What is BAS? Is This a Type of Fish?

I know that acronyms are used in all types of professions and education falls into the same pattern.  There are times when I speak with parents and they look at me as if I created a new language.  With that being said, I want to share a new one that is being used this year to review student's levels of reading success here at BPE.

BAS stands for Benchmark Assessment System.  This assessment takes the place of the DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment).  Teachers give the reading assessment individually to a student.  During the reading session, teachers are looking at student decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and
comprehension skills.  After the assessment is complete a level is assigned so you can know the student's independent reading level and instructional level.
Reading A-Z has a correlation chart of different reading tools to give you a general idea of the levels for a specific grade level.  I caution parents to understand that students who are becoming readers can be 1-2 grade levels above or below the levels on the correlation chart.
This assessment began in the Fall and gave teachers a baseline of where their students are with their reading abilities.  Teachers are now starting the middle of the year assessment with students who were below level at the beginning of the year.  Having this information gives teachers and the school vital reports on how well instruction is going and is there a need to adjust teaching practices.
Continue to read with your child daily so they can practice the skills needed to continue their reading success in life.

Happy Reading,

Mr. Fleming