Case
Resource Students

Mrs. Ross' class consist of 4th and 5th grade resource students. She teaches 4th and 5th grade ELA in the afternoon together. Her students are on a 1st to 2nd grade reading level. Mrs. Ross incorporates both sets of standards when teaching, but because the standards build on each other she leans more toward the fourth grade standard to give her students a stronger foundation. When it comes to unit testing, Mrs. Ross feels that both sets of students would benefit from taking the fourth grade assessment, and only assessing the 5th grade students on the standards that 4th grade does not address. What should Mrs. Ross do?

Posted on: 10/19/14 | Views: 813
Solution #1
Mrs. Ross' class is standards based and the standards must be covered and taught. If 5th graders are not assessed at a 5th grade level then the students will go through the same cycle again in 6th grade. Mrs. Ross needs to assess the 5th grade standards.
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Solution #2
In ELA, many of the standards are similiar in 4th and 5th grade and can be taught together. The fifth graders need exposure to the fifth grade curriculum because they will be assess on the curriculum at the end of the year. They should take the 5th grade assessment.
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Solution #3
I feel like, although the standards do build on each other, it is imperative that she exposes her 5th graders to the 5th grade standards because that's what they will be tested on, especially when it comes to the end of the year tests (Georgia Milestones test). I think the 4th grade standards are a good place to start at the beginning of the school year, but those students need to see the 5th grade standards. Mrs. Ross can take the standards and modify them in a way her students could understand, if they struggle with that.
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Solution #4
Although the curriculum does build on each other, the 5th graders need exposure to the 5th grade standards due to end of the year testing. It is extremely hard to juggle all of this. When you feel that the overall class is doing well on a standard, I would place the 4th graders on a computer program or independent work that is geared for that standard, while I worked with my 5th graders on their standards that go a little farther than the 4th grade's. I would suggested modifying the tests for the 5th graders to incorporate 4th and 5th grade standards.
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