aimswebPlus

What do you like best?

Using the same passages at the beginning and end of the year effectively demonstrates progress. The leveled passages are on grade-level with appropriate vocabulary. The passages for the upper elementary students are formatted appropriately for their reading level. The phonics assessments for K and 1 are effective tools for evaluating phonetic progress.

What do you dislike?

The reading passages that are on one page for the lower elementary students are too difficult. If the reading passages were formatted like easy reader books with pages to turn or at least broken down in sections on one page; they would better replicate the reading formats in which the young students are learning. Also, the passages do not contain any pictures. Early readers are taught to use pictures to aid in comprehension. Taking time out from instruction to administer the aimsweb assessments was difficult as the students needed every minute of instruction as possible.

What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?

We used aimswebPlus to evaluate student progress with both phonics and reading comprehension. Using aimswebPlus provides a baseline with which to evaluate all students receiving reading intervention. The students in grade 1-5 were reading below grade-level and were being taught in small intervention groups.