First Grade Takes A Test

Who's the smartest person in the first grade? When the teacher hands out a test, everybody can't wait to find out. But only lucky Anna Maria does well enough to move to a special class. Is getting the best grade all that matters?

A teacher wisely convinces her first-grade students that even though they did not do very well on a multiple-choice test, there are some abilities a test cannot measure.

When the lady from the principal's office brings a test for the first grade class, the children have trouble with the test and feel bad. Fortunately, their teacher explains that a test doesn't reflect important things like creativity, kindness, and friendship.

Read Along or Enhanced eBook: Mrs. Hartwell is preparing her class to take the Big Test. Knowing they have studied and are well-prepared, she helps the students practice how to sit quietly, fill in the bubbles, and follow the directions. She even instructs them on proper morning-of-the-test nutrition. As her students grow increasingly anxious about the Big Test, Mrs. Hartwell realizes she has to teach the most valuable test-taking skill of all: learning to relax!

Grade-specific exercises and practice tests to prepare students for various standardized tests including the California Achievement Tests, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and the Stanford Achievement Tests.

Synopsis: In their new collaboration, Celia Genishi and Anne Haas Dyson celebrate the genius of young children as they learn language and literacy in the diverse contexts that surround them. Despite burgeoning sociocultural diversity, many early childhood classrooms (pre-K to grade 2) offer a "one-size-fits-all" curriculum, too often assessed by standardized tests. In contrast, the authors propose diversity as the new norm. They feature stories of children whose language learning is impossible to standardize, and they introduce teachers who do not follow scripts but observe, assess informally, respond to, and grow with their children. Among these children are rapid language learners and those who take their time to become speakers, readers, and writers at "child speed." All these learners, regardless of tempo, are often found within the language-rich contexts of play.

The third edition of Assessing Readers continues to bridge the gap between authentic, informal, and formative assessments and more traditional quantitative and summative assessment approaches. Designed to assist educators and reading specialists in making informed decisions about not only what to assess, but also how, it provides teachers with a menu of qualitative assessment options, encouraging them to consider their own values and beliefs in light of the goals they have for the students they teach. Building on nearly four decades of theory, research, and practice, it is up to date with current research and offers specific assessment, instruction, and organizational ideas and strategies. With an emphasis on comprehension, motivation and engagement, and developing strategic knowledge, Assessing Readers offers a road map for teachers trying to meet the demands of increasingly rigorous standards. Features include examples of student-centered assessment, ideas for organizing and managing differentiated instruction, sample lesson plans, and authentic case studies. Accessible and practical, the third edition empowers pre-service and in-service teachers alike, encouraging them to think about the importance of their assessment and instructional choices and supporting them with the tools they need to achieve their goals and meet the needs of all students. Changes in the Third Edition: A new focus on literacy development and developmentally responsive instruction Expanded coverage of emergent literacy and the assessment of foundational skills, including concepts about print, storybook reading, phonological and phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, and concept of word in text A new section on assessing vocabulary and morphological knowledge Expanded coverage of response to instruction/intervention (RTI) New information on assessment and instruction of culturally and linguistically diverse students Increased attention to issues of social justice, educational equity, and anti-bias practices