| Assessment
is in the nature of all teaching—using daily observations to guide
instruction.
While individual group test scores are
usually available in standard high schools, those scores are often not
readily available in alternative settings. This means that teachers
in alternative schools/classes need to be more resourceful in evaluating
student reading skills than teachers in standard settings. It is helpful
to recognize that teachers make informal assessments of student skills,
progress, and needs many times each day. The skill of reading is no
exception.
There are a number of options available when formal test data is not
available or when test scores are not related to the content area taught.
Among those options are the following teacher-based strategies:
Word Recognition and Fluency
- Give a brief reading test, such as, the Grays Oral Reading or a
computer based test, such as, the STAR.
- Provide books written at various skill levels and have the student
self-select the “hardest” book in which the student feels
comfortable. Have the student read out loud, starting with “easy”
reading and moving to “more difficult” reading. Discontinuing
when errors and lack of fluency make comprehension difficult.
- Establish the level at which the student reads with 95% accuracy.
- Have students read for one minute from each of three different selections
from material within the content area. Notice speed, hesitations and
errors.
Comprehension
- Have a student define or describe the meaning of basic and advanced
words used in the content area.
- Read a short passage from a book in the content area and have the
student paraphrase the selection or answer several short questions
about the passage to determine listening comprehension. Start with
material below your judgment of the student’s level; discontinue
when misunderstandings are apparent.
- Have the student read orally, starting with “easy” reading
and moving to “more difficult” reading and ask comprehension
questions at the end of a sentence, several sentences, and at the
end of a paragraph.
- Pre-check vocabulary comprehension prior to beginning a reading
assignment.
- Ask student to paraphrase or retell what they have read or what
the teacher has read.
- Ask student to select the correct word to complete a sentence.
Content Area—check student’s skill in using the
following elements of text reading:
- Within the text--- Table of content, chapter introductions, table
of content, index, glossary and other text-provided aids.
- Outside the text--- Dictionary and encyclopedia, library resources,
student guide to the text, supplementary materials at with lower reading
requirements and other locally available materials and resources.
- Vocabulary---General vocabulary, content-specific words, meaning
in context, and compound words or phrases.
- Comprehension---Ability to understand and remember information,
need for aides to memory, ability to draw conclusions or link information,
and understanding of text organization.
Be prepared—what
you need for a quick evaluation The teaching plan should
include provisions and strategies for initial and periodic checks on
individual student word recognition, fluency, and comprehension skills.
Selected methods should fit teaching styles, content that is being taught,
ease of administration and recording, and appropriateness for the setting.
Evaluation strategies should produce information that informs the student
of his or her present skill level and leads to a teacher intervention
plan or an accommodation plan.
Teachers assess
their own reading assessment skills and determine what they need to improve
skills. Teacher self-evaluation is designed to assist
teachers understand what is needed to evaluate student reading skills
and to implement an instructional or accommodation plan. The following
is a checklist of important elements in teacher-based reading assessment:
[ ] Materials and strategies are in place to help the teacher quickly
establish a student’s word recognition, comprehension, and fluency
levels.
[ ] The teacher has strategies or resources to improve student literacy
appropriate at different levels of student proficiency, and in content
areas.
[ ] The teacher has the means to provide information and materials
consistent with subject content and at a level or in a form that is
understandable to the student.
[ ] Appropriate and respectful accommodations are provided until
literacy levels reach the level needed for participation in standard
instruction.
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