{"id":5177,"date":"2015-12-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-18T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nutsaboutreading.com\/reading-test-2\/"},"modified":"2022-07-04T16:38:22","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T16:38:22","slug":"what-do-those-informal-classroom-reading-test-scores-mean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nutsaboutreading.com\/what-do-those-informal-classroom-reading-test-scores-mean\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do Those Informal Classroom Reading Test Scores Mean?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
What do those informal classroom reading test scores mean?<\/p>
Parents,<\/span><\/p> DISCLAIMER:\u00a0 I am not offering clinical diagnosis or intervention with this blog.\u00a0 I am however, available to clarify any questions you might have regarding your child\u2019s reading process and any reading struggles they may be experiencing.\u00a0 Please Contact me at <\/strong><\/span>kr*****@ww*.com<\/span><\/strong><\/a>. <\/strong><\/p> Most \u2018standardized\u2019 tests are administered once a year, preferably in the spring.<\/p> All<\/em> students need to be monitored on a frequent basis for their reading success.\u00a0 Parents, I again emphasize that YOU<\/a> are your child\u2019s first responder and team captain of their \u2018Reading Success Team.\u2019\u00a0 I am offering an overview to you as their team captain, for working with other members of your child\u2019s team inclusive of their classroom teacher, reading specialist if applicable, or school intervention team\/school study team, if applicable, and the child\u2019s primary care\/pediatrician.\u00a0<\/p> Just as it would not be appropriate for your boss to determine your employment with the company based on just one performance day per year, so too is it not a complete look at a child\u2019s reading performance with one test per year!<\/strong><\/p> Multiple measures of your child\u2019s reading ability are necessary in a school year.\u00a0 Enter, informal reading assessment or screens, as they are often referred to.\u00a0 These are usually \u2018criterion referenced\u2019 tools that are used on a frequent basis throughout the year.\u00a0 Some teachers may perform a weekly screen on every student and for others this may be a monthly approach.\u00a0 At a minimum, these types of assessments should be completed three times per school year\u2026PRE (beginning of the school year), MID (middle of the school year usually before winter break), and POST (end of school year prior to summer break).<\/p> My purpose here is to give insight into this tool and emphasize and encourage you as parents in your role in informal reading assessment to monitor your own child\u2019s reading growth and reading ability level.\u00a0 I want you to know what do those informal classroom reading test scores mean. As much as we might shout out that this is the responsibility of my child\u2019s school and teacher and that \u201cI pay taxes for this service\u201d! Speaking from experience, I know there are not enough hours in a school day for one teacher to achieve this \u2018ideal\u2019 frequency and consistency for every child in their classroom!\u00a0 Sorry, just speaking the facts.<\/p> \u201cCriterion-referenced tests and assessments are designed to measure student performance against a fixed set of predetermined learning standards\u201d or benchmarks. [http:\/\/edglossary.org\/learning-standards<\/a> ] \u00a0At the elementary level, benchmarks are written descriptions of what students are expected to know and be able to demonstrate mastery of for a specific body of knowledge, or demonstrate they have acquired a specific skill set, by age and grade level.<\/p> Now, there are more formalized \u201chigh stakes\u201d criterion-referenced tests:\u00a0 <\/p> PARENTS:\u00a0 What I want to draw your attention to here, are the \u201clow stakes\u201d criterion-referenced screens that really provide a more in-depth<\/u><\/em> look at specific skill sets that are strong or need strengthening. \u00a0Your child\u2019s successful reading process is made up of many underlying skill sets [of which many involve underlying brain processes also] that when strong, work together automatically for your child\u2019s reading success.\u00a0 Such measurement tools are most effective for guiding instruction for all students but for an identified struggling reader, these tools help to pinpoint skill subsets that require reading intervention to strengthen.\u00a0 The earlier, the better!\u00a0 The bigger the gap of successful reading by grade 3, the more challenging a game of catch up!<\/strong><\/span><\/p> Some examples of low stakes, criterion-referenced screens you might be familiar with from your child\u2019s teacher are:<\/p> Standardized tests measure the overall strength of automaticity of these skills, but do not identify more specifically the sub-skill sets that may be contributing to a low score in reading or comprehension!<\/p> There is something, you as parents can do which plays a very valuable role of engagement in your child\u2019s reading success.\u00a0 It starts with familiarizing yourself with the \u201creading process.\u201d\u00a0 CLICK HERE<\/a> for my brief PowerPoint description of the reading process.<\/p> Frequent reading screens, inside and outside the classroom, are key for you as a parent to monitor your child\u2019s reading progress.<\/p> What Do Those Informal Classroom Reading Test Scores Mean? Was first posted on NutsAboutReading.com<\/p> \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>