Whiteriver Unified School District No. 20
7Mile Elementary School
Home of the Wildcats
Mary V. Riley Seven Mile Elementary School - 2005 Fort Apache Rd. (PO BOX 190) Whiteriver, AZ 85941 - ( (928) 338-1353 FAX (928) 338-6037
September 26, 2013
Dear Parent/Guardian of ______,
The 2013-2014 school year marks the first year that the new “Move on When Reading” legislation will be enforced. This is important because this legislation requires all students in third grade to achieve a score of Approaches or better on the AIMS reading test in order to be promoted to fourth grade. Students who fall far below on the reading AIMS test will be retained, unless they are an English Language learner with less than 2 years of English language instruction or are in Special Education and have an IEP. Mid-year promotion in the Whiteriver Unified School District occurs only through superintendent approval based upon academic, social, and physical characteristics.
This letter is to let you know that based on recent testing we feel that your child is at risk for falling far below standards on the AIMS reading test. The areas where your child is currently struggling include all of the checked skills below. Some or all of the strategies following the skills will be used to help your student grow and make progress in their reading.
oPhonemic Awareness (Breaking apart/blending the sounds in spoken words; breaking words into syllables; rhyming words)
oPhonics (Instruction in specific patterns (short vowel, long vowel, etc.); toughie charts; word families)
oComprehension (Explicit instruction in comprehension skills such as summarizing, cause and effect, and main idea)
oVocabulary (Vocabulary routine; explicit instruction in using glossary/dictionary; explicit instruction in using context clues from the passage)
oFluency (Repeated readings with partner; Word family and suffix work)
The checklist below indicates the instruction your child is currently receiving to help improve their reading.
o 60 Minutes of Instruction at Grade Level
o 1 hour total of differentiated instruction and Tier 2 reading intervention
o 30 minutes, 4 days a week with a Reading Specialist
o IEP targeted instruction with Resource teacher
As a parent and guardian you are instrumental in your child’s success. You can help your child improve their reading at home by encouraging them to read and reading to them. Additionally, you can help them complete their homework and speak directly with their teacher about how to help them become more successful readers.
After school tutoring will soon be available. If you are interested in your child receiving after school tutoring please indicate this below. No bus transportation is available for tutoring, so parents/guardians are responsible for pick-up.
_____ Please include my child in after school tutoring.
We will continue to do everything possible while your child is at school to help them be successful and gain the skills needed to pass the AIMS test in April. Thank you in advance for the work you will do at home to help them be successful!
Annie Kalous/Vanta Moses
Reading Specialists
Seven Mile Elementary School