1. Parent Response Reflection<br />Mercedes L Morales<br />CUR/562<br />University of Phoenix<br />January 31.2011<br />Professor: Petra Bland<br />Abstract<br />The mayor purpose of Standards is ensuring that each student will receive the direction, involvement, resources and support needed to be successful. They are used to bring students forward to be better prepared or life. Additionally, by offering parents with a practical assessment of students' present skills along with areas for improvement, the students will be better prepared to meet the challenges ahead of them. Each child should perform at grade level based upon the state’s standards in the subjects of language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. These standards are intended to clarify and elevate anticipation by providing a common set of expectations for all the students. <br />Parent Response Reflection<br />Follow is a description of English Language Arts and Reading Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for third grade. (TEKS) They are organized into the following strands:<br />Reading, where students read and understand a wide variety of literary and informational texts; Writing, where students compose a variety of written texts with a clear controlling idea, coherent organization, and sufficient detail; <br />Researches, where students are expected to know how to locate a range of relevant sources and evaluate, synthesize, and present ideas and information.<br />Listening and Speaking, where students listen and respond to the ideas of others while contributing their own ideas in conversations and in groups; and Oral and Written Conventions, where students learn how to use the oral and written conventions of the English language in speaking and writing. In third grade, students will engage in activities that build on their prior knowledge and skills in order to strengthen their reading, writing, and oral language skills. Students should read and write on a daily basis. For students whose first language is not English, the students' native language serves as a foundation for English language acquisition. (TEKS,2009).<br />Communication with parents will play a major role in preparing students for Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) is the standardized test used in Texas in primary and secondary schools to asses’ students’ attainment in the areas of Language art. Teachers always should be prepared to discuss student’s performance with parents; at all the time must be sure of having all the proof needed to show a child's performance. When a parent asks questions like:<br /> At what level of the standards is my child performing? <br />To respond to this question, teacher need to inform the parent about standards for the grade level of their child (third Grade) the parent must be helped to understand that there are state standards such as those presented by the Texas Education Agency (TEA, 2010). These Standards are provided for each subject area. In the area of language arts; reading writing and speaking are combined, and failing one of these can affect tremendously the grade of the other subject in combination. Teacher will inform the parent that the child performance is assessed by standardized tests and other measures. The result of all these assessments would indicate the level of performance of the child, and then would be compared with the standards for the grade level involved, which will determine if the student is on grade level or bellow grade level (TEKS, 2009). <br /> How is my child doing in relation to the standards? <br />The parent must first understand the different standard contents, assessment methods, and curriculum. In relation to the standards, teacher must explain to parent that each child should be at least performing at average levels. Teacher must take some time to explain the parent how their child is doing in relation to each of these areas as well as the overall area of language arts. The teacher can provide and explain the parent the standardized test scores. These scores would provide some of the information, but the teacher assessments are needed to fully comprehend how a child is doing in each of these areas. <br />What are you doing to help my child do better? <br />To respond this question, it is important to inform the parent about standards for the grade level of their child. Parent should leave the conference knowing that the teacher is able to recognize all his/her students learning style, and provide the best teaching approach to help the students to overcome the difficulties. The teacher should explain the parents about the different instructions methods that are being used to ensure that each student is taught in an environment that maximizes their abilities. Whether the child lacks the skills needed to meet the standard or whether the child is hindered by language difficulties or other factors that affect performance, parents must be informed of the teaching skills that the teacher is using to help this student overcome this difficulty. The use of culturally sensitive materials, use of computer technology, use of hands-on projects, use of one-on-one assistance, or other methods to help the child improve . It is important for parent to be informed if a student is behind the others in the class, or in need of extra work or extra attention, then that extra help can be given before the state-wide testing. Shaw, D. (2000). Teacher must help the parent to become aware of the services available to help their child overcome problem areas such as after school programs, peer tutoring, and more. <br />How do you verify that my child has met the standard?<br />To verify that a child has met a standard is performed through testing; teacher can show parent scores and evaluation of each child's work. Explain to the parent that Periodic class tests and quizzes are given to not only determine an individual child's understanding of the subject matter, but also to get an overall picture of the entire subject comprehension. Additionally, this allows the teacher and parents to not only confirm that a student is meeting the standards, but also identify that he or she is effective at communicating the required knowledge and information (Gallegos, 2010)<br />In conclusion <br />Parents are the most important influence on their child. Therefore, parents need to understand how their child is progressing and assist in identifying academic areas where he or she may need additional attention. According to Texas State Standards, the curriculum and instruction must be structured around these standards. Student progress demonstrates an apparent relation to the standards. Therefore, with the report cards and progress reports, a parent will be able to determine how his or her child is doing based upon the standards.<br /> While it is sometimes necessary to hold a student back a year if he or she is truly having a difficult time grasping the information, this is an occasional occurrence. However, staying back can allow a student to comprehend the information more clearly based upon the standards and proceed on successfully. Using assessments, which provides a measure of school accountability, will show if a student has developed the academic foundation necessary to succeed in school. <br />References<br />TEA, (2010). Texas Educational Agency. Standards for the State of Texas, English Language <br />Arts. Retrieved from: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/ch110_128a.html<br />TEKS, (2007). Curriculum Requirements. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English <br />Language Arts and Reading, Chapter 74. Retrieved from fhttp://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter074/ch074a.html#74.4<br />Gallegos, R. (2010) When the Day Met the Night. Retrieved from: <br />http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index.aspx<br />Shaw, D. (2000). The Move against High-Stakes Testing. Curriculum Administrator. Retrieved from: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001077677<br />