How can Mrs. Garcia implement these activities?
Page 7: Pair Students
Mrs. Garcia has learned that in PALS students are systematically paired so that each dyad consists of one higher-performing reader and one lower-performing reader. The teacher ranks his or her students based on reading achievement level, divides the list in half, and pairs the top high-performing student with the top low-performing one (and this might include pairing a student with a disability with one without a disability). The process continues until all of the students have been paired.
Step 1: Rank students
Mrs. Garcia ranks her students based on their reading skills. Although there are several options available for determining students’ reading skills, Mrs. Garcia chooses to administer a quick reading assessment with a maximum score of 120.
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Step 3: Move halves next to each other
Arrange the two halves side-by-side and pair the higher-performing student in the first column to the corresponding lower-performing student in the second. Continue this process until all of the students have been paired.
Arrange the two halves side-by-side and pair the higher-performing student in the first column to the corresponding lower-performing student in the second. Continue this process until all of the students have been paired.
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Although they may remain with the same partner for up to four weeks, it is recommended that high school students change partners as often as every day. This is so for two reasons:
- High absenteeism tends to disrupt partner consistency
- Students usually enjoy working with a variety of partners
Of course, teaming up students will occasionally produce unsuccessful pairs. The table below outlines several reasons that a student dyad might not work out.
| Reason | Example |
| Student academic needs | A discrepancy in the students’ abilities is too large to accommodate learning. |
| Behavior issues | The student pair has difficulty following instructions and the PALS rules, creating a disruptive environment. |
| Student incompatibility | The stronger reader does not work well with the struggling student, exhibiting disrespect and offering inappropriate feedback. |
| Absenteeism | One student is absent for the day. Click here to learn about ways to adjust pairs when students are absent. |
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Adjusting Pairs When Students Are Absent Teachers should plan ahead for how student absenteeism will affect their PALS sessions. Below are several recommendations to ensure that all students can engage in a reading activity even in the event that one or more students are not present.
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For Your Information
It is often the case that a classroom will contain an odd number of students, leaving one student without a partner. In such an instance, teachers may need to create a group of three students (a triad). When such a grouping does become necessary, teachers might wish to keep the following considerations in mind:
- Each student can serve as the Coach for one of the three activities and the Reader for the remaining two.
- One student with average or above reading and social skills can be assigned to a triad but serve as a “floater,” filling in for other students when they are absent.
- It is better to place higher-performing students in triads than it is to assign struggling readers to these groups because students in triads have fewer opportunities to practice their reading.
