Morgan Frye, M.Ed.

Master of Science in Education


Fountas & Pinnell Assessments



Table of Contents



Introduction
Student F&P Assessment Samples
Beginning of Year (BOY) F&P Data
F&P Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring
Investing Students in F&P Data
How I Use Student Data to Drive Instruction
Conclusion




Introduction





What is Fountas & Pinnell and what does an assessment look like?



Fountas & Pinnell is the assessment system that we use at Ingenuity Prep in order to assess student reading levels and drive instruction in our Guided Reading block. It is a system of leveled letters that increase in difficulty as the alphabet progresses. Students in the pre-reading stages are usually level AA, which is where the majority of my students began in Kindergarten. Students have their individual reading level that allows for them to read independently during silent reading time or during centers. They also have an instructional level (usually the next reading level above their independent level) that allows for students to work with a teacher and practice their skills in order to increase their levels.


Assessments typically run on a quarterly basis with progress monitoring in between, and data is collected, analyzed, and utilized to drive Guided Reading instruction and student level placement. Student's levels are also recorded on their report cards for parents to see. Per Ingenuity Prep's pacing, Kindergarten students will finish on-level if they end the year on a reading level D.


During an assessment, students read the lines of text in the leveled book, and their accuracy, fluency, and comprehension of the text is recorded by the teacher. The number of words that a student reads correctly (or self-corrects) divided by the total number of words in the student's accuracy rate, and that determines what level text the student is on. If a student scores above 94%, the text is too easy. If a student scores close to 94%, that text is at the student's individual reading level. If the student scores below 94%, the text is too difficult for the student.



Above is the F&P Level A Book, "Best Friends." This book is read aloud by students to determine their reading level. If students succeed in reading this book with a 94% accuracy rate, it is their independent level book.



The text in a level A book is on one line. The language follows a pattern, and the picture directly corresponds to the word that differs from the pattern on each page.




Student F&P Assessment Samples





How can student samples help us understand where we are and where we're going?



Below are student samples of F&P reading level tests that were taken at the beginning of the school year and at the end of the first quarter. I am currently compiling data into assessment binders that allow for students and parents to track growth over the course of the school year in different ways, including readings and sight words. Fundations letter recognition and letter sound assessments will be included in the student binders as well, so there will be a clear picture of current student progress. Students who know some letters, no sight words, and who are on level AA are considered to be "on grade level" at the beginning of Kindergarten. After the first quarter, students will need to be on a level A and know all letters and letter sounds to be considered "on grade level" by Ingenuity Prep standards. Students who fall below this target are monitored closely in order for them to succeed in the classroom.



Above is a student's F&P assessment data, where the student assessed at their correct reading level. This student will receive instruction on a level B, with their independent reading level as level A.



Above is the comprehension assessment attached to the F&P reading level test. The assessment does not just address student fluency, and student's comprehension affects the overall score for a student's reading level.



This book is the assessment text used for level A in the Fountas & Pinnell assessment system. The student reading this book was given the pattern on the first page and given a short introduction as to what the book was about. The student is currently modeling the transferrable strategies that we have focused on for the first nine weeks of school. These strategies include placing a finger under every word, which this student does for every page. Another transferrable strategy that this student is demonstrating is using the picture to determine the last word in the sentence. In early level books, students read literature that follows a pattern in order for them to practice reading with repeated language.



Beginning of Year F&P Data





Why is beginning of year (BOY) baseline data important to have?



Since my students are in Kindergarten, the majority of my students were unfamiliar with several letters and letter sounds when they first entered the classroom. For Guided Reading and the F&P data that we collect as the beginning of the year, students were expected to learn the pattern of a text that is established at the beginning of a book and use that pattern throughout the text (students don't need to know all of their letters or letter sounds to do this). Students use the pattern as well as a "using the picture" strategy to read. Most level A books in the Fountas & Pinnell system have one line of text with this pattern. As we are moving throughout the second quarter, Guided Reading assessments will be one of the best tools that we use to ensure that students are growing in their reading levels. Beginning of year (BOY) data is important in monitoring this progress throughout the year- if we have no baseline to compare progress monitoring data with, then we cannot effectively and successfully monitor student growth throughout the school year or successfully plan for effective and targeted instruction.


Fountas & Pinnell also assesses sight words to ensure that students will meet the minimum sight word requirement for Ingenuity Prep's Kindergarten sight word benchmark. When generally referring to F&P data, we focus on the reading level of students, but F&P is used to assess different skills as well.



Above is a beginner high frequency sight word assessment for the beginning of the year (it is not expected that students know any sight words for the BOY).



Above is our class sight word tracker. While Ingenuity Prep does not track sight words with consistency throughout the year, I ensure that I am tracking sight word progress for my students to meet the sight word benchmark for the end of the year.



Above is a beginning of year (BOY) letter tracker sheet that tracks both uppercase and lowercase letters. This is another assessment that F&P tracks, although we generally track letter recognition and letter sounds with Fundations.



Above is an example of a student F&P assessment. The checks indicate the student said the correct word. This assessment is important because it allows for me to hear every student voice. I needed to read one-on-one with this student as there are speech concerns that were brought to light with this assessment and I have data to accurately refer the student to speech services.




F&P Data Analysis and Progress Monitoring





What can an analysis of the data tell us about student reading levels?



Analyzing student F&P data gives a clear picture of what levels students are currently reading on and what skills they need to master in order to move to the next reading level. Analyzing data also allows for teachers to see what skills need to be retaught in whole group as well as skills that need to be targeted in small group or one-on-one with students in interventions. Currently, we are also tracking skills of print concepts, one-to-one tracking, and using the picture. Progress monitoring students is about moving student reading levels, ensuring that students are using the transferrable skills successfully, and making sure that students who need differentiated instruction are getting what they need to be successful. Student accuracy levels are recorded, and students who need further testing to gather more accurate pictures of their current reading level abilities receive that testing.



Above is our cassroom letter identification tracker. Students who are highlighted in red are consider to be "at risk" for not knowing all of their letters by the end of Kindergarten. Students who entered Kindergarten knowing at least sixteen letters were considered to be "on track" for knowing all their letters by the end of the school year.



Above is the tracker for student F&P levels after we completed the initial baseline testing for students. This data shows both the students' independent reading levels and their instructional levels when working with the teacher in Guided Reading center groups.



Above is a graph of the BOY student reading level data pictured above as a visual. This data shows that the majority of students entered Kindergarten on a pre-reading level, or level AA. Students need to be reading on a level D by the end of the school year to be considered ready for first grade.



Above is a graph of the latest reading level data for my students. This last progress monitoring data was taken in the middle of November, in the middle of the second quarter. At the end of the second quarter, students are expected to be reading on a level B. Almost 30% of students are at level B or higher already, and 60% of students are currently only one level below the expected benchmark. The 8% of students who are two levels below benchmark are receiving differentiated and targeted instruction in Guided Reading Centers.



This data collected shows that students are growing in reading levels, and the graphic shows that there are several students who are growing much faster than anticipated, but that there are also students who are not growing as quickly as needed. When analyzing this data, I take into consideration the students who are still reading independently on a level AA and their current progress in the classroom. Some students came into the classroom with the inability to correctly hold a pencil or write their name, and progress has still been made and deserves to be celebrated. Some students scored significantly higher during the reassessments in comparison with the BOY assessments, but were still unable to move beyond level A. Some students are only a few percentage points shy of moving to the next level. These situations are all taken into account when thinking about next steps for students and how teachers can push to grow students.




Investing Students in F&P Data





We can engage our students with public and student-facing trackers.



Some ways that I am engaging students in their data in the classroom is through our public F&P data tracker and private F&P reading level trackers that allow students to see exactly where they started the year and how much they have grown over the last several months. The public tracker (pictured below) does not show students where they began the year, which can make it more difficult to invest students in the process of growth. However, students love to see their names move up the mountain on their llamas. The private trackers allow students to see what reading level they entered Kindergarten on and what level they are on now. Students are more invested in the private trackers as they are able to color the graph and see their growth. Students also become invested in their data by understanding what it means- I have introduced different books and their reading levels to show students the books they can read on their own as they continue to grow their brains. Below is our F&P public tracker that shows students what reading level they're on. The theme of our room is Our Kindergarten Adventure- with lots of llamas! Students love seeing their llama figure move up the mountain.



Above is our llama reading level tracker with student names on each llama. Students love to see their llama move up the mountain when they move up in reading levels.



Above is a video example of my student facing trackers with which students interact. This involves students in the process of data and growth monitoring and it invests students in their own growth and learning. After progress monitoring, students are able to color their trackers to their current reading level and see how much growth they have accomplished over the last three testing sessions. Below are examples of student trackers after they finished coloring- some students are already close to meeting their end of year reading level goal!



Above is a student tracker that shows how much a student has grown over the last few months. This student started on level AA (pre-reading) and has already grown to level C! Daily Guided Reading instruction has helped so many students achieve their goals with purposeful planning and targeted instruction.



Above is another tracker that shows how much a student has grown over the last few months. This students started the school year on level AA and is now on level B.



Above is another tracker that shows how much a student has grown over the last few months. This students started the school year on level A and is now on level C.



Above is another tracker that shows how much a student has grown over the last few months. This students started the school year on level A and is now on level C.



How I Use Student Data to Drive Instruction





How do I use data to make informed decisions about instruction?



When planning lessons and thinking about the layout of Guided Reading groups, I think about my students, their current reading levels, and the skills they need to continue to practice in order to grow reading levels. I am intentional about Guided Reading groups, and I make sure that students who are in the same Guided Reading group are on the same instructional reading level and need the same skills practice. There are six Guided Reading groups in my classroom, and while we briefly saw each group daily (for the month of October) we realized that students were not able to receive high-quality and targeted instruction in such short group times. After restructuring based on student data, we now see low groups four times a week and high groups three times a week. This allows for higher-performing students to practice independent skills during Guided Reading centers and lower-performing groups to have more small group instruction with the teacher. Below is the most updated running record of my class F&P data, and I use this data to decide on group placement and which groups need which instructional skills the most.



Above is our Fountas & Pinnell Reading level chart that shows where students need to be by the end of the school year and the current progress that they are making with benchmarks and progress monitoring.




Conclusion





Where to next?



Using the F&P data in order to ensure that students are growing is a large part of our classroom success. Ingenuity Prep prioritizes this data over others in order to show that students are growing in fluency and comprehension. Becoming successful readers that are engaged and focused requires consistent efforts by the teacher to ensure that assessment data is being used and utilized by all stakeholders in the process. Using this data throughout the year will also give teachers in higher grades a clear picture of where students will be when they enter first and second-grade classrooms.