Third Grade | How is My Child Performing in School?
CMS will evaluate your child’s reading three times a year using mCLASS, a universal screener that measures reading skills using DIBELS and TRC assessments. They will also take MAP Growth tests. Results, which should be given to families, will indicate the skills your child should learn to become a great reader.
Reading Levels
Knowing your child’s reading level is key to matching them with just the right level of book; not too easy and not too frustrating. This is their “independent” reading level.
Reading Level Targets for Students
RIT Score
Your student’s achievement level on the MAP test. You can find out more about the RIT scale here.
DIBELS
(Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is a series of short tests that assess early childhood (K-6) literacy.
TRC
Text Reading Comprehension assessment evaluates how well your child can read and understand a short story.
MAP Growth for Reading
Measures for Academic Progress (MAP), is a computer adaptive test, which means every student gets a unique set of test questions based on responses to previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions get harder. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions get easier. The purpose of MAP Growth is to determine what the student knows and is ready to learn next. They will receive a RIT score, which allows you to compare your students’ performance and growth with other children their age.
The Third Grade Report Card
Your child will receive a report card at the end of each school quarter (Fall, Winter, Spring, and end of the year). In CMS they give a number score for each subject. A good rule of thumb is a grade below 80% is a red flag and an indication that your child is struggling in that subject area.
EOG - End of Grade Reading Assessment
At the end of the 3rd grade, your child will take their first official standardized test (standardized meaning every test taker answers the same questions and is scored in the same way across the state). The Reading Comprehension test consists of about 50 multiple choice questions to test if your child can read proficiently on grade level. If they fail, they can be held back and not promoted to 4th grade. The results are shared with parents.
To see sample test questions, click here.
MTSS: Multi-Tiered System of Support
On the report card there will be a box in the top right-hand corner labeled “MTSS,” which describes what level of support your child is receiving in their class.
- Tier 1 means that they receive classroom-wide support with all students.
- Tier 2 means they are being pulled for small group interventions and have been identified as needing more support. If your child has a check next to Tier 2 this is a red flag for you to know that your child needs more reading support.
- Tier 3 means they need more intense, one-on-one instruction with a teacher. If your child has a check next to Tier 3, this means that your child has been identified with specific struggles in learning. Students who do not respond to Tier 3 interventions are often referred for special education. But parents don’t need to wait—they can request an evaluation from their public school at any time.
