DISCOVER
DATA, DATA, DATA Understanding your child's school test scores Written by Katy Tierney
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arent teacher conferences—or sometimes now called a student-led conference—can be overwhelming. The teacher starts by telling you all the great things about your child, but soon gets to the testing and data information. DRA, MAP testing, KPREP, and the good ‘ol report card—so many acronyms, letters and numbers. Before you know it, you’re overwhelmed and know for certain you’re not going to remember any of this by the time you make it home. I am an elementary teacher and a parent of a kindergartener. My daughter is required to take the Brigance Test, which is used to place students into classrooms and to see if they’re really ready for school. Even as a teacher, I really don’t know
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exactly what it all means. Thank goodness for my awesome teacher friends who could explain it all, because otherwise it really wouldn’t mean that much to my husband and I. My goal is to help you decipher what your kids’ school test scores really mean, because as a parent and teacher, I know it really isn’t that easy.
Brigance (Pre K, Kindergarten Screener) The Brigance screener covers a wide range of beginning kindergarten skills such as your child’s name, address, phone number and age. It will score your child’s ability to
recognize numbers, letters, left and right, shapes, colors and all sorts of skills that are essential for starting school and or to be learned throughout kindergarten. These skills are the building blocks and basic foundation for your child’s success in the grades to come.
Developmental Reading Assessment aka DRA (All Elementary) The DRA assessment is used by most elementary teachers to check students’ fluency and comprehension throughout the year. The goal is to see the students grow as the year progresses and new reading concepts and strategies are taught.
