Foundations of Reading Test

Running Record

An assessment method that documents a child's reading as he or she reads aloud and allows the teacher to evaluate the reading level as well as to not explicit types of miscues. Specific marks are made to indicate the types of errors. Training is required, but once trained, it is quick and easy to do.

Miscue Analysis

Analysis of any responses (mistakes) made during oral reading that deviate from those anticipated.

Cueing System

Any of the various sources of information that may aid identification of a word such as graphophonics, semantic, and syntactic information.

Environmental Print

Any print which is found in the physical environment such as street signs, billboards, labels, business signs, etc

Ongoing Reading Assessment

Assessment made on a regular basis through a variety of means, both formal and informal. The purpose is to document progress a student is making in reading while identifying areas that need instruction

Portfolio Assessment

Assessment made on the systematic collection of student work for use in evaluating changes in student performance in reading & language.

Blending

Combining individual phonemes to form words or combining onsets and rimes to make syllables, then combining syllables to make words.

Book Handling Skills

knowing how to handle a book and how books "work" (i.e., front and back cover, left to right sweep)

Raw Score

number of correct items out of the number of items in total

Literal Comprehension

refers to the understanding of information that is explicitly stated in a written passage. (main idea, sequence of events, knowledge of vocabulary) lowest level of understanding

Graphophonics (Phonics)

reffering to the relationship between letters & phonemes.

Before-Reading Comprehension Strategies

strategies that emphasize the importance of preparing students to read text (activate prior knowledge, set a purpose)

Reliability

the test measures things the same way every time it is used.

Validity

the test measures what it says it measures.

Engagement of Schema

using background knowledge to better understand the text. i.e. making connections, understanding vocabulary

Concept Definition Mapping

Provides a visual framework for organizing conceptual information in the process of defining a word or concept; contains the category, properties, and examples of the word or concept.

After-Reading Comprehension Strategies

Strategies that require the reader to actively transform key information in text that has been read (e.g., summarizing, retelling).

Criterion-Referenced Tests

Tests based on objectives that contain specific conditions, outcomes, & criteria that are expected for satisfactory completion of the task.

Phonemic Awareness

The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds- phonemes- in spoken words. This is purely auditory skill and does NOT involve a connection to the written form of language.

Fluency

The ability to read a text accurately and quickly; when reading aloud, the ability to do so effortlessly and with expression (sounds natural, as if they are speaking)

Literal Comprehension

The lowest level of understanding. It involves reading the lines and understanding exactly what is on the page. Students can repeat or paraphrase what they have read.

Syntax

The pattern or structure of word order in sentences, clauses and phrases; the grammatical rules that govern language. Sentences have to follow certain structural rules in order to make sense. You can't just throw any words together to make a sentence.

Semantics (meaning)

The study of the meaning in language; the analysis of the meaning of words, phrases, sentences.

Phonics

The understanding that there is a predictable relationship between phonemes (sounds of spoken language) and graphemes (the letters & spellings that represent those sounds in written language).

Informational / Expository Texts

These are factual materials for science, social studies, & other content areas, as well as "concept books" for the very young dealing with the alphabet or relationships of time, space, amount. These books explain something to children or teach them how to do something.

Metacognitive Strategies

These are reading strategies that individuals use while they are reading to take advantage of knowing how one's own brain works. The most commonly identified metacognitive strategies are: connecting with prior knowledge, making predictions, identifying main ideas, summarizing, questioning, making inferences, and visualizing.

Consonant Digraph

Two consecutive consonants that represent one phoneme, or sound (e.g., /ch/, /sh/).

Consonant Blend

Two or more consecutive consonants which retain their individual sounds (e.g., /bl/ in block; /str/ in string).

Choral Reading/Chanting

Two or more individuals reading aloud from the same text-this can help students to develop oral reading fluency.

Graphic Organizers

Visual representations or aids that may be used to organize and facilitate learning of information.

Phoneme Manipulation

When children work with phonemes in words, they are manipulating the phonemes. Types of phoneme manipulation include blending phonemes to make words, segmenting words into phonemes, deleting phonemes from words, adding phonemes to words, or substituting one phoneme for another to make a new word.

Connected Text

Words that are linked as in sentences, phrases, paragraphs.

Trade Book

a book intended for general reading that is not a text book.

Derivational Affix

a prefix or suffix added to a root or stem to form another word (ex. -tion, pre-)

Evaluative Comprehensioin

ability to use critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and aesthetic considerations to evaluate a text.

Phoneme Categorization

Children recognize the word in a set of 3 or 4 words that has the "odd" sound. i.e. which doesn't belong: BUS, RUG, BUN; rug-doesn't begin with /b/

Phoneme Deletion

Children recognize the word that remains when a phoneme is removed from another word. i.e. what is SMILE without the /s/? -MILE

Phoneme Substitution

Children substitute one phoneme for another to make a new word. i.e. the word is BUG change /g/ to /n/ to get BUN.

Phoneme Blending

Children listen to a sequence of separately spoken phonemes, & then combine the phonemes to form a word. Then they write and read the word. i.e. What word is /b/ /i/ /g/-big.

Syllable Types

1. Closed: cat, cobweb 2. Open: he, silo 3. Vowel-consonant-e (VCE): like, milestone 4. Consonant-l-e: candle, jungle (second syllable) 5. R-controlled: star, corner 6. Vowel pairs: count, rainbow

Phoneme Addition

Children make a new word by adding a phoneme to an existing word. i.e. what word do you get if you add /s/ to the beginning of PARK? -SPARK

Phoneme Isolation

Children recognize individual sounds in a word. i.e. the first sound in VAN is /v/.

Phonological Awareness

A broad term that includes phonemic awareness. In addition to phonemes, phonological awareness activities can involve work with rhymes, words, syllables and insets and rhymes.

Informal Reading Inventories (IRIs)

A complication of graded reading selections with comprehension questions accompanying each selection. This inventory is individually administered to determine the student's strengths & weaknesses in word recognition & comprehension.

Chunking

A decoding strategy for breaking words into manageable parts. (i.e. yes/ter/day)

Grahpeme

A graphemes is the smallest part of written language that represents a phoneme in the spelling if a word. A grapheme may be just one letter, such as b, d, f, p, s; or several letters such as ch, sh, th, -ck, ea, -igh.

Diagraphs

A group of 2 consecutive letters whose phonetic value is a single sound (i.e. ea in bread; ch in chart)

Norm-Referenced Tests

A norm-referenced tests provides information on how well a student performs in comparison to an external reference group or norm group.

Phoneme

A phoneme is the smallest part of spoken language that makes a difference in the meaning of words. English has 41 phonemes. A few words, such as a or oh have only one phoneme. Most words however, have more than one phoneme: the word IF has 2 phonemes (/i/ /f/); check has 3 phonemes (/ch/ /e/ /k/). Some times one phoneme is represented by more than one letter.

Rubrics

A set of scoring guidelines for evaluating student work.

Bloom's Taxonomy

A system for categorizing levels of abstraction of questions that commonly occur in educational settings. Includes the following competencies: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Base Word

A unit of meaning that can stand alone as a whole word (e.g., friend, pig). aka morpheme

Cloze Procedure

A versatile, informational instrument for use in determining a student's reading level, use of context while reading, & knowledge of vocabulary.

Diphthongs

A vowel produced by the tongue shifting position during articulation; a vowel that feels as if it has two parts, especially the vowels spelled ow, oy, ou, & oi.

Syllable

A word part that contains a vowel, or,in spoken language, a vowel sound.

Antonym

A word that is the opposite of another word (e.g. hot-cold, night-day).

Phoneme Identity

Children recognize the same sounds in different words. i.e. /f/ is the same sound in FIX, FALL, & FUN

Segmenting

Breaking words into individual phonemes, breaking words into syllables, or breaking syllables into onsets and rimes.

Phoneme Segmentation

Children break a word into its seperate sounds, saying each sound as they tap out or count it. Then they write and read the word. i.e. how many sounds are in grab? 4- /g/ /r/ /a/ /b/

Diagnostic

Diagnostic tests can be used to measure a variety of reading, language, or cognitive skills. Although they can be given as soon as a screening test indicates a child is behind in reading growth, they will usually be given only if a child fails to make adequate progress after being given extra help in learning to read. They are designed to provide a more precise and detailed picture of the full range of a child's knowledge and skill so that the instruction can be more precisely planned.

Sound to Symbol

Phonics instruction that matches phoneme to grapheme

Inferential Comprehension

It refers to the understanding of information that is not explicitly given but rather implied in a written passage.

Emergent Literacy

Knowledge and skills relating to reading that children usually develop from experience with books and other print media before the beginning of formal reading instruction in school. (typically in an early childhood to kindergarten setting)

Onset and Rhyme

Parts of spoken language that are smaller than syllables but larger than phonemes. An onset is the initial consent sound of a syllable; a rhyme is the part of a syllable that contains the vowel and all that follows it. STOP (st= onset; op=rhyme).

Alphabetic Principle

Phonemes are represented by letters and letter pairs.

Accuracy (part of fluency)

Reading words in text with no errors.

Conventional Spelling

Spelling that is in standard or correct form for written documents.