It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway, back to school is a crazy time of year! You are teaching your students routines and expectations setting the tone for the school year. On top of that, you are getting to know your students and beginning the process of building relationships with each of them.
I find that I am able to build relationships when I am able to work in small groups with students. The extra attention students receive in a small group let them get to know me and lets me get to know them as a person but also how they function and think as a learner. I prioritize getting small groups up and running as soon as the routines in the classroom allow this to happen effectively!
But what do you do in intervention groups in those early days? You likely haven’t delivered a great deal of tier 1 instruction yet this year! The early weeks of the school year are the perfect time to get to know what your students have not mastered from the previous year and to get ahead of the game by tackling these deficits early on.
I have created these *free* checklists to be used in kindergarten, first grade, and second-grade classrooms. I picked 4-6 skills from the previous grade level that students MUST know in order to be successful this school year. Understanding where each of your students performs on each of these skills will help you to hit the ground running!
When Will I Get This Done???
You may be wondering, when will I possibly have time for another assessment or to use this checklist at all at the beginning of the year??? Here are some tips to help you out!
- The full checklist does not need to be conducted at once. Think about the most efficient way to learn about each item.
- •Consider which items are rote skills that a parent or TA could assess.
- •Does your district give a universal screener that addresses some of these items? Use those results to mark off the checklist!
- •Is there a quick way to incorporate this assessment into your daily routines? For example, could you give 1 word problem each day as an introduction to your math block?
- •Are there any items you want to be sure to conduct and observe yourself? Prioritize the items you want to see for yourself in a face to face interview.
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