Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) for second graders

House Bill 2042, enacted in 1997, requires testing of all second grade students "to provide information to parents, teachers, and school administrators on the level of acquisition of reading accuracy and fluency skills of each student at the beginning of second grade." A panel of literacy and assessment experts identified a list of assessments that would meet the criteria set out in the law. The Issaquah School District selected the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) from the list of approved tests.

Why do we focus on level 18 of the DRA at the beginning of the year?
The expert panel determined that Level 18 represents on-grade-level reading performance for the beginning of second grade.

What happens if a student can't read Level 18 with acceptable accuracy and fluency?
If a second grader cannot read Level 18 at an acceptable rate, the classroom teacher is required, by law, to inform parents during the fall conference. During the conference, the teacher must also discuss how he/she, the parents, and the student will work together to accelerate the student's reading performance. All students who do not read Level 18 adequately in the fall are re-tested at the end of second grade to determine if they are reading on-grade-level, using DRA Level 24.

How are the DRA scores used at the district level?
House Bill 2042 specifically states that the DRA information is for classroom use. After teachers have finished assessing their students in the fall, they send the results to the Assessment Department at the district office. This allows us to report to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) that the assessment was given to every student on time. By law, DRA results are not sent to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Who can I call if I have questions about the Developmental Reading Assessment?
Call Director of Instructional Support Jerry Miller at 425-837-7043