VI. Assessment and Instructional Decision-Making (Constructed Response)

Instructional Ex: A student reads through a paragraph, mostly exercising prosody and automaticity. The student makes only six errors, but self-corrects on most of the errors.

90%

Frustration Ex: The student struggles to read with automaticity and frequently stops to sound out words. The student makes more than six errors and rarely self-corrects.

<90%

Portfolio assessment

A ___ is a collection of student work that aligns with skills and standards the student is required to master. This collection is gathered over a long period of time, usually a grading period or semester. The ___ can be used as a self-reflection tool and a representation of learning. Students will often share their ___ with their parents during student-led conferences.

Rubric

A ___ is an evaluation tool or set of guidelines used to promote the consistent application of learning expectations, learning objectives, or learning standards in the classroom or to measure their attainment against a consistent set of criteria. In instructional settings, ___ clearly define expectations. ___ are also used as scoring instruments to determine grades or the degree to which learning standards have been demonstrated or attained by students. ___ are often used to assess formal reading and writing.

Miscue analysis

A ___ is when the teacher and student discuss the miscues, possible reasons for the miscues and solution or strategies to reduce the number of miscues.

Phonemic awareness (code-based)

A common assessment used to measure phonemic awareness is the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills or DIBELS®. This assessment is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills.

Diagnostic Ex: Before starting a reading unit on Earth space science, a teacher gives a quick assessment to determine students' prior knowledge of concepts in the text. She uses this information to make instructional decisions moving forward.

A pre-assessment providing instructors with information about students' prior knowledge, preconceptions, and misconceptions before beginning a learning activity.

Formative Ex: A teacher walks around the room checking on students as they read. She might also write anecdotal notes to review later to help her design further instruction.

A range of formal and informal assessments or checks conducted by the teacher before, during, and after the learning process in order to modify instruction.

State Assessments

Achievement levels on most state standardized reading exams range from 1 (lowest) - 5 (highest).

Information reading assessments

After reading each leveled passage, a student responds orally to follow-up questions assessing comprehension and recall. These ___ are used to measure progress and to make instructional decisions based on a student's individual needs.

Informal reading inventory (IRI)

An ___ is an individually administered diagnostic assessment designed to evaluate students' independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels.

Norm-referenced (percentile) Ex: The NAEP is an exam given every few years for data purposes only to compare students' reading scores across the U.S.

An assessment or evaluation that yields an estimate of the position of the tested individual in a predefined population with respect to the trait being measured.

Summative Ex: A reading teacher gives a mid-term exam at the end of the semester mastery of standards.

An assessment that focuses on the outcomes. It is frequently used to measure the effectiveness of a program, lesson, or strategy.

Criterion-referenced Ex: At the end of the spring semester, students take the state standardized reading assessment, the state uses the scores to accountability measures.

An assessment that measures student performance against a fixed set of predetermined criteria or learning standards.

Performance-based Ex: After reading text about the Civil War, students develop stories about different historical figures in the war. Students then perform these stories in front of the class and answer questions.

An assessment that measures students' ability to apply the skills and knowledge learned from a unit or units of study. These assessments challenge students to use their higher-order, critical thinking skills to create a product or complete a process.

Universal screening Ex: Students are typically screened throughout the year to determine athwart level they are reading. Placement decisions are made based on the outcomes of the screening.

An assessment used to place students in appropriate classrooms or grade level.

Text comprehension (meaning-based)

An informal reading inventory (IRI) is a common assessment to measure students' comprehension. While this method will be discussed in more detail in subsequent sections of the book, an IRI is used after a student reads a passage or piece of text. The teacher asks specific questions about the text to determine the student's reading comprehension.

Informal assessments

As a reading teacher, you will use many ___--observations, quick checks, questioning techniques, journal entries, and more--to see how your students are developing their reading and writing skills. You will also use a variety of formal assessments like benchmark tests and state assessments to measure outcomes.

1. Concepts about print 2. Manipulate sounds in words 3. Alphabet knowledge 4. Word recognition

Code-Based Skills:

Portfolio Ex: Math homework would not be included in a writing portfolio. Instead, a collection of certain pieces of writing over the course of a graded period would go into the portfolio. A math portfolio would have math artifacts in it.

Each piece in the ___ is selected because it is an authentic representation of what the student has learned and is meant to demonstrate current knowledge and skills. It is important to only select artifacts to go into the portfolio that represent the overarching standards or skills the student is working on.

Test bias

Educational tests are considered biased if a test design, or the way results are interpreted and used, systemically disadvantages certain groups of students over others, such as students of color, students from lower-income backgrounds, students who are not proficient in the English language, or students who are not fluent in certain cultural customs and traditions.

Assessments

Effective reading teachers understand how to use ___ to measure reading skills and how to use data to make instructional decisions. This is often referred to as data-driven decision making.

Reading level

Evaluating how many words correct per minute (cpm) students read is one way to identify their ___.

Example

Example (Background Knowledge (schema)): After she looks over the surveys, she realizes that her students do not have very much background knowledge on Native American culture. Many of the students have a stereotypical view of Native Americans. She designs several lessons, using the state standards, to help students build their background knowledge (schema) of Native American culture. Once they have developed the appropriate amount of background knowledge, she and her students begin to read the poetry.

Example

Example (Diagnostic Assessment): Before a unit on Native American Poetry, Ms. Jones gives her students a diagnostic assessment in the form of a survey. She wants to measure her students' current understanding of Native American poetry, background knowledge or experiences with Native American poetry, and any preconceptions or misconceptions about Native American culture.

Example

Example (Formative Assessments): As she moves through the poetry reading and lessons, she uses formative assessments to measure students' fluency and comprehension by observing students as they read. She writes anecdotal notes documenting her observations. She also evaluates students' writing assignments to measure comprehension. Based on these formative assessments, she moves students into appropriate groups and prescribes specific and targeted interventions for students who are struggling.

Example:

Example (Performance-based Assessments): Finally, students have shown progress over the unit, and she wants to have them apply their critical thinking skills. She has students choose from 3 different performance-based assessments: write an essay, develop and perform a presentation, or conduct a podcast. For all three assessments, she has a specific rubric outlining the expectations of each one.

Example

Example (Progress Monitoring): Throughout the entire lesson, she progress monitors--incrementally measuring the effectiveness of interventions and classroom approaches. She discusses these findings in her professional learning community (PLC). She continues to make instructional decisions based on her progress monitoring.

Example

Example (Summative Assessment): When she comes to the end of the unit, she wants to measure the effectiveness of the strategies and instruction she administered in class. She has students complete a summertime assessment. Based on the results of the assessment, she sees that 80% of her students gained mastery of the standards. She sees that 10% are just below mastery, and 10% need continued interventions.

Types of formal reading and writing assessments

Formal reading and writing assessments come in many varieties. Perhaps the most common type of formal reading and writing assessments are state standardized assessments (criterion-referenced). These exams assess students' mastery of the state standards. Formal reading and writing assessments usually fall under the category of summative assessments because they are used to measure outcomes.

Early

Grade Level: 1-1.9 Guided Reading: D-G Lexile: 190L - 530L DRA: 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

Transitional

Grade Level: 2-2.9; 3-3.9 Guided Reading: H-K; L-N Lexile: 420L-650L; 520L-820L DRA: 14, 16, 18-20, 30-38

Fluent

Grade Level: 4-4.9; 5-5.9; 6-6.9 Guided Reading: O-R; S-T, U-X Lexile: 740L-940L; 830L-1010L; 925L-1070L DRA: 40, 50, 60-80

Proficient

Grade Level: 7-7.9; 8-8.9; 9-9.9; 10-10.9; 11 & 12 Guided Reading: Y-Z, Y-Y, Z, Z, Z+ Lexile: 970L-1120L, 1010L-1185L, 1050L-1260L, 1080L-1335L, 1185L-1385L DRA: 70-80, 80

Emergent

Grade Level: K Guided Reading: A-C Lexile: BR - Beginning Reader DRA: A-1, 2-3, 4

Developmental reading assessment (DRA)

Identifies the independent reading level (95% accuracy) for students in grade K-8.

Oral assessments

In an ___, students show what they know by communicating by word of mouth. In an ___, students will often answer questions about a story--sequence, plot, characters, etc. ___ can also be used to measure fluency. ___ can be used before reading to measure prior knowledge, during reading to measure understanding, and after reading to measure overall comprehension.

Lexile Framework

Links text complexity and readers' abilities on a common metric known as the Lexile scale from BR-1385 L.

1. Concepts about the world (prior knowledge) 2. Vocabulary 3. Comprehension 4. Oral language

Meaning-Based Skills:

1. Qualitative 2. Quantitative 3. Reader and Task

Measure of Text Complexity

Informational texts

Nonfiction books that explain concepts.

Note

Note (Reading Achievement Levels): Students at a level 3 are considered proficient. However, as indicated in the description of live, 3, these students may need additional support to remain proficient. To ensure these students stay proficient and continue to make progress, teachers should monitor these students closely and provide them with challenging reading opportunities.

Note

Note (Reading Achievement Levels): Students who are level 1 and 2 readers need interventions in the form of intensive reading instruction. Interventions should be differentiated and specific based on each student's needs. These students should also be challenged so they continue to make progress.

Note

Note (Reading Achievement Levels): Students who are level 4 or 5 are above proficiency and are often self-motivated in their learning. Teachers should continually find ways to challenge these students.

Note:

Note: In your classroom,, you will hav students with varying reading levels. It is your job to differentiate instruction based on these varying reading levels. You will have to choose different books and passages that are appropriate for each student and that challenge each student.

Note:

Note: On the exam, you will be required to determine students' levels of proficiency based on their performance. It is important that you review phonemic awareness and phonological awareness because you will be required to identify at what stage students are based on a scenario.

Note

Note: On this exam, you will be required to identify students' reading levels and determine if they are at the independent, instructional, or frustration reading level. You will also be required to determine the best course of action after reading a scenario in a test question that focuses on beginning-level readers.

Note

Note: Remember, informal assessments are typically used to progress monitor. Formal assessments are typically used to measure outcomes. Both formal and informal assessments are used to make instructional decisions and to differentiate instruction based on each students' individual needs.

Note

Note: There are certain benchmarks students must achieve on formal assessments to be deemed proficient. Typically, these tests are timed. For formal reading assessments, students must read passages and answer comprehension questions. For formal writing assessments, students are given a writing prompt and must complete a coherent, organizes, and comprehensible essay in a certain amount of time. The scores from these tests are often used to promote or retain students.

Task variables

Purpose and complexity generated by the task assigned and the question posed.

Level 5 - This student is above grade level and can easily answer complex questions. Level 4 - Likely to excel in the next grade/course. Level 3 - May need additional support for the next grade/course. Level 2 - Likely to need substantial support for the next grade/course. Level 1 - Highly likely to need substantial support for the next grade/course.

Reading Achievement Levels:

Grade level equivalent Ex: A student who is in the first month of fourth grade and reading on-grade would be well matched to a book with a Reading Level of 4.1. A student reading at the level of the middle of second grade would be 2.5. Each grade level has a range of .1 to .9.

Reflects the grade level at which a student is reading.

Fluency (meaning-based)

Running records are often used for fluency assessment. The student reads aloud to the teacher. The teacher follows along with the same text. The teacher then counts how many words correct per min (cpm) the student read. This helps to measure the students' reading rate.

Literary texts

Stories, poems, and plays

1. Mid-term/final exam 2. District benchmark tests 3. State assessments 4. Final performance-based assessments like a research paper or presentation 5. Chapter tests 6. Science lab at the end of a unit 7. History fair project

Summative examples include:

Bore; Frustrate Note: The key os to identify different levels of readiness and reading levels and differentiate accordingly.

Text that is at too low off a reading level will ___ the student. Text that is too high of a reading level will ___ the student.

Phonics (code-based)

The Basic Phonics Skills Test III (BPST III) is a phonics assessment that includes the recognition of letter sounds, specific phonics, patterns, and the blending of single syllable and polysyllabic words out of context. It is recommended that this test be given to students in K-2.

1. I don't remember seeing this word. (1pt) 2. I have seen this word, but I do not know what it means. (2pts) 3. I have seen this word, and I think I know what it means. (3pts) 4. I know this word and what it means. (4pts) 5. I can use this word in a sentence. (5pts)

The Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS) has 5 categories and they are?

Vocabulary (meaning-based)

The Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS) is a self-report assessment that is consistent with incremental stages of word learning.

Validity Ex: A test that is supposed to assess reading comprehension contains information that is confusing to students. Some of the content is culturally specific. Instead of reading, they are trying to figure out some of the cultural nuances. In this case, the test's validity is in question because it is not testing students' reading comprehension, rather it is testing students' knowledge of a specific culture. To increase the tests' validity, the teacher can use a neutral passage with few or no culturally specific content. This will ensure the skills being assessed are reading skills, which increase the test's validity.

The degree to which a test score can be interested and used for its intended purpose.

Reliability Ex: Students in first period took their unit test. Third period students experienced technical difficulty during their unit test because the Internet went down. In fifth period, there was a fire alarm that interrupted the test. Because the testing atmosphere varied from 1st, 3rd, and 5th period students, the reliability of the exam was compromised. This is one reason why all classrooms are set up the same and all testing experiences are consistent during state-standardized assessments. Consistency ensures reliability.

The degree to which scores from a particular test are consistent from one use of the test to the next.

1. Text-based 2. Inferential 3. Literal 4. Main idea 5. Key ideas 6. Sequence 7. Cause and effect 8. Plot structure

The types of questions teachers ask during an IRI are:

Code-based and meaning-based assessments

There are two main types of assessments in measuring reading skills:

Reader and task Ex: Student interest, Student motivation to read, Student participation

These are the reader variables motivation, knowledge, and experience and task variables.

1. Initial suds fluency (ISF) 2. Phonemic Segmentation Fluency (PSF)

Two measures that can be used to assess phonemic segmentation skills are:

1. Observations 2. Exit tickets 3. Quizzes 4. Running record 5. Spelling test

Types of formative assessments include:

Motivation, knowledge, and experience

What are the reader variables?

Written assessments

___ are considered authentic assessments because they give a comprehensive view of what a student knows about a particular topic. ___ can be as simple as filling in the blanks or as complex as writing an essay on a topic. Journals are often used in the reading classroom to allow students an outlet to express how they feel about a story or text.

Summative assessment

___ are formal and outcome driven. Use ___ at the end of learning to measure objects, skills, or outcomes. Typically, ___ produce quantitative data. Performance-based assessments, such as a science lab or presentation, can also be ___.

Oral assessments

___ are helpful when working with ELLs. Often, ELLs will understand a story or passage but may be unable to communicate what they know in writing. If the teacher is trying to assess comprehension, ELLs can orally communicate what they have read. This ensures the teacher is assessing the correct skill--comprehension. If the teacher insists on written communication, the teacher is not assessing comprehension, but rather is assessing English writing skills.

Formative assessments

___ are sometimes referred to as informal and ongoing. They can produce qualitative data--observational data, anecdotal data--or qualitative data--test scores, reading levels.

Group assessments

___ are usually done informally as the teacher uses formative assessment to observe students. The teacher walks around the room, misuses flexible grouping, adjusts instruction, and helps students as instruction and activities are taking place. These assessments are ongoing and drive instructional decisions.

Individual assessments Ex: A teacher may administer a running record with s student. While the student is working with the teacher, the other students in the class are engaging in an individual anchor activity. Once the student is done reading and analyzing miscues with the teacher, the next student comes up for a 1-1 assessment. Each running record takes about 5 minutes. Ex: Another example of an individual assessment is an informal reading inventory (IRI). The student reads a small passage and then the teacher asks comprehension questions.

___ are when teachers assess students using a 1-1 model.

Running record; 1. Word reading accuracy 2. Reading rate or words correct per min (wpm) 3. Errors and self-corrections 4. Analysis of the reading strategies used

___ is a way for teachers to assess students' reading as it is happening. This is a 1-1 activity. A student reads from a piece of grade-level text. The teacher also has a copy of the text and follows along as the student reads. While the students reads the teacher notes on the paper where the student miscues (makes mistakes). When the student is done reading, the teacher has been able to assess the follow:

Quantitative Ex: Reading level, Word count, Number of different words, Ratio of high- to low-frequency words, Sentence lengths

___ measures are statistical measurements of text.

Qualitative Ex: Text structure, Author's purpose, Predictability of text, Illustration support, Knowledge demands

___ measures are text attributes that can only be evaluated by a human reader.

Authentic assessments

___ measures students' success relevant to the skills required of them once they've finished a unit or lesson. ___ are realistic, relevant, innovative and performance based. ___ are usually graded using a rubric because they cannot be scored like a multiple-choice exam.

Guided reading level

___ ranges from A to Z with A being the easiest. The student sits 1-1 with the teacher and reads through the text. The teacher considers the student's fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.

Independent Ex: A student easily reads through a paragraph, excising prosody and automaticity. The student makes only one error.

≥95%