Thank you for communicating  and expressing your concerns about Jimmy with me. On the previous test he took, he did an excellent job with the short answer response questions and making connections with the text. However, he did struggle with the comprehension of the text. For this reason, the students are in different guided reading groups to target specific skills. I am here to reassure you that the groups are not labeled as high or low and the students will switch groups based on their performance. My goal for Jimmy is to work on building upon on this skill by introducing different comprehension strategies that can help with that and giving him books that are at his independent reading level to build his fluency as well. I look forward to see how Jimmy will grow as a reader. If you have any further questions or concerns, I am available any time after 3:00 PM.

Warmest regards,

Ms. Guzman

Thank you for reaching out to me! I understand your concerns and want to do everything I can do to help. 

Regarding the reading groups, I am very sorry to hear that JJ feel as though he was placed in a low group. I want to reassure you that our reading groups are not labeled as low or high groups. In fact, every group was made to give each student the best opportunity to succeed. JJ has been placed in a reading group that will allow him to grow as a reader! I want to ensure that JJ has the best learning experience and this will be done by giving him the opportunity to strive at what he is already very skilled at while working towards mastering other skills as well. I believe this will actually raise his confidence level once he is able to recognize how well he is understanding the content and will push him to learn more.

I also appreciate that you were able to read with him over summer. I believe it would even be more beneficial if JJ was able to continue to read to you now that he is in school. I recommend reading a little bit every single night! I would be happy to send home a list of books that you guys could read together to develop his literacy skills. 

As stated earlier, I want to do everything in my power to help JJ succeed. Thank you for suggesting 1:30pm as a meeting time. Unfortunately I will be with my students at that time and would hate for them to feel as though they do not have my undivided attention. Let’s work together to find a meeting time that works with both of us! The best time for me would be before or after school starts. 

Looking forward to working together to help JJ! 

Warmest regards, Ms. Scott

Thank you for reaching out to me with your concerns about Jimmy. I understand your concerns and what to do everything I can to help. I have been observing Jimmy’s reading actions and testing him in class and think that the group Jimmy was placed in was best to fit his needs. While Jimmy is upset with the group he is placed in, these groups are not permanent and there is room for Jimmy to grow. I understand your concerns as Jimmy as a parent, however our reading groups are not labeled either low or high. I will be happy to send home a list of books that I feel will best help Jimmy improve his reading. It will be beneficial if you read along with Jimmy and write down how often you are reading. Unfortunately, tomorrow at 1:30 would not be able to work for me due to my scheduling. I will be happy to find another time that works for both of us whether that is a phone conference or an in-person meeting. 
Warmest regards,

Miss Ellement 

 

Hello Mrs Onyourcase, 

Thank you for reaching out to me, and I appreciate you raising your concerns about Jimmy John, I understand your concern about Jimmy Johns reading level, however based off of several different reading assessments that have been performed on Jimmy John by myself and others, the group that he is in, is the group that is most appropriate for his level.  I am quite surprised at how he would think that he would be in what would you referred to as the “low” group because in my classroom we do not refer to other peoples groups based off of how they are performing, they are just group 1,2,3, etc, based on when i put the groups together. In class we acknowledge that everyone is at different places in their reading skills and that that is okay. 

I appreciate that you did read to him a few times over the summer, but it is my professional opinion that all students can benefit from being read to more than just a few times, and that he should either be reading text he can understand on his own, or things that the two of you can read together for at least 20 minutes each night. 

I understand that tomorrow at 1:30 works for you, but I am terribly sorry, that does not work well for me, during that time, I am teaching our literacy block and it is near impossible to get a substitute at the last minute. Can you provide me with some other times that you are available and we can try to work something out instead? 

Thank you for your understanding, 

-Ms. Vermillion 

 

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns, i hope that i can help and shed some light on this subject. I noticed that Johnny was having some trouble on the weekly comprehension assignments and i wanted to get some more information on how he reads and comprehends. I conducted a Basic Reading Inventory, which helps teachers pinpoint a reading level and focuses on word identification, fluency, and comprehension. The test concluded that johnny was having trouble reading at the 4th grade level with specific regard to comprehension. However, johnny reads well at the third grade level and he does not exhibit signs of frustration. I have placed Johnny in this reading group just for now so i can work more closely with him to focus on improving his comprehension. I plan to do small group reading centers where johnny and some other student will meet with me and we will focus on comprehension of third grade level books. I will increase the difficulty until johnny is on grade level. I can tell he enjoys reading and he does read with excellent fluency and expression. I always enjoy having him read passages out loud in class because other students that struggle with fluency can hear how Johnny reads. Johnny should not feel bad about his group. I don't announce groups to the classroom and i always try mix up the reading groups so all students get to interact with each other. The reading levels are just for me so i know where students need some extra supports. JOhnny has already made improvements and i have high expectations for him. It might also help if you or other family members read with johnny as much as possible, the more he reads the more he can establish those strong comprehension skills needed for 4th grade. Im so sorry to say but i will not be able to meet at 1:30 tomorrow as i have a literacy block everyday at that time, however, i am available everyday after 3pm for a meeting or i also take lunch between 12 and 12:30 please let me know if either of these times work for you. I really look forward to working together to help johnny succeed, he is an excellent student and I know with the right supports he will get on track!

Best regards,

Ms. Shake

Thank you so much for reaching out! I appreciate your concerns and want to do everything I can to help. On the previous test, he did a great job of… but struggled with…. I want to reassure you that there are no low or high groups this is not an indication of how Jimmy is as a student…. Jimmy was placed in this group because I feel that it is important for Jimmy to gain confidence in his reading and this group will allow him to excel. I would like to work with you to develop a plan for Jimmy as to make sure that he is being challenged in his reading. However, we are still in school at 1:30. So, I would love to meet any weekday after 3pm when school is let out to develop some goals for Jimmy. 

Looking forward to working together,

Warmest regards,

Mrs. Williams

*Positive- negative- positive*

Thank you for reaching out to me. I understand your concerns about Jimmy and would want to do everything I can do to help. Jimmy has been a pleasure to have in class. I have grouped my students in their reading groups based off of their previous reading assessments. Jimmy does really well with his reading, but struggles with his comprehension. This is why I had put him into that reading group. He does very well in school and reads at a good level. I can see why Jimmy is upset and I understand that. I don’t label my reading groups as low or high, I group them together in the areas in which they need help in. To help Jimmy, I will be sending home his reading level books and would appreciate it if you read with him. Also, if you logged down how much you read with him. I will also be attaching comprehension questions to each book for him to practice at home. I know you wanted to meet at 1:30, but that doesn’t work for me as I am teaching a reading lesson and it is hard to find a sub. Feel free to come in and observe during that time. We can even talk after school. Don’t be concerned about Jimmy, he is doing just fine. Tell him that he is a pleasure to have in class and that I am looking forward to continuing to have him in my class.

Sincerely,

Classroom Teacher

 Thank you for reaching out to me! I understand your concerns and I want to do anything I can to help. Jimmy John has been a joy to have in class and he has many strengths. On his previous assessment, he scored very well on recalling the main idea and key details of the text. However, he did struggle with making inferences. The way I group students is based on their reading groups is based on their reading assessment the students took at the beginning of the year. Throughout the year students may move groups based on the skills we are working on. I can assure you that the groups are not labeled by ability.

 It would be very beneficial if he read every night for twenty minutes and for you to log his reading to practice his reading comprehension.

 Unfortunately, I am unable to meet with you at 1:30 PM, as that is our math block. I am available before and after school. If you like to discuss this more, I would be more than happy to have a meeting with you about it!

 Warmest regards,

Ms. Barrett