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Content Overview

Learning to read and reading to learn are essential skills for every child. The Sumner School District follows Washington State’s K-12 Reading Model to help students meet grade level expectations.

Classroom Performance Expectations

Uses a variety of word recognition skills and strategies
Word recognition skills and strategies develop as the child learns to read. A few examples of these skills are sounding out the words, blending, and memorizing parts of the word.

Reads fluently with expression, phrasing, and accuracy

Reads with understanding (comprehension)
Students explain the meaning of the story or piece of literature; this goes beyond a summary. It may include a lesson learned, or raise a question in the reader’s mind. Students understand important ideas and details, draw conclusions, and make inferences based upon evidence from text. Students make connections between the text, self, the world, or other media.

Reads different materials/genres for information and enjoyment
As reading skills develop, students should be choosing a variety of materials and genres. For example magazines, chapter books, newspapers, nonfiction picture books, folktales, biographies, etc.

District Expectations

Several times a year, students’ reading skills are formally assessed. There is an expected level of performance at each grade level. The results of these assessments inform teachers of students’ instructional needs.

Students must meet grade level expectations one of the following assessments:

Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA)
An individually administered test that measures a students' reading rate, accuracy, fluency,
and comprehension. To monitor progress towards end of the year expectations for book level and/or score, use the chart below:

Degrees of Reading Power (DRP)
This test is given once a year to all students in grades 2-12. This measures how well students utilize vocabulary and inferential skills to understand what they read. To monitor student progress towards end of year expectations for the DRP, use the chart below: