1. Assessments Are a Game-Changer

Assessments aren’t just about grades, they’re about understanding your student’s academic growth in their learning journey. Here’s what you need to know:

• Formative Assessments:
  These are quick checks during lessons such as; polls, review games, or short quizzes. They help the teacher identify misunderstandings early and adjust instruction in the moment, as needed.
  • Why it matters: Your learner gets help before small gaps turn into big challenges.
• Summative Assessments:
  These happen at the end of a unit (e.g. final projects or tests). They measure overall understanding.
  • Why it matters: You’ll know if your student truly understands the content, not just memorized it.

Tip for Families: Ask your supplemental program or co-op how they use both formative and summative assessments. Programs that track progress continuously are more likely to keep your student on track.

(IRIS Center, 2025a)

2. Data-Based Individualization (DBI): Personalized Learning

Every child learns differently, so DBI ensures the instruction fits your student and monitors their progress over time.

Here’s how it works:

• Progress Monitoring: Tracks growth over time
• Diagnostic Assessments: Identifies specific gaps
• Error Analysis: Finds patterns in mistakes (e.g. skipping words)

Why it matters & ESA families love this: If your student struggles with certain phonics patterns, DBI makes sure they get specified practice, not generic worksheets. Data Based Instruction is evidence-based, responsive, and personalized to meet your student’s learning needs.

(Hughes et al., 2017)

(IRIS Center, 2025b)

3. What My Supplemental Reading & Writing Program Offers

✅ Uses formative and summative assessments

✅ Includes DBI for personalized learning

✅ Keeps families in the loop with progress reports

Key point: I offer weekly skills practice aligned with classroom topics to keep learning consistent and relevant.

IXL Learning Assessments

• Weekly skills practice
• Innovative technology
• Instant feedback

Goal: To help every student feel confident in reading and writing, because strong reading & writing skills open doors to success in every subject.

(IXL Learning)

4. Ready to Take Action? Here’s What’s Next

• Looking for Reading & Writing only? Stay tuned for updates to my 3rd grade-level classes
• 1st & 2nd grade Winter & Spring term classes will soon be posted for 2025–2026
• Leave a comment: What else do you want to know about reading & writing support?

References:

“Documenting Learning. Electronic Portfolios: Engaging Today’s Students in Higher Education” by giulia.forsythe is marked with CC0 1.0.

Hughes, C. A., Morris, J. R., Therrien, W. J., & Benson, S. K. (2017). Explicit instruction: Historical and contemporary contexts. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 32(3), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12142 

IRIS Center. (2025a). IRIS Center: Formative & Summative Assessments. IRIS. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/udl/cresource/q2/p05/ 

IRIS Center. (2025b). Perspectives & Resources. IRIS. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/dbi2/cresource/#content

IXL Learning. (n.d.). We’re making educational experiences better for everyone. IXL Learning | Company info. https://www.ixl.com/company