Always there will be challenges!

I whined today -- to anyone who would listen.  I whined about giving so MANY screening tests!  This year is no different than the past several years, mind you.  It's just that when I have been screening all day, nonstop, for more than 5 days in a row, I get so bleary-eyed and overwhelmed, I wonder if I will be ABLE to ever reach the end?  I use performance data from last spring to make my initial screening list -- but ALWAYS, each teacher has 3 or more to add once the kids have started school. 

Remember that old commercial (was it in the 80's?) showing a frying pan sizzling a couple of sunny-side up eggs?  "This is your brain on drugs!"   Well, today I felt like those eggs in the frying pan:  "this is MY brain on screening 35+ students over the past 7 school days!!"

OK -- enough whining about screening for reading support.  Once this part gets over and I actually get to the part I love, which is helping at-risk learners improve their reading skills -- I'll be sunny-side-up again!

School begins again . . .

Well, here we are on the 9th day of the school year!  My eyes are dry and tired, my fingers are stiff from writing, and the children's faces are blurring together -- yes, I am screening for my Title I Reading support classes!  I had hoped to be finished by today.  I WOULD have been finished by today if the "watch list" of students could stay the same as my first draft.  However, working with 7 sections of first grade often means several additions are made to my screening list as the first week or two of school progresses.  I am glad to screen any students of concern, in order to get some baseline data, and to help analyze a student's strengths/weaknesses in reading.  I have now screened at least 6 students in each class section (and 7 or 8 students ina couple of classes!).  I still have 4 students to begin testing tomorrow and about 8 students that need to finish up.  I told my husband I am now saying all the task directions by heart -- and I am getting worn out.    Once I complete the screening process, I have the task of comparing student performance in order to determine who is "most in need of assistance".  I use the Observation Survey developed originally by Marie Clay -- it gives me lots of good information about each student -- but it takes about 30 minutes per student to administer.  I comfort myself in the knowledge that I will have excellent information to help plan the reading instruction for these at-risk students -- and the time I am spending is well worth it!  I just hope my pencil hand holds up!