February 2010
The aim of all education is, or should be, to
teach people to educate themselves.
~ Arnold Toynbee
Boys and Books
Lots of boys have difficulty reading
or choose not to read for pleasure.
As a result, boys have scored lower
than girls over the past 30 years on
reading tests (U.S. Department of
Education) and two-thirds of special
education students in high schools are
boys. Boys who choose not to read
frequently lack the complex verbal,
reading, writing, speaking, and
reasoning skills needed to excel in
high school and college level courses.
Watch out for specific book
suggestions for boys in future issues
of the Literacy Corner. Until then,
check out www.guysread.com.
MS A
– The M aryland
School Assessments will be
administered the middle
through end of M arch this
year. R eview test-taking
tips and strategies with
your child.
MAP-R
All students, except some who are
enrolled in ESOL 1 or the LFI
Program, took the Measures of
Academic Progress – Reading test in
late January through mid-February.
Ask your children for the letters with
their RIT scores. Typical growth at
the middle school level is three RIT
points over a year. Compare your
children’s current score with their fall
scores. Did your children make
gains? If not, is it because your
children were not feeling well or did
not put forth their best efforts? Are
your children keeping up with the
required independent reading of 25
books per year? Compare the scores
below to see if your children are
maintaining their rate of reading
progress:
Approximate Median Scores by Grade
Grade Level
6
7
8
Winter RIT Score
215
219
222