student’s score places her in the low average score range on the graphical
profile.
During the PPVT, the student began to get distracted by the noise around the
room. There were students completing the same PPVT nearby, and at one point, she
noticed that we were on the same word. The instructor was able to pause so that the
other group could surpass them, but it was hard to hold the student’s attention
during the assessment with the noise level and movement around the room. The
instructor thinks that this was not Regan’s best work, because the environment was
noisy and distracting.
Summary of Assessments
According to the Interview and Garfield Assessment, Regan has a positive
attitude when it comes to reading. She also enjoys Science, and only likes math when
they can play math games. Regan does not enjoy Social Studies, because she says it is
difficult to learn about people that aren’t still around. Regan enjoys playing with her
friends, making up stories, and performing them for her family. With the Garfield
Assessment, Regan placed in the 72nd percentile nationally for recreational reading,
meaning that 28% of students scored higher than Regan, and she scored the same or
above 72% of students her age. Regan placed in the 95th percentile nationally for
academic reading, meaning that 5% of students scored higher than Regan, and she
scored the same or above 95% of students her age. Her combined scores place her
in the 89th percentile for her grade nationally, meaning that 11% of students scored
higher than Regan, and she scored the same or above 89% of students her age.
The student’s writing sample provided an evident main idea, with
descriptive supporting details. The beginning and ending were not developed, and
the writing came off as more of a list. The student’s voice was not developed, and the
came off mechanical. The sample lacked deliberate word choice and imagery was
not developed. There were frequent run-on sentences and a lack of punctuation
throughout the sample. The student showed potential for improvement and has a
positive attitude about writing.
The Words Their Way Primary Spelling Inventory placed Regan in the
Early Syllables and Affixes Stage. Regan knows initial and final consonants, short
vowels, digraphs, blends, long vowel patterns, and other vowels. Regan is using but
confusing inflected endings. Words that she missed were chewed, clapping, and
riding. There was pattern of spelling between the student’s Primary Spelling
Inventory and writing sample.
The QRI Word Lists showed that Regan is able to identify words
automatically and independently at a First and Second grade levels. At the third
grade level, Regan was able to identify 16/20 of the words automatically, 1/20 of
the words were identified, making it a total of 17/20 correct. This places Regan at
the instructional level at the third grade. Regan is able to identify words
independently for the fourth and fifth grade levels. At the sixth grade level, Regan is
able to identify 7/20 words automatically, 3/25 words were identified, making it a
total of 10/20 correct. This places Regan at frustration at a sixth grade level. Regan
identifies words in context more than she identifies words in isolation.
The QRI Reading Passages showed that Regan is reading at fourth grade
reading level. Regan reads in independently at the third grade level, instructional at
the fourth grade level, and frustration at the fifth grade level. While reading “A
Special Birthday for Rosa,” the student was able to recall 63% of details from the
story. Regan was able to answer 100% of the implicit and explicit questions
correctly. While reading “Amelia Earhart,” the student was able to recall 66.6% of
details from the story. Regan was able to answer 87.5% of implicit and explicit
questions correctly. While reading “Margaret Mead,” the student was able to recall
33% of details from the story. Regan was able to answer 62.5% of implicit and
explicit questions correctly.
The PPVT assessment placed the student’s Basal Level at set 8, with the
student missing 1. The Ceiling Level was established at set 13, with the student
missing 8. The student’s raw score was 133, with a standard score of 94. Regan
ranked in the 34th percentile, meaning that 66% of students scored higher than her,
and she scored the same or above 34% of students her age. The Normal Curve
Equivalent was 42 with a Stanine score of 4. The student’s score places her in the
low average score range. The instructor believes that this is not Regan’s best work,
because the student was distracted by the environment and had trouble focusing.
The student also became disinterested by the end of the assessment because she
was unfamiliar with some words.
Recommended Instructional Plan
Phonics:
Looking at the student’s Primary Spelling Inventory, the student is using but
confusing inflected endings. The starting point of instruction will be the ending
–ed. The student will complete a closed word sort of -ed (d) and –ed (t). The student
will also read a decodable text created by the instructor, called Picnic in the Park.
The student will read the text, and highlight the words ending in –ed, then classify
them depending on the end sound (t or d.) The student will also use the iPad,
whiteboard, and magnetic letters to complete blind sorts on –ed to practice spelling.
After the student has mastered the first sort, the second sort to complete
would be –ing. The student needs more exposure to double and e-drop with –ing
endings. The soundboard can be used with both of the sorts listed above. For
example, -ed can begin with waited, dated, wanted, jumped, and continue on. It is
difficult to get them in an order to transition nicely from one to another, but can be
phonetically beneficial for the student.
Vocabulary:
Looking at the student’s scores on the PPVT, which fall in the low average
range, the student would benefit from vocabulary instruction. The student will read
nonfiction-leveled texts. The first being “Science Around the House.” The student will
be given a construction paper booklet. Every time the student begins a new page,
they will first locate the bolded vocabulary words. The student will be directed to
the glossary, where they can find the definition of the word. On each page of the
construction book, the student will write the word, their idea about what the word
means, the definition, and a picture or phrase that will help the student remember
the word. The student would also benefit from practicing with the Frayer Model. As
the student reads a leveled text, they can front load the vocabulary using the Frayer
Model. This gives the student a chance to form a definition, examples,
characteristics, and non-examples that will help the student remember the word in
order to use it in context.
Fluency:
To increase fluency, the instructor will provide the student will different
poems. The instructor will read the poem aloud to the student, then the instructor
and student will chorally read the poem. With this strategy, the teacher models
fluent reading to the student, and then practices alongside the student. Once the
student is familiar with the poem, they will have the opportunity to read the poem
alone. The student would benefit from more punctuation practice. In order to help
the student abide by punctuation, the instructor will read a short passage while not
abiding to the punctuation. In turn, the student will critique the instructor on what
went wrong and how the reading could improve. This will give the student a chance
to hear what the passage sounds like without punctuation so that they can
understand it’s importance in reading.
The student would also benefit from practicing fluency with expression. The
instructor should provide the student with a sample from a famous speech, such as
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. There are also recordings of the
speech that can be shown to the student so that they can have an example of
someone modeling fluency. The student can practice reading the speech after
listening to the audio, and can even try to mimic the speaker’s expression. This
activity can be found on page 253 of Improving Reading.
Comprehension:
When working with the leveled text, the student will be given the
opportunity, at the end of each page, to talk about what surprised them most. The
ideas will be written down and collected throughout the leveled text. At the middle
and end of the book, the “surprises” will be revisited. The instructor will ask
questions such as:
“How do all of the surprises relate?”
“Were any of these surprises clarified in the book?”
“What do you want to know more about?”
Using these questions, the surprises can also be tied back to the vocabulary
construction paper book listed under the “vocabulary” section.
The student may also benefit from completing a K-W-L chart prior to reading
the expository-leveled text. The student would complete what the student already
knows, and what they want to find out before reading the leveled text. After the
student finishes reading the leveled text, they will fill out the section on what they
learned during their reading. This activity can be found on page 355 of Improving
Reading. Lastly, the student may benefit from completing an HQQ chart for their
reading. H stands for heard, or “What I heard about a topic.” The first Q stands for
question, or “questions we have before reading. The second Q stands for question,
or “questions I have after reading.” This activity can be found on page 382 of
Improving Reading.
Writing:
Looking at the student writing sample, the student should begin with topic
sentences and introduction paragraphs. The instructor will look at the expository-
leveled text with the student. The student will be asked to point out the
introductions throughout the book. With the use of this mentor text, the student will
be given a bag with different topics in it. The student will draw a topic out of the bag,
and will be asked to write a topic sentence and introduction that goes along with the
topic, as if there was going to be a book written based off of the introduction.
Sample topics include: weather, sports, flowers, dogs, cats, the jungle, etc. The
student could also benefit from pre-writing strategies. The student is familiar with
pre-writing webs, and could use more instruction on how to add supportive details
to the main idea.
Technology: The student will be given a poem for fluency that also has a recording
of it being read. This will help the student because the recording is modeling fluent
reading and the use of voice and expression. http://www.poetry4kids.com/
The student will be given a word sort using the iPad.
This can heighten the student’s engagement and is a good break from completing
the paper sort. The app “Sticky Notes Free” gives a great app where sticky notes can
be manipulated in order.
A digital text will also be used from A-Z Reading, “Animal Discoveries” in order to
work on comprehension and fluency. First, the student will listen to the recording of
the book being read, and then the student will read it out loud to the instructor.
There is also a comprehension e-quiz that goes along with this text found online.
https://www.raz-plus.com/books/leveled-books/book/?id=1955
Formative Assessment
Running Record Data and Analysis
Date Book Level
% Accuracy
SCR Text Level IND, INS, FR
Errors M
Errors S
Errors V
SCMSV
10/26/1
6
Q-R 100% N/A IND 0 1 0 1-S
11/9/16 Q-R 100% N/A IND 0 0 0 0
11/16/1
6
Q-R 98% N/A IND 0 2 1 0
11/21/1
6
R 98% N/A IND 0 0 1 0
The running records were all giving based on the student’s Fountas and
Pinnell reading level, which was identified as level Q. All of the texts chosen for the
running records were expository texts that were familiar to the student.
The first running record was from a leveled text Q-R titled “Science Around
the House.” The student had one self-correction during the 179-word passage. Her
accuracy was 100%, which placed her at an independent level for this passage. This
passage had been read once before the running record was taken. The student read
at a steady pace throughout this running record. The instructor continued with the
Q-R leveled text because the student’s comprehension level was behind their
reading level.
The second running record was from a leveled text Q-R titled “Science at the
Grocery.” The student had no miscues during the 129-word passage. Her accuracy
was 100%, which placed her at an independent reading level for this passage. This
passage had been read once before the running record was taken. The instructor
noticed that there was a high level of repetitions during the students reading. The
instructor continued with the Q-R leveled text because the student’s comprehension
level was behind their reading level.
The third running record was from a leveled text Q-R titled “Science at the
Grocery.” The student had three miscues during the 181-word passage. Two miscues
were syntactically similar (structure), “it” in the place of “is”, and “carbondrate” in
the place of “carbohydrate.” One miscue was graphically similar (visual), “nutrients”
in the place of “nutrition.” Her accuracy was 98%, which placed her at an
independent reading level for this passage. . This passage had been read once before
the running record was taken. The instructor decided to increase to an R leveled
text because of an increase in the student’s comprehension skills.
The fourth running record was from a leveled text R titled “Animal
Discoveries.” The student had two miscues during the 133-word passage. One
miscue was a told word to the student “olinguitos.” One miscue was graphically
similar (visual), “ecadoor” in the place of “Ecuador.” Her accuracy was 98%, which
placed her at an independent reading level for this passage. . This passage had been
read once before the running record was taken. This leveled text caused us to focus
mainly on vocabulary strategies, because the vocabulary was very difficult.
The running records did not show progress over time because of the increase
in reading level as time went on. The running record scores also had a lot to do with
the student’s mood that day. The instructor noticed that the longer the student has
been sitting and reading before the running record was administered, the more
miscues the student would have.
Reassessment/Accomplishments
Words Their Way Primary Spelling Inventory
Number of Feature Points Number or Words Spelled Correctly
Level
55/56 23/26 Early Syllables and Affixes
(-pping)
Known Using But Confusing Absent
Initial and Final ConsonantsShort VowelsDigraphsBlendsLong Vowel PatternsOther Vowels
Inflected Endings (-pping)
The student was reassessed using the Words Their Way Primary Spelling
Inventory. Regan showed improvement from the last assessment. Regan spelled
chewed correctly. Regan also improved by getting the feature correct for camped
and riding. The student spelled 23/26 words correctly, compared to the 22/26 from
the first assessment. She received 55/56 feature points. Compared to 53/56 from
the first assessment. Her results placed her in the Early Syllables and Affixes stage,
which is the same as her first assessment. Regan had growth in the Early Syllables
and Affixes stage by her increase in feature points. This shows the instructor that
Regan was learning the feature points, but may need more assistance on spelling.
Towards the end of the reassessment, Regan seemed to be distracted by the other
instructors in the class that were administering the Primary Spelling Inventory to
their students in other areas of the room. Regan continued to look around to see
what words the other students were spelling at the time. This seemed to be a large
distraction to Regan.
Phonics
The student showed growth throughout the sessions with her knowledge of
Early Syllables and Affixes, Inflected Endings. Her phonics instruction had a focus on
inflected endings, such as –ed, and –ing. The student spent a lot of time with the
different sounds like –ed can make, specially –ed (d) and –ed (t). After mastering –
ed, Regan began working with –ing, double consonants or e-drop. Words such as
hopping and hoping were included in this sort. The student showed great
improvement with the use of inflected endings, and had a higher feature point count
than her first assessment.
Fluency
The student’s fluency growth was very noticeable when the fluency rubric
was used to assess her poem readings. The first fluency rubric was assessed on
10/12/16 during a reading of the poem “The Perfect Cup of Cocoa.” Regan received a
3/4 for expression and volume, a 3/4 for phrasing, a 4/4 for smoothness, and a 3/4
for pace. The second poem was completed on 11/21/16 during the reading of the
poem “My Invisible Dragon.” Regan received a 3/4 on expression and volume, a 4/4
on phrasing, a 4/4 on smoothness, and a 3/4 on pace.
The student has a lot of practice with phrasing in relation to fluency. A lot of
punctuation instruction was completed during the fluency time in tutoring sessions,
which shows in the increase of the phrasing section between the first and last
fluency rubrics. Regan was given fluency practice during running records, leveled
texts, and read alouds, as well as the daily poem.
Writing
The student’s writing improved over the course of the tutoring sessions. In
the beginning, the passage needed work on organization, run-on sentences, and
word choice. In her last writing activity, Regan created a topic sentence, used
punctuation, and showed some deliberate word choice. The first writing sample was
organized like a list, while the most recent sample shows flow. Regan showed
considerable growth over the short amount of time that reading was worked on
during the tutoring sessions.
Vocabulary
The student showed improvement of vocabulary knowledge through the use
of the leveled texts. Regan completed the first two leveled texts by using a
construction paper book to write down words, their definition, and a picture of what
the word meant to her. This activity helped Regan to remember the vocabulary
words from the leveled texts. Another activity that was completed for vocabulary
was Frayer Model. The Frayer Model helped Regan understand vocabulary more
than the construction paper book. The instructor found Regan trying to use the
vocabulary in context during conversation about the book.
Comprehension
The student’s comprehension skills grew over the course of the tutoring
sessions. The student benefited from activities like the KWL chart that helped her
connect her prior knowledge to what she learned during the readings of the leveled
texts. The student also completed a lot of look backs during read alouds and leveled
texts to make connections further in the reading. Regan also benefitted from the
completion of an HQQ chart on the whiteboard. She was able to make connections
between the things that she has heard, the questions she had before reading, and the
questions that she had after reading. The student also became comfortable asking
the instructor for help with comprehension, and reminders on how to look for
information in texts we have read.
Technology
The student was always very engaged during the use of technology. The
instructor caught on to the engagement, and began using the iPad for leveled text
instruction. Regan was much more interested in anything that she did on the
computer or the iPad than what she completed on paper. Regan had great
accomplishments completing sorts using the sticky notes app during her phonics
instruction. Regan also became familiar with different apps and how to operate an
iPad.
Attitude Toward Reading
The student began the tutoring sessions with a great attitude towards
reading and it carried throughout the entire semester. Regan was always excited to
begin a new book or try something new. The instructor tried to choose books that
were interesting to Regan, and it was very helpful in holding her interest. The
student had a consistently positive attitude about reading.