New, engaging web-based
assessment programs
to strengthen student skills
by Cathryn Mellon, BYDS Curriculum Specialist
Beth Yeshurun is excited to announce the recent adoption of two new assessment tools to help evaluate our students in grades 3-5 so that we can more effectively tailor instructions to our individual student's needs. The first is the Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment (DORA), a comprehensive and reliable web-based assessment that diagnostically measures students' reading abilities. Like having a reading specialist in every classroom, DORA adapts to students as they respond to each question in the online program, getting harder or easier as needed to complete the diagnosis. DORA's interactive style makes testing fun and engaging for students.
The eight sub-skills of reading assessed by DORA are: high-frequency words, word recognition, phonics, phonemic awareness, oral vocabulary, spelling, reading comprehension, and fluency. By examining multiple reading measures together, DORA reveals a student's unique reading profile, allowing teachers to tailor instruction to individual student needs, and more effectively guide classroom instruction via small groups. It also helps us to share students' reading profiles with parents and prescribe activities so that you can help your child enhance and develop his/her skills at home.
The second new assessment tool, the Writing Practice
Program (WPP) is offered by the same company that creates the Writing Assessment Program (WrAP) that 3rd through 5th grade students will take in the spring. Dozens of grade-appropriate animated tutorials entertain as they teach writing skills. Aligned to six scoring categories, the activities are designed to improve the six traits that will be tested on the upcoming WRAP exam: voice, support, sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions. The software used in WPP Online provides instant scoring that shows the skill level of each writing sample. It immediately tells students where their strengths and weaknesses are so that they can review and revise their essay for a better score. Each student's practice test scores are saved to a personal history page containing a table of all practice tests taken, graphs depicting score progress, and a breakdown of time spent on tutorials. Students will practice one essay per month so that they can compete against themselves to improve with each subsequent essay.
At BYDS, we are privileged to have your trust and support and are committed to providing the best education possible for your child. We feel that these additions to our current program will help our teachers and parents gain a clearer picture of each child's current progress. In addition, it will empower our students with the knowledge of their own strengths and weaknesses, and the ability to improve them through practice. May each year bring all of us more successes than the last!
Beth Yeshurun Day School is ready to entertain families on Tuesday morning, November 22, in front of what is expected to be the largest audience of the school year. The Elementary School program will kick off the Thanksgiving Program / Special Friends Day at 9:00am in the Pulaski-Rausch Auditorium of Congregation Beth Yeshurun. The Early Childhood students---the "two's," "three's," and Pre-K classes---will stage their program beginning at 10:30am in the Freedman-Levit Sanctuary of the Congregation. 
