Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions 
of students and parents.

1. Will my son or daughter have homework from his Title I teacher?
2. I recently heard of the DIBELS testing in school. What exactly is it?
3. Third and fifth grade students take the PSSA. What does PSSA stand for?
4. What can I do at home to help my child with fluency?
5. How can I help my child with phonics?

Will my son or daughter have homework from his Title I teacher?

Generally no since work is usually completed in class.  We 
strongly suggest 
your child concentrate on homeroom assignments, taking handouts 
home, and 
engaging as frequently as possible in recreational reading.

Back to Top

I recently heard of the DIBELS testing in school. What exactly is it?

DIBELS is an acronym for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early 
Literacy Skills.  
The test is given individually to all children in grades 
kindergarten 
through third three times a school year.

Back to Top

Third and fifth grade students take the PSSA. What does PSSA stand for?

PSSA stands for Pennsylvania State System of Assessment.  
Students in those 
grades are tested in both reading and math.  The results in any 
school 
district can be compared with students across the commonwealth.

Back to Top

What can I do at home to help my child with fluency?

Reading aloud to your child is very beneficial to their progress, 
and allows 
the child to hear how the reading should sound.  Repeated 
readings of a 
familiar text will help with fluency and expression.  Remember to 
emphasize 
the importance of punctuation ques while reading. Point out 
quotation marks, 
exclamation marks, and question marks and talk about how that 
part of the 
reading should sound. When children read decodable text, a little 
below their 
reading level, they can focus on their fluency and expression 
rather than 
figuring out difficult words.

Back to Top

How can I help my child with phonics?

When your child gets to a word he/she does not know, give them a 
chance to 
figure it out. Some guiding questions might be; "Do you know any 
parts of the 
word?", "How do these letters sound together?" "What does this 
ending 
say?", "Now try and blend it all together." Dividing the word 
into more 
managable parts to sound out and blend together makes figuring 
out a word 
easier.  Children need to be given the time to apply strategies 
that work for 
them when figuring out a word.

Back to Top