assessing reading: multiple measures€¦ · of assessing reading: multiple measures are granted...

A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G : M U L T I P L E M E A S U R E S

Assessing ReadingMultiple Measures

Edited by Linda Diamond

and B. J. Thorsnes

C O R E L I T E R A C Y L I B R A R Y

R E V I S E D S E C O N D E D I T I O N

Oakland • California Arena Press Novato • California®

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This publication contains copyrighted material. Purchasersof Assessing Reading: Multiple Measures are granted permis-sion to reproduce pages for classroom use where permissionhas been stated. However, no part of this publication may bestored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or posted onlineeither for public or internal use, in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical photocopying, scanning, recording, orotherwise, without prior written permission from CORE.For permission requests, contact [email protected].

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Editorial: Linda Gutlohn, Shelle EptonContributors: Orna Lenchner, Jacalyn Mahler, Michael MiloneBook Design: Lucy Nielsen

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

For each of the following selections, grateful acknowledg-ment is made for permission to adapt and/or reprint originalor copyrighted material.

Academic Therapy Publications: “Critchlow Spanish Verbal Language Scales” excerpted from Dos Amigos Verbal LanguageScales by Donald E. Critchlow. Copyright © by AcademicTherapy Publications. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

Kenneth W. Howell: “MASI-R Oral Reading Fluency Mea-sures” passages excerpted from Multi-Level Academic SkillsInventory, Revised by K.W. Howell, M. K. Hosp, J. L. Hosp,and M. K. Morehead. Copyright © by Kenneth W.Howell. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of theauthor.

International Dyslexia Association: “Assessment-DrivenInstruction: A Systems Approach” by Linda Diamond inPerspectives, Fall , pages ‒. Copyright © bythe International Dyslexia Association. All rights reserved.Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

International Reading Association: “San Diego QuickAssessment of Reading Ability” excerpted from “The GradedWord List: Quick Gauge of Reading Ability” by Margaret La Pray and Ramon Ross in Journal of Reading, Vol. , No. , January . Copyright © by M. H. La Pray and theInternational Reading Association. All rights reserved.Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

C O N T E N T S

Introduction to Assessing Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Effective Reading Assessment Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Types of Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assessment Sequence for Students in Kindergarten–Grade 3 . . . . . . . . . Assessment Sequence for Students in Grades 4–12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diagnostic Plan for Students in Grades 2–3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diagnostic Plan for Students in Grades 4–12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

M U L T I P L E M E A S U R E S

CORE Phonological Segmentation Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• Part A: Sentence Segmentation• Part B: Syllable Segmentation• Part C: Phoneme Segmentation

CORE Phoneme Deletion Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• Part A: Initial Phoneme Deletion• Part B: Final Phoneme Deletion• Part C: Deletion of Initial Phoneme in a Consonant Blend

CORE Phoneme Segmentation Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CORE Spanish Phonemic Awareness Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• Phoneme Oddity #1• Phoneme Oddity #2• Phoneme Deletion

CORE Phonics Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• CORE Phonics Survey (English)• CORE Spanish Phonics Survey

CORE Graded High-Frequency Word Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

San Diego Quick Assessment of Reading Ability . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Decoding and Word Recognition

Phonological Awareness

CORE Spanish Spelling Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MASI-R Oral Reading Fluency Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CORE Vocabulary Screening Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Critchlow Spanish Verbal Language Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CORE Reading Maze Comprehension Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A P P E N D I X

CORE Assessing Reading Student Profile Forms(Kindergarten–Grade 12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A

CORE Assessing Reading Class Record Forms(Kindergarten–Grade 12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A

Assessment-Driven Instruction: A Systems Approach . . . . . . . . . . A

by Linda Diamond

Reading Fluency

Vocabulary

Comprehension

Spelling

For Printable PDFs of the Student Profileand Class Record Forms,go to corelearn.com/assessment-forms

� W H A T This phonological segmentation test contains fourparts that are arranged in order of difficulty: Part A: SentenceSegmentation, Part B: Word and Syllable Segmentation, and Part C:Phoneme Segmentation.

� W H Y These tasks may help to determine whether deficitsin phonological awareness account for the student’s reading orspelling delays. According to research, the lack of phonologicalawareness is the most powerful determinant of the likelihood of a student’s failure to learn to read.

� H O W Use the following Practice Items to demonstrate eachof the phonological segmentation tasks in Parts A, B, or C. Proceedto the Test Items only after the student demonstrates understand-ing of the tasks. When teaching a task using the Practice Items,praise the student for even close approximations of the correctresponse. However, when administering the Test Items, give onlygeneral feedback. Do not indicate whether a response was corrector not.

A S S E S S M E N T O F . . .


Skills Assessed

Sentence Segmentation

Syllable Segmentation

Phoneme Segmentation

Grade Level

K–Grade 1

Purpose

Screening

Progress Monitoring

Diagnostic

Language

English

Administration

Individual

Approximate Testing Time

5–10 minutes

Materials

• 8 small colored blocks or cubes

• Teacher Record Form (p. 23)

Author

Orna Lenchner, PhD

CORE Phonological Segmentation Test

C O N T I N U E D �

A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C O R E P H O N O L O G I C A L S E G M E N T A T I O N T E S T � 19

Begin this part by administering the following Practice Item.

Practice ItemOn a table or desk, arrange eight different colored blocks in a row.

Ask the student: John, what is something you like to eat? (pizza)

Then say: I am going to use blocks to show the words in the sentence“John likes pizza.”

As you say each of the words, select a colored block and move itout of the row. Use a different colored block for each word. Thenpointing to each block from left to right, ask: What is this word?(John) And this? (likes) And this? (pizza)

If the student understands the task, ask him or her to do the taskindependently. After putting the blocks back, say: Now it’s yourturn. Use blocks to show the words in the sentence “John likes pizza.”

T E S T I N G P R O T O C O L Proceed with testing when thestudent clearly understands the task. Discontinue testing if the stu-dent does not respond correctly to any of the first three Test Itemsin Part A. Breaking a word into syllables is not considered an error.

P A R T A

Sentence Segmentation

P A R T B

Syllable Segmentation

S E N T E N C E

S E G M E N T A T I O N

Given a sentence, student

shows a block for each

word in the sentence.

Begin this part by administering the following Practice Item.

Practice ItemOn a table or desk, arrange eight different colored blocks in a row.

Say to the student: Now we are going to break words into parts. I amgoing to use the blocks to show the word cupcake.

Say the word cup as you select the first block and move it out ofthe row. Then say the word cake as you select the second blockand move it to right of the first one. Use a different colored blockfor each syllable.

Ask: Which block is cup? (the first block)

Point to the second block and ask: Which block is this? (cake)

If the student still does not understand, it may help to clap the syl-lables. After putting all the blocks back in a row, provide additionalpractice using words such as superman, doorbell, or butterfly.

S Y L L A B L E


Given a whole word,

student breaks the word

into syllables.

20 � A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C O R E P H O N O L O G I C A L S E G M E N T A T I O N T E S T

T E S T I N G P R O T O C O L Proceed with testing when thestudent clearly understands the task. Discontinue testing if the stu-dent does not respond correctly to any of the first five Test Itemsin Part B.

P A R T C

Phoneme Segmentation

Begin this part by administering the following Practice Items.

Practice Item 1On a table or desk, arrange eight different colored blocks in a row.

Say to the student: We are going to use the blocks to show the soundsin a word. Let’s say I wanted to show you the word time. The wordtime has three sounds /t/ /ı / /m/. Select and move one block foreach of the sounds in time as you say the sounds slowly in order,/t/ /ı / /m/. Use a different colored block for each sound.

Ask: Can you say the three sounds in time? (/t/ /ı/ /m/) If the stu-dent says letter names instead of sounds, say: Yes, that is how theword time is spelled, but I want you to tell me its sounds.

If the student cannot independently say the sounds, repeat thesounds and ask: Can you point to the block that stands for /t/? Andwhich block stands for /m/? And what sound does the middle blockstand for? (/ı/) Then ask the student: Can you say the three soundsin time? (/t/ /ı/ /m/)

Practice Item 2After rearranging all the blocks in a row, say to the student: Nowyou try one. If you wanted to show the word shop, how many soundsis that? (three) Use the blocks to show me.

If the student cannot segment the three sounds independently,model the task as follows.

Say:The word shop has three sounds. Select and move a block for eachof the sounds, as you say each sound in left-to-right progression,/sh/ /o/ /p/. Ask: What are the three sounds in shop? (/sh/ /o/ /p/)Which block stands for /sh/? (the first block) Which block standsfor /p/? (the last block) What sound does the middle block standfor? (/o/) If the student shows four blocks, he or she is probablytrying to spell the word. Remind the student to pay attention tothe sounds in the word, not the letters.

P H O N E M E


Given a whole word,

student separates the

word into individual

phonemes and says each

sound.


T E S T I N G P R O T O C O L Proceed with testing when thestudent clearly understands the task and can at least point to theblock that represents the correct sound. Discontinue testing if thestudent does not respond correctly to any of the first five TestItems in Part C.

� W H A T I T M E A N S Use the following guidelinesto determine the student’s performance level. Scores shown areexpected end-of-year scores for each grade.

CORE’s Teaching Reading Sourcebook

Chapter 5: Phonological Awareness

LESSON MODELS

Phonological Medley: Starfish, p. 135

Salad Toss, p. 137

Elkonin Sound Boxes, p. 156

Part A: Sentence Segmentation K (Spring) Grade 1 (Spring)

Benchmark 5 5

Strategic 4

Intensive 0–3 0–4

Part B: Syllable Segmentation

Benchmark 7–8 8

Strategic 5–6 7


Part C: Phoneme Segmentation

Benchmark 5–10 9–10

Strategic 3–4 6–8


Level of Performance Test Items Correct

� W H A T ’ S N E X T ? Students who score at strategic or intensive levels will benefit from targeted or intensive instruc-tion and extensive practice in the phonological awareness skillsindicated.

22 � A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C O R E P H O N O L O G I C A L S E G M E N T A T I O N T E S T

CORE Phoneme

Deletion Test

CORE Phonological

Segmentation Test

✍ R E C O R D K E E P I N G

Enter the student’s score on a copy

of the appropriate Student Profile Form

and Class Record Form found in the

Appendix.

Part A: Sentence Segmentation

Practice Item: Use blocks to show the words in the sentence . . . John likes pizza.

1. Father called. (+) (–) ______________________________________

2. What time is it? (+) (–) ______________________________________

3. How much does an apple cost? (+) (–) ______________________________________

4. I have to go to sleep soon. (+) (–) ______________________________________

5. On Sunday, I will go swimming. (+) (–) ______________________________________

Test Items Correct ____________ /5

Part B: Syllable Segmentation

Practice Item: Use blocks to show the syllables in the word . . . cupcake (cup-cake)

6. cowboy (cow-boy) (+) (–) ______________________________________

7. rabbit (rab-bit) (+) (–) ______________________________________

8. yesterday (yes-ter-day) (+) (–) ______________________________________

9. party (par-ty) (+) (–) ______________________________________

10. helicopter (hel-i-cop-ter) (+) (–) ______________________________________

11. basketball (bas-ket-ball) (+) (–) ______________________________________

12. playground (play-ground) (+) (–) ______________________________________

13. caterpillar (cat-er-pil-lar) (+) (–) ______________________________________


Part C: Phoneme Segmentation

Practice Items: Use blocks to show the sounds in the words . . . time (/t/ /ı/ /m/); shop (/sh/ /o/ /p/)

14. keep (/k/ /e/ /p/) (+) (–) ______________________________________

15. bag (/b/ /a/ /g/) (+) (–) ______________________________________

16. thumb (/th/ /u/ /m/) (+) (–) ______________________________________

17. night (/n/ /ı/ /t/) (+) (–) ______________________________________

18. rock (/r/ /o/ /k/) (+) (–) ______________________________________

19. itch (/i/ /tch/) (+) (–) ______________________________________

20. head (/h/ /e/ /d/) (+) (–) ______________________________________

21. short (/sh/ /or/ /t/) (+) (–) ______________________________________

22. steak (/s/ /t/ /a/ /k/) (+) (–) ______________________________________

23. clown (/k/ /l/ /ou/ /n/) (+) (–) ______________________________________


Name________________________________ Grade_______ Date____________

DIRECTIONS: Follow the format used in the Practice Items to administer the Test Items. For each Test Item, circle a plus (+) to indicate a correct response or a minus (–) to indicate an incorrect response. Record the student'sincorrect responses on the blank lines.

CORE Phonological Segmentation Test — Teacher Record FormBy Orna Lenchner, PhD

. Copyright ©2008 by CORE. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.


A S S E S S M E N T O F . . .

Phonics

Skills Assessed

Letter Names

Decoding

Grade Level

K–Grade 12

Purpose

Screening

Progress Monitoring

Diagnostic

Outcome

Language

English

Spanish

Administration

Individual

Approximate Testing Time

10–15 minutes

Materials

English Phonics Survey

• Teacher Record Form (pp. 44-48)

• Student Material (pp. 49-52)

Spanish Phonics Survey

• Teacher Record Form (pp. 53-58)

• Student Material (pp. 59-62)

• Pencil

• Lined paper

Author

Consortium On Reaching

Excellence in Education (CORE)

CORE Phonics Surveys

� W H A T The CORE Phonics Survey (English) and the CORESpanish Phonics Survey assess the phonics and phonics-related skillsthat have a high rate of application in beginning reading. EachSurvey has two sections: Alphabet Skills and Letter Sounds andReading and Decoding Skills. The sections are further divided intoparts. Some of the parts contain lines of real words and pseudo-words for the student to decode. Pseudowords, or made-up words,are included since the student must use decoding skills to correct-ly pronounce these words and cannot have memorized them.

� W H Y A student’s ability to use knowledge of sound/spellingcorrespondences (i.e., phonics) to decode words determines, inlarge measure, his or her ability to read individual words. A detailedassessment of a student’s phonics skills points to areas in which thestudent is likely to benefit most from systematic, explicit phonicsinstruction. Also, knowing the skills that the student does possesswill help in selecting reading tasks that offer the most effectivereinforcement of those skills.

� H O W Directions for administering each part of each Surveyare included on the Teacher Record Forms. (The Teacher RecordForm shows the Student Material in a reduced size so that youmay easily record the student’s responses.) Students read from theStudent Material. To focus the student’s attention on the part ofthe test being given, cover the other parts.

C O N T I N U E D �

A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C O R E P H O N I C S S U R V E Y S � 41

Kindergarten Fall Winter Spring

Parts A & B X X X

Parts C–E X X

Grade 1

Parts A–D If indicated If indicated If indicated

Part E X X X

Parts F–K X X

Part L X

Grades 2 and 3

Parts A–K If indicated If indicated If indicated

Part L X X X

Grade 4 and up

Parts A–L If indicated If indicated If indicated

When to Administer

Following administration, score each test part, and transfer theresults to the Skills Summary section on the first page of the TeacherRecord Form. Retest parts of the Survey not yet mastered usinginformation found on Types and Frequency of Effective Assess-ment Systems, Assessment Sequence for Primary Grade Students,Assessment Sequence for Upper Grade Students, or your schoolor district assessment plan. Pay attention to the student’s behaviorduring testing. If the student is tiring or making many consecutiveerrors, discontinue testing at that time.

� W H E N Use the following guidelines to determine when andwhat parts of the CORE Phonics Survey (English) to administer ateach grade level.

CORE Phoneme

Deletion Test

CORE Phonics Survey

(English)

Effective Reading Assessment

Systems, p. 7

Assessment Sequence for Students in

Kindergarten–Grade 3, p. 12

Assessment Sequence for Students in

Grades 4–12, p. 13

42 � A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C O R E P H O N I C S S U R V E Y S

✍ R E C O R D K E E P I N G

Enter the student’s score on a copy

of the appropriate Student Profile Form

and Class Record Form found in the

Appendix.

� W H A T I T M E A N S This assessment is a masterytest. It is expected that students will ultimately get all test itemscorrect.

Parts A–D E, F, G, H, I, J, K L

Benchmark 83 / 83 14+ / 15 21+ / 24

Strategic 65–82 / 83 10–13 / 15 15–20 / 24

Intensive 0–64 / 83 0–9 / 15 0–14 / 24

Level ofPerformance Test Items Correct / Total Items

Parts A–D E, F, G, H, I, J, N K L, M

Benchmark 73 / 73 9+ / 10 21+ / 24 4+ / 5

Strategic 58–72 / 73 6–8 / 10 15–20 / 24 3 / 5

Intensive 0–57 / 73 0–5 / 10 0–14 / 24 0–2 / 5

Level ofPerformance Test Items Correct / Total Items

CORE’s Teaching Reading Sourcebook

Chapter 1: Structure of English

Chapter 2: Structure of Spanish

Chapter 4: Letter Knowledge

Chapter 6: Phonics

Chapter 8: Multisyllabic Word Reading

CORE Phoneme

Deletion Test

CORE Phonics Survey

(English)

CORE Phoneme

Deletion Test

CORE Phonics Survey

(Spanish)

� W H A T ’ S N E X T ? Students who score at strategic orintensive levels will benefit from targeted and intensified instruc-tion and extensive practice in the letter recognition, phonics, anddecoding indicated. An analysis of individual errors can give morespecific information about phonic elements that require instruc-tion. Additionally, the CORE Phoneme Segmentation Test or othertests of phonological awareness can be administered to isolate anunderlying factor. Older struggling readers who score at the inten-sive level will need basic phonics instruction, possibly includinginstruction in phonological awareness and sound/spelling corre-spondences. Students at all levels need repeated opportunities todevelop automaticity through practice in reading words in isola-tion and in appropriately decodable text.

A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C O R E P H O N I C S S U R V E Y S � 43

S K I L L S S U MM A R Y

Alphabet Skills and Letter Sounds

_____/26 A. Letter names—uppercase

_____/26 B. Letter names—lowercase

_____/21 C. Consonant sounds

_____/5 D. Long vowel sounds

_____/5 Short vowel sounds

Reading and Decoding Skills

_____/15 E. Short vowels in CVC words

_____/15 F. Consonant blends with short vowels

_____/15 G. Short vowels, digraphs, and -tch trigraph

_____/15 H. R-controlled vowels

_____/15 I. Long vowel spellings

_____/15 J. Variant vowels

_____/15 K. Low-frequency vowel and consonant spellings

_____/24 L. Multisyllabic words

Skills to review: ______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Skills to teach: _______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

CORE Phonics Survey — Teacher Record Form

44 � A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C O R E P H O N I C S S U R V E Y

Copyright ©2008 by CORE. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

Name________________________________ Grade_______ Date____________

P A G E

1


P A R T A Letter names—uppercaseDIRECTIONS: Say to the student: Can you tell me the names of these letters? If the student cannot name three ormore consecutive letters, say: Look at all of the letters and tell me which ones you do know. If the letter name given iscorrect, do not mark the Record Form. If it is incorrect, write the letter name the student gives above each letter. Ifno letter name is given, circle the letter.

D A N S X Z J L H

T Y E C O M R P W

K U G B F Q V I

____/26

P A R T B Letter names—lowercaseDIRECTIONS: Say to the student: Can you tell me the names of these letters? If the student cannot name three ormore consecutive letters, say: Look at all of the letters and tell me which ones you do know. If the letter name givenis correct, do not mark the Record Form. If it is incorrect, write the letter name the student gives above each letter.If no letter name is given, circle the letter.

d a n s x z j l h

t y e c o m r p w

k u g b f q v i

____/26

P A R T C Consonant soundsDIRECTIONS: Say to the student: Look at these letters. Can you tell me the sound each letter makes? Be sure to askthe student if he or she knows of another sound for the letters g and c. If the sound given is correct, do not markthe Record Form. If it is incorrect, write the sound the student gives above each letter. If no sound is given, circlethe letter. If the student cannot say the sound for three or more consecutive letters, say: Look at all of the lettersand tell me which sounds you do know.

d l n s x z j

t y p c h m r

k w g b f q v

____/21


A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C O R E P H O N I C S S U R V E Y � 45


P A G E

2

P A R T D Vowel soundsDIRECTIONS: Ask the student: Can you tell me the sounds of each letter? If the student names the letter, count it asthe long vowel sound. Then ask: Can you tell me another sound for the letter? The student should name the shortvowel sound.

e ____ ____ i ____ ____ a ____ ____ o ____ ____ u ____ ____

l = long sound s = short sound

On the first line, write the letter l if the student says the correct long vowel sound. On the second line, write theletter s if the student says the correct short vowel sound. If the vowel sound given is incorrect, write the soundthe student gives above the corresponding vowel letter.

_____/5 Long vowel sounds (count the number of l ’s above)

_____/5 Short vowel sounds (count the number of s’s above)

Reading and Decoding SkillsDIRECTIONS: For Parts E through K, students must read both real and pseudowords (i. e., made-up words). For thereal words, tell the student: I want you to read each line of words aloud. If the student cannot read two or more of thereal words in each line, do not administer the line of pseudowords. Go to the next part of the assessment. Beforeasking the student to read the line of pseudowords, say: Now I want you to read some made-up words. Do not tryto make them sound like real words.When administering Parts F through K as a screening or diagnostic measure,continue testing even if a student does not perform well on the previous part of the test.

P A R T E Short vowels in CVC words

_____/5 sip mat let bun hog (real)

_____/5 rut fit bat hot set (real)

_____/5 nop sut dit pem fap (pseudo)

_____/15

P A R T F Consonant blends with short vowels

_____/5 stop trap quit spell plan (real)

_____/5 silk fast sank lump held (real)

_____/5 nask dilt qued cang dran (pseudo)

_____/15




P A G E

3

P A R T G Short vowels, digraphs, and -tch trigraph

_____/5 when chop thin shut wick (real)

_____/5 dodge rash ring then match (real)

_____/5 chid shom dath phid futch (pseudo)

_____/15

P A R T H R-controlled vowels

_____/5 harm dirt form fern surf (real)

_____/5 worn pert bark turn bird (real)

_____/5 nerm sirt gorf murd carn (pseudo)

_____/15

P A R T I Long vowel spellings

_____/5 tape key toe paid feet (real)

_____/5 leap boat tie ray blow (real)

_____/5 loe hine beap faim soat (pseudo)

_____/15

P A R T J Variant vowels

_____/5 few down moon hawk coin (real)

_____/5 cue loud cook haunt toy (real)

_____/5 voot rew fout zoy bawk (pseudo)

_____/15

P A R T K Low-frequency vowel and consonant spellings

_____/5 kneel cent type ghost wrist (real)

_____/5 giant sweat gnat bomb sigh (real)

_____/5 bice knod dimb tigh wrep (pseudo)

_____/15




P A G E

4

P A R T L Multisyllabic words

DIRECTIONS: Say to the student: I want you to read aloud down the first column of words. Each of the real words inthis column has two syllables. Point to the first column. If the student can read at least five out of eight of thewords in this column, point to the second column and say: Now I want you to read aloud the next column of words.If the student can read at least five of the words in the second column, point to the third column and say: Now Iwant you to read some made-up words. Do not try to make them sound like real words.

_____/3 Closed-closed unless consent timbut

_____/3 Closed-silent e competes admire rompete

_____/3 Open/closed/closed depend radishes podated*

_____/3 Open or closed zero menu gromu*

_____/3 Silent e locate inhaled pentate

_____/3 Consonant -le stable dimple morkle

_____/3 R-controlled further bordered darber

_____/3 Vowel team railways roaring fauntoon

_____/24

*The first syllable of podated and gromu can be either open or a closed (long or short vowel sound, respectively);the second syllable of podated can be either a closed (short vowel sound) or a silent -e (long vowel sound) syllable,due to the rules for adding -ed.




P A G E

5

P A R T A

P A R T B

P A R T C

P A R T D

d l n s x z j

t y p c h m r

k w g b f q v

d a n s x z j l h

t y e c o m r p w

k u g b f q v i

D A N S X Z J L H

T Y E C O M R P W

K U G B F Q V I

e i a o u



CORE Phonics Survey — Student MaterialAlphabet Skills and Letter Sounds

P A G E

1

CORE Phonics Survey — Student MaterialReading and Decoding Skills

P A R T E

P A R T F

P A R T G

sip mat let bun hog

rut fit bat hot set

nop sut dit pem fap

when chop thin shut wick

dodge rash ring then match

chid shom dath phid futch

stop trap quit spell plan

silk fast sank lump held

nask dilt qued cang dran



P A G E

2

P A R T H

P A R T I

P A R T J

P A R T K

harm dirt form fern surf

worn pert bark turn bird

nerm sirt gorf murd carn

few down moon hawk coin

cue loud cook haunt toy

voot rew fout zoy bawk

kneel cent type ghost wrist

giant sweat gnat bomb sigh

bice knod dimb tigh wrep

tape key toe paid feet

leap boat tie ray blow

loe hine beap faim soat




P A G E

3

P A R T L

unless consent timbut

competes admire rompete

depend radishes podated

zero menu gromu

locate inhaled pentate

stable dimple morkle

further bordered darber

railways roaring fauntoon




P A G E

4

S K I L L S S U MM A R Y

Alphabet Skills and Letter Sounds_____ /21 A. Consonant names—uppercase_____ /21 B. Consonant names—lowercase_____ /10 C. Vowel names and sounds—uppercase and lowercase_____ /21 D. Consonant sounds

Reading and Decoding Skills _____ /10 E. Open syllables, CV_____ /10 F. Open syllables, V and CV_____ /10 G. Closed syllables, CVC and VC_____ /10 H. Open syllables with blends, CCV_____ /10 I. Vowel combinations in open syllables_____ /10 J. Diphthongs in closed syllables_____ /24 K. Multisyllabic words

Spelling Skills _____ /5 L. Initial sounds_____ /5 M. Final sounds_____ /10 N. Whole words

Spelling Skills Error Analysis _____ /2 Consonant digraphs leche, carro _____ /3 Phoneme /k/, carro, cocina, parque _____ /2 Phoneme /rr/ spelled r and rr, carro, rompen _____ /1 Phoneme /x/ spelled j, in ja, jo, ju, hijo _____ /2 Phoneme /s/ spelled s, triste, abuelos _____ /3 Phoneme /b/ spelled b and v, baño, voy, abuelos _____ /1 Phoneme /s/ spelled c in ce, ci, cocina _____ /4 Closed syllables parque, rompen, triste, abuelos _____ /1 Blends triste _____ /1 Silent h, hijo _____ /1 Words with m before p and b, rompen _____ /2 Diphthongs voy, abuelos

Skills to review: ___________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Skills to teach:________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C O R E S P A N I S H P H O N I C S S U R V E Y � 53

By Jacalyn M

ahler and Isabel Valle. Copyright ©1999, 2008 by CORE. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

CORE Spanish Phonics Survey — Teacher Record Form

Name________________________________ Grade_______ Date____________

P A G E

1


P A R T A Consonant names—uppercase

DIRECTIONS: Say to the student: ¿Puedes decirme los nombres de estas letras? If the student cannot namethree or more consecutive letters, say: Mira todas las letras y dime si conoces alguna. If the letter name givenis correct, do not mark the Record Form. If it is incorrect, write the letter name the student gives above eachletter. If no letter name is given, circle the letter.

D L N S V Z J

T Y P C M CH Ñ

LL G F B Q R X

_____/21

P A R T B Consonant names—lowercase

DIRECTIONS: Say to the student: ¿Puedes decirme los nombres de estas letras? If the student cannot namethree or more consecutive letters, say: Mira todas las letras y dime si conoces alguna. If the letter name givenis correct, do not mark the Record Form. If it is incorrect, write the letter name the student gives aboveeach letter. If no letter name is given, circle the letter.

d l n s v z j

t y p c m ch ñ

l l g f b q r x

_____/21

P A R T C Vowel names and sounds

DIRECTIONS: Ask the student: ¿Puedes decirme cuáles son los sonidos de estas letras? If the student namesthe letter, that is its sound. If the vowel sound given is incorrect, write the sound the student gives abovethe corresponding vowel letter.

____/5 O A I U E ____/5 o a i u e

_____/10


54 � A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C O R E S P A N I S H P H O N I C S S U R V E Y

By Jacalyn M

ahler and Isabel Valle. Copyright ©1999 by CORE. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

P A G E

2

P A R T D Consonant sounds

DIRECTIONS: Say to the student: Mira estas letras. ¿Puedes decirme qué sonido tiene cada letra? (Thedigraphs ch and ll are included here because they are usually taught as part of the Spanish alphabet.) Besure to ask if he or she knows of another sound for the letters c and g. Do not expect the student to knowmore than one sound for r (either /r/ or /rr/ is acceptable). If the student gives the correct sound, do notmark the Record Form. If the sound given is incorrect, write the sound the student gives above each letter.If no sound is given, circle the letter. If the student cannot say the sound for three or more consecutive let-ters say:Mira todas las letras y dime qué sonidos conoces.

d l n s v z j

t y p c m ch ñ

l l g f b q r x

_____/21

Reading and Decoding Skills

DIRECTIONS: For parts E through J, students must read both real and pseudowords (i. e., made-up words). Forthe first line of real words, tell the student: Quiero que leas estas palabras. If the student cannot read two ormore of the real words, do not administer the line of pseudowords. Go to the next part of the assessment.Before asking the student to read the line of pseudowords, say: Ahora voy a pedirte que leas algunas pal-abras inventadas. No intentes leerlas como palabras reales que ya conoces.

P A R T E Open syllables, CV

_____/5 su yo luna techo jefe

_____/5 ne cu mepa sila rago

_____/10

P A R T F Open syllables, V and CV

_____/5 año iba oro ella ocho

_____/5 oba udo eca alle imo

_____/10

CORE Spanish Phonics Survey — Teacher Record Form P A G E

3


By Jacalyn M


P A R T G Closed syllables, CVC and VC

_____/5 sol pan tambor juntos artes

_____/5 jez dor cambal portir entad

_____/10

P A R T H Open syllables with blends, CCV

_____/5 brazo grillo clase pluma globo

_____/5 flece crima bruco clopo pleso

_____/10

P A R T I Vowel combinations in open syllables

_____/5 cae lee hoy ruido quiere

_____/5 cheo moa ray yugia vaida

_____/10

P A R T J Diphthongs in closed syllables

_____/5 puerta siempre treinta cuando viento

_____/5 pueste guanto tiemba reinda fianco

_____/10



By Jacalyn M


P A G E

4

P A R T K Multisyllabic words

DIRECTIONS: Administer this part if the student is able to read most of the single-syllable real and pseudo-words in the previous parts of the assessment. Say to the student: Ahora quiero que leas algunas palabrasque tienen tres o cuatro sílabas. Empieza con la primera palabra de cada columna y lee todas las palabras deesa columna. Point to the first column. If the student can read at least three out of eight of the words in thiscolumn, say: Ahora las palabras serán inventadas. No intentes leerlas como palabras reales que ya conoces.Point to the second column. Repeat the same procedure for the third column.

_____/3 Open CV carretera calabaje taregudo (4 SYLLABLES)

_____/3 Closed CVC compartes rescardan zarcambol (3 SYLLABLES)

_____/3 Variable Letter/Sound gigante caroce giloga (3 SYLLABLES)

_____/3 Blends problema frascura tropazo (3 SYLLABLES)

_____/3 Hiatos soleado paonante nealtura (4 SYLLABLES)

_____/3 Diphthongs ciudades jeralio laicando (3 SYLLABLES)

_____/3 Diphthongs bailaremos gilacioso pauladista (4 SYLLABLES)

_____/3 Prefixes descompuesto remolante excavario (4 SYLLABLES)

_____/24

CORE Spanish Phonics Survey — Teacher Record Form P A G E

5


By Jacalyn M


Spelling Skills

P A R T L Initial sounds

DIRECTIONS: Give the student a pencil and a sheet of lined paper. Tell the student: Escucha las palabras quete voy a leer y escribe el primer sonido que oigas. Write the student’s responses above the words.

_____/5 mal pon tus leo iba

P A R T M Final sounds

DIRECTIONS: Give the student a pencil and a sheet of lined paper. Tell the student: Escucha las palabras quete voy a leer y escribe el último sonido que oigas. Write the student’s responses above the words.

_____/5 sin mes por uva hace

P A R T N Whole words

DIRECTIONS: Give the student a pencil and a sheet of lined paper. Tell the student: Escucha las palabras quete voy a leer y escribe la palabra entera. Write the student’s responses above the words.

_____/5 leche baño carro hijo cocina

_____/5 parque rompen triste voy abuelos

_____/10



By Jacalyn M


P A G E

6

P A R T A

P A R T B

P A R T C

P A R T D d l n s v z j

t y p c m ch ñ

ll g f b q r x

d l n s v z j

t y p c m ch ñ

ll g f b q r x

D L N S V Z J

T Y P C M CH Ñ

LL G F B Q R X

O A I U E

o a i u e

CORE Spanish Phonics Survey — Student MaterialAlphabet Skills and Letter Sounds


By Jacalyn M


P A G E

1

P A R T E

P A R T F

P A R T G

su yo luna techo jefe

ne cu mepa sila rago

año iba oro ella ocho

oba udo eca alle imo

sol pan tambor juntos artes

jez dor cambal portir entad

CORE Spanish Phonics Survey — Student MaterialReading and Decoding Skills

P A G E

2


By Jacalyn M


P A R T H

P A R T I

P A R T J

brazo grillo clase pluma globo

flece crima bruco clopo pleso

cae lee hoy ruido quiere

cheo moa ray yugia vaida

puerta siempre treinta cuando viento

pueste guanto tiemba reinda fianco


P A G E

3


By Jacalyn M


P A R T K

carretera calabaje taregudo

compartes rescardan zarcambol

gigante caroce giloga

problema frascura tropazo

soleado paonante nealtura

ciudades jeralio laicando

bailaremos gilacioso pauladista

descompuesto remolante excavario



P A G E

4

By Jacalyn M


CORE

Phonem

e Deletion Test

F 5W 5

S 5F 8

W 8S 8

F 10W 10

S 10F

WS 20

STUDENT

CLASS RECORD FORM

Kindergarten


NOTES:

POSSIBLE SCORE

�

PART A

PART B

PART C


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10

.

11

.

12

.

13

.

14

.

15

.

16

.

17

.

18

.

19

.

20

.

21

.

22

.

23

.

24

.

25

.

Teacher__

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

___School Yea

r___

____

____

____

__


A8 � A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C L A S S R E C O R D F O R M S

CORE

Phonem

e Deletion Test

F 5W 5

S 5F 8

W 8S 8

F 10W 10

S 10F 20

W 20S 20

STUDENT

CLASS RECORD FORM

Grade 1


NOTES:

POSSIBLE SCORE

�

PART A

PART B

PART C


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10

.

11

.

12

.

13

.

14

.

15

.

16

.

17

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18

.

19

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20

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21

.

22

.

23

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24

.

25

.

Teacher__

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

___School Yea

r___

____

____

____

__



A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C L A S S R E C O R D F O R M S � A11

F 15W 15

S 15F

W 15S 15

FW 15

S 15S

TU

DE

NT

CL

AS

S

RE

CO

RD

F

OR

M

Grad

e 1

Phon

ics

PO

SSIB

LE S

CO

RE

�

E.

Short Vowels

in CVC Words

F.

Consonant Blends

with Short Vowels

G.

Short Vowels,

Digraphs, and -tch

Trigraph

FW 15

S 15F

W 15S 15

FW 15

S 15F

W 15S 15

FW

S 24

H.

R-Controlled

Vowels

I. Long Vowel

Spellings

J. Variant Vowels

K.

Low-Frequency

Vowel and Conso-

nant Spellings

L.

Multisyllabic

Words

CORE

Pho

nics

Sur

vey

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

Teacher__

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

___School Yea

r___

____

____

____

__


A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G C L A S S R E C O R D F O R M S � A13

F 20W 20

S 20F 15

W 15S 15

STUDENT

CLASS RECORD FORM

Grades 2–3


NOTES:

POSSIBLE SCORE

�

CORE

Phonem

e Deletion Test

CORE

Phonem

e Segm

entation

Test*

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10

.

11

.

12

.

13

.

14

.

15

.

16

.

17

.

18

.

19

.

20

.

21

.

22

.

23

.

24

.

25

.

Teacher__

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

___School Yea

r___

____

____

____

__


*Only if indicated.


F 15W 15

S 15F 15

W 15S 15

F 15W 15

S 15S

TU

DE

NT

CL

AS

S

RE

CO

RD

F

OR

M

Grad

es 2

–3Ph

onics

PO

SSIB

LE S

CO

RE

�

E.

Short Vowels

in CVC Words

F.

Consonant Blends

with Short Vowels

G.

Short Vowels,

Digraphs, and -tch

Trigraph

F 15W 15

S 15F 15

W 15S 15

F 15W 15

S 15F 15

W 15S 15

F 24W 24

S 24

H.

R-Controlled

Vowels

I. Long Vowel

Spellings

J. Variant Vowels

K.

Low-Frequency

Vowel and Conso-

nant Spellings

L.

Multisyllabic

Words

CORE

Pho

nics

Sur

vey

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

Teacher__

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

___School Yea

r___

____

____

____

__


hile many schools and dis-tricts use assessment data todetermine student needs,only a few are utilizing thedata to differentiate supportfor teachers, make decisionsabout intervention programs,

and monitor program implementation. Some districtsuse assessment data to determine system-wide pro-fessional development needs, allocate coaching time,identify students who need frequent progress moni-toring, and purchase and implement intensive inter-vention programs designed to support at-risk stu-dents. Schools using this approach recognize thepower of assessment-driven instruction. They use avariety of tests for different purposes, with particularattention to progress monitoring tests focused oncritical reading indicators.

Reading skills assessed in the early grades are dis-crete. These specific skills tend to be the foundationfor long-term outcomes such as comprehension.Because these early skills are vital to the developmentof reading proficiency, assessment needs to be fre-quent and ongoing. In the upper grades, assessmentis necessary to monitor progress and to identify caus-es of reading weakness. Unlike the early primary-grade measures—phonemic awareness, decoding,and fluency—upper-grade assessment often startswith comprehension and fluency, and then worksbackward to the earlier foundational skills in order topinpoint gaps. Given the urgency of preparing stu-dents to read and helping struggling, older readers,early screening is essential. With the right tools givenat the right times, we can make accurate predictionsof which students will be at risk for reading failure,and we can effectively monitor students who havebeen failing but who are receiving intervention(Torgesen, 2004). So what are the right tools andunder what conditions do we use them?

Types of Assessment(s)

Within their schools, educators need to organize theirassessment toolkits around four broad types ofassessment instruments: screening tests, progressmonitoring tests (CBM, for example), outcome mea-sures such as a state’s end-of year test, and diagnostic

tests. In all cases, educators need to understand thetest purpose and how to use the resulting information.

SCREENING TESTS provide information about theknowledge and skill base of the student. They candetermine the most appropriate starting point forinstruction and for planning instructional groups andinterventions. In the primary grades, screening testsshould measure phonological awareness, phonics,fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. In the uppergrades, comprehension and fluency may be the firstscreening tests, but only as a starting point. Follow-up diagnostic assessments can be used to targetareas for instruction based on any apparent weak-nesses. Early screening tests should measure skillsthat most accurately predict future reading proficien-cy. For example, since the correlation between letteridentification in Kindergarten and reading scores infirst grade has been found to be fairly high, .52 (Snowet al., 1998), a test that measures this skill early isvital. Tests of oral reading fluency requiring as little asa few minutes to administer are also strong predic-tors of later reading skill. Fuchs, Fuchs, Hosp, and Jenk-ins (2001) reported that a brief oral fluency measurewas a better gauge of reading comprehension thanshort reading comprehension tests. In their studywith middle school age students with reading diffi-culties, the correlation between oral reading fluencyand comprehension was .91 (Fuchs et al., 2001).Recent data from Florida shows a correlation betweenthird graders’ performance on the Dynamic Indicatorsof Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) oral fluencymeasure and the Florida Comprehensive AssessmentTest of .70 (Buck and Torgesen, 2003). Given the reli-ability of these new early screening measures, educa-tional systems must incorporate these tests into theirtotal assessment package. These same tests, in manycases, can also serve as ongoing progress-monitoringassessments to ensure students are on track andinstructional interventions are working.

PROGRESS MONITORING assessment should beongoing. Examples of progress monitoring assess-ment include curriculum-embedded tests or testssuch as those provided with DIBELS. AIMSweb, a sim-ilar system, developed by Edformation, measures thesame foundational skills as does DIBELS but includesother assessments for writing and math up througheighth grade. These tests are used to regularly assess

student performance on a number of important pre-dictive reading measures. In addition to externalprogress monitoring tools which can help determinewhether students are learning to read on a predictableschedule, it is also important to track program imple-mentation. Most good reading programs have theirown unit or theme progress monitoring tests. Theseprogram tests serve to verify the extent to whichteachers are effectively using their programs and stu-dents are learning what has been taught. Theyanswer the question, “Are teachers effectively teach-ing the selected reading program?” These curriculum-embedded tests, along with effective externalprogress monitoring tests, help a school or districtdetermine whether the program itself, the teachertraining, and the implementation of instruction andintervention are effective.

OUTCOME ASSESSMENT is often used at the end ofthe school year. It provides data about exiting accom-plishments and is useful for planning the next majorsegment of instruction for individual students. It mosteffectively provides programmatic information forlarge groups of students. Its greatest use is to validatethe quality of a school’s program and implementation.

DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT instruments are mostoften used after progress monitoring or screeningtests reveal a pattern of weakness. Diagnostic testssuch as the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test, DurrellAnalysis of Reading Difficulty, and Stanford DiagnosticReading Test, pinpoint specific weaknesses to targetintervention.

All these different tests form the assessment toolkitall districts and schools need. Yet, even more vital, isthe knowledge to use the information immediatelyand effectively.

Using the Data

The data obtained from screening and progress-monitoring tests will help us determine studentachievement in three tiers: Tier 1-benchmark, Tier 2-strategic, and Tier 3-intensive learners. These desig-nations match the way Reading First describes amodel for prevention and intervention and is thebasis for the new Response to Intervention model foridentifying special education students. The terms are

Assessment-Driven Instruction:A Systems Approach

by Linda Diamond

W

From Perspectives, Vol. 31, No. 4, Fall 2005, pp. 33–37)

A18 � A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G A S S E S S M E N T - D R I V E N I N S T R U C T I O N

descriptive of students based on their performance.While it is easiest to think about the need for inter-vention for individual students, the success and failureof large groups of students is dependent on the effec-tiveness of the teachers and the materials or pro-grams available. Therefore, in addition to determiningwhich students are truly in need of intensive orstrategic interventions, we can also use the progress-monitoring tests that accompany most newer read-ing programs, data from screening and progressmonitoring tests, and classroom observation to helpus identify areas or topics in which teachers andschools need specialized assistance. Using data frommultiple sources in this way will assist coaches andadministrators to determine the extent to whichteachers are successfully implementing their corereading programs, effectively monitoring studentprogress, and skillfully providing additional assis-tance. So how does such a comprehensive use of datalook at all three levels in a school system: the student,the teacher, and the school unit?

At the Individual Student Level

Test data at the student level will help identifyadvanced students, those who are consistently abovethe benchmark targets and do very well in the grade-level materials and are able to handle the materialsdesignated as challenge, enrichment, or advanced.These students also benefit from enrichment andmore in-depth work in order to continually grow andto avoid boredom. Test data revealing students at thebenchmark levelwill reassure teachers that those stu-dents are on track to meet grade-level targets. Occa-sionally, they may need some reteaching, but gener-ally this interruption in their overall positive trajectoryof learning is only a minor setback. When data revealsstudents at the strategic level, those who are strug-gling with some concepts and content and often per-form one or even up to two grade levels below,teachers can use the information to plan and providesupport during small-group time. In addition, diag-nostic tests can identify specific skills for intervention.Often assistance to these students can occur withinthe regular classroom with added time, adjustmentsto pace, and increased explicitness and intensity offocus. These students could be regrouped for a por-tion of their time to have targeted instruction. Inaddition to 90 minutes or more of a core program,they will need even more time for focused instruc-tion. It is important that this additional instruction becarefully coordinated with the core program instruc-tion. These students need more frequent progressmonitoring and diagnostic assessments to pinpoint

areas of weakness—monthly or twice a monthassessment with the appropriate tests.

Students who score at the intensive level are thosechronically low-performing students who are farbelow benchmark on progress monitoring assess-ments. These students need extended intensive andspecialized instruction in small groups. For theseyoungsters, smaller class size will enable the teacherto focus on their needs, even groups as small as oneteacher to three or five students. For students in GradesK–3 in this category, the materials in some new pro-grams designated for reteaching, preteaching, andintervention may be sufficient. However, it is likely thatother, more specialized, intensive interventions are evenmore appropriate. These students need very frequentprogress monitoring (weekly or every two weeks) anddiagnostic tests to carefully pinpoint weaknesses andset up a specific instructional plan of remediation.

Teachers and Classrooms

Classrooms where almost all of the students aremeeting benchmarks on multiple measures (about80% of the students) may need relatively limitedsupport. Teachers who are achieving positive resultswith a large number of students can be models forothers. Support for these teachers may take the formof ideas to challenge students and extend the cur-riculum. The focus can also be on helping the teachersplan for the few students who are not meetingbenchmarks. Clearly the quality of instruction in thecore classroom is the first issue to consider whenidentifying students for interventions or special edu-cation. In fact, the Response to Intervention modelpresumes effective core instruction.

Classrooms where about one-third of the studentsare not meeting targets may need strategic support.If the teacher has the appropriate materials and hasreceived adequate training on the program, then poorperformance by large numbers of students may sig-nal that the teacher needs help. The curriculum-embedded tests will show which program skills arenot being mastered by large numbers of students,and the external progress monitoring tests will clarifythe reading predictor skills on which students arestruggling. Using that information, the coach canwork with the classroom teacher or groups of teach-ers to review program routines, practice the compo-nents that are indicated, and observe teaching. Forexample, if one-third of the students are performingpoorly on the program word recognition tasks, theteachers can meet with the coach for a review of the

program’s blending procedures and the componentsthat reinforce these skills. If many students fail tomeet oral fluency targets, then a coach can providereview and practice in the use of the decodablebooks, repeated reading and partner reading, or assistthe teachers to augment an insufficient program withsuch materials. Teachers in classrooms fitting this pro-file may need more support and focused assistancefrom their administrators and coaches in order toimplement an effective program. Although the stu-dents will certainly need added assistance, an under-lying issue may be the difficulty the teacher is havingin effective implementation, rather than the individ-ual student’s learning challenges.

Finally, classrooms in which over half of the studentsare chronically failing to meet targets can be thoughtof as requiring intensive support. The teachers inclassrooms fitting this profile need ongoing assis-tance both from the administrator and from a coachto use the selected program and any added, special-ized materials effectively to meet student needs.

For homogeneously grouped, or leveled, classrooms,contrary to the general perception, even studentsperforming at the intensive and strategic levels at thestart of the year should be able to meet basic readingtargets, although the pace of instruction may need tobe adjusted, and the students may be in specializedprograms. In fact, if these students receive extrainstructional time, additional practice on the skillscovered, and increased intensity of instruction, theytoo learn to read on schedule. It will, however, bemore demanding of the teacher’s expertise. In a class-room in which all students need intensive support,one would expect that the teacher would have asmaller group, more time with these students, andprovide extra expert instruction. If a large number ofstudents in such a classroom fail to make appropriateprogress toward meeting benchmarks and do notshow improvement on more frequent progress mon-itoring measures, then whatever was done did notwork. The point is that with effective, research-basedinstruction, coupled with appropriately targetedmaterials, all students, with the exception of 2–5%(Lyon, 2005; Torgesen, 2004), should be successfullylearning how to read.

Whole Schools

Beyond the individual school level, the district canutilize these same concepts and data to identifywhole schools in need of intensive or strategic sup-port and the degree of autonomy the school will

A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G A S S E S S M E N T - D R I V E N I N S T R U C T I O N � A19

have. For example, schools with many students per-forming in the intensive range may be expected towork very closely with district staff and have limiteddecision-making autonomy. Schools that have a largenumber of students performing at strategic levels

may be able to negotiate a certain amount of auton-omy with the district but will benefit from directassistance. Schools that have large numbers of stu-dents successfully meeting benchmarks may have agreat degree of autonomy as long as they continue to

meet targets and as long as they also address theneeds of students who are not reaching high perfor-mance levels. Table 1 offers a systems approach to theuse of assessment data.

Individual Students (Within aWell-Implemented Classroom)

Classroom Unit School Unit

Students consistently exceed thetargets and can handle advancedmaterials.Intervention: Need challenge,extension and enrichment.Assessment: 3 times a year.Materials: Standard core programplus enrichment.

75–80% of students are exceedingthe benchmarks. Teachers maymentor others.Intervention: Use of enrichmentand challenge materials.Assessment: 3 times a yearand collected 3 times by district.Materials: Standard core programplus enrichment.

Almost all classrooms havemost students exceeding thebenchmarks; school has significantdecision-making autonomy.Intervention: Use of enrichmentand challenge materials.Assessment: 3 times a yearand collected 3 times by district.Materials: Standard core programplus enrichment.

Advanced

Benchmark Students performing at this levelare making good progress,occasionally needing reteaching.Intervention: Generally noneneeded, reteach as problemsshow up.Assessment: 3 times a year.Materials: Standard core program.

75–80% of students are makinggood progress and there isevidence the teacher is skillfullyinstructing all students.Intervention: Videotaped lessonsto serve as models for others.Good classrooms for visits.Assessment: 3 times a year andcollected 3 times by district.Materials: Standard core program.

75–80% of the classrooms aremeeting the targets. Schools maybe freed from certain regulationsand have a high degree of autonomy.Intervention: The school mayserve as a good demonstrationsite for others to visit.Assessment: 3 times a year andcollected 3 times by district.Materials: Standard core program.

Strategic Students performing at this levelare not meeting benchmarktargets on one or more indicators.Intervention: Direct instructionwith teacher in smaller group 1:5–7 including adjustments of paceand complexity.Assessment: Diagnostic teststo pinpoint problems and targetintervention. Assess studentsevery 2–4 weeks.Materials: Core program plus spe-cialized, supplemental materials.

About one-third of the studentsare not meeting benchmarks onmultiple measures.Intervention: Assistance to theteacher on program componentsand supplemental materials andadded support for strugglingstudents. The coach can supportthese teachers with model les-sons and constructive coaching.Assessment: Data regularlymonitored by coach/principal;district reviews data 3 times a year.Materials: Core program plus spe-cialized, supplemental materials.

Many classrooms have largenumbers of students performingat strategic levels.Intervention: These schools willneed to receive directed assis-tance from central administration.Principal may benefit from visitsto model sites and mentoring.Assessment: Data regularlymonitored by district liaison.Materials: Core program plusspecialized, supplementalmaterials

IntensiveIndividual students who perform atchronically low levels in otherwiseeffective classrooms can beconsidered to need intensiveassistance.Intervention: Students in GradesK–3 may be able to use the inter-vention components of the exist-ing program during teacher-directed small-group time. Thesestudents will regularly need atleast 30 minutes focused on theirtargeted areas of weakness.Some may require a change ofprogram and outside support.Grade 4–8 students will need aseparate, intensive interventionreplacing their base program.Assessment: Assess every 1–2weeks and use diagnostic teststo pinpoint areas of weakness.Materials: Special supplementarymaterials or intensive interventionprograms.

Over half of the students are notmeeting benchmark indicators onmultiple measures.Intervention: Supportive andfrequent coaching. Administrativeintervention as needed. Extrasupport to use supplemental andintervention materials andprogram components skillfully.Assessment: More frequent datacollection and study by coach/principal/district.Materials: Special supplementarymaterials or intensive interventionprograms.

Many classrooms have largenumbers of students performingat intensive levels.These schoolswarrant intensive and directedassistance and may, as a conse-quence, have limited autonomy.Intervention: Principals mayseek assistance from district staff.District leadership will provideclose supervision and scrutiny ofthese schools.Assessment: More frequent datacollection and study by district.Materials: Special supplementarymaterials or intensive interventionprograms.

LEVELTABLE 1:


Layer in supplemental support in smaller groups.

Work with the teacher to determine whatsupport is needed, student skills at entrance,

and program or materials needs.

Work on those skills and concepts needingsupport (vocabulary, comprehensive, spelling)

using the program components duringdifferentiated instruction time (Workshop/small

group/independent work time).

Focus on program components to supportfluency (decodable books, sight words,

further blending practice) as well as otherskills (vocabulary, comprehension, spelling)

using program components duringdifferentiated instruction time

(Workshop/small group/independent work time).

Focus on sound-spelling instruction and blendingas well as decodable book practice using programcomponents during differentiated instruction time(Workshop/small group/independent work time).

Consider an intensive program and small,specialized support.

F

NO

YES

YES

YES

YES

Intervene with intensive or strategic students.Isolate student problems using program or other

diagnostic tests.

Administer program decoding and wordrecognition diagnostic and review classroom

observation informal assessment.

Consider possibility of added assistance, specialphoneme and phonics interventions including

supplemental materials.

Assess phoneme awareness using programdiagnostics or other diagnostic tool.

YES

NO

NO

NO

1. Based on observation and data, aremost students (75%–80%) meeting

benchmarks on external orprogram-specific measures?

2. Does the student meet the one-minuteoral fluency target?

3. Does the student demonstrate masteryof decoding?

4. Is the student demonstrating sufficientphoneme awareness?

5. Is the main program inappropriatefor this student?

NO

Assessment-Driven Instruction: A Systems Approach

Flowchart for Heterogeneous Classrooms

The following flow charts also are useful to determine the locus of intervention: the school, the teachers, or the students.

A S S E S S I N G R E A D I N G A S S E S S M E N T - D R I V E N I N S T R U C T I O N � A21

NO

Diagnose learning needs of targeted studentsand consider supplemental materials to

intensify instruction.

Find a plan for an intensive interventionreplacement program and be sure to provide

teacher training and support.

Provide added assistance to the teacher and/orsupplemental or specialized materials

for meeting needs.

Keep working on the skills and supporting theteacher and monitor the student.

F

YES

NO

YES

1. Are 75% or more of the studentsmeeting targets on the program

assessments, reflecting the componentstaught, and are they progressing onfrequent progress monitoring tests?

2. Are supplemental materials and extrasupport working?

Flowchart for Heterogeneous Classrooms

A Final Word of Caution

Sometimes in leveled classrooms teachers havewhole groups of children who have historicallyreceived inadequate instruction and have seriouslylow skills. These teachers will need a great deal ofassistance to meet the needs of these students. How-ever, with good programs, supportive coaches andadministrators, and effective professional develop-ment, virtually all students should be able to learnto read and write. The data will inform our practicesand help the entire system meet the ambitious butvital national goal of making all children readers.

References

Buck, J. and Torgesen, J. (2003). The RelationshipBetween Performance on a Measure of Oral ReadingFluency and Performance on the Florida Comprehen-sive Assessment Test. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Centerfor Reading Research.

Fuchs, L.S., Fuchs, D., Hosp, M.K., and Jenkins, J.R.(2001), Oral reading fluency as an indicator of readingcompetence: A theoretical, empirical, and historicalanalysis. Scientific Studies of Reading, 5, 239–256.

Germann, G. and Shinn, M. AIMSweb. EdformationInc.: Eden Prairie, MN 55344.

Good, R.H. Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early LiteracySkills (DIBELS), University of Oregon.

Lyon, G.R. (2005). Literacy Leadership Summit. Con-sortium on Reading Excellence. March 2005.

Snow, C. E., Burns, M.S., and Griffin, P., Eds. (1998).“Predictors of Success and Failure in Reading” inPreventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children.Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Torgesen, J. (2004). Avoiding the Devastating Down-ward Spiral. American Educator, Fall 2004, 6–45.Torgesen, J. (2004). Early Screening is at the Heart ofPrevention. American Educator, Fall 2004, 14-16.

LINDA DIAMOND is the Executive Vice President of CORE (Consortium on Reaching Excellence inEducation), a technical assistance organization. Shedevelops CORE’s professional services and products.Mrs. Diamond was the Director of Curriculum, StaffDevelopment and Evaluation for the Alameda CityUnified School District, an elementary and middleschool principal, and Direct Instruction teacher forstruggling secondary readers. She is a nationalspeaker on reading instruction and the co-author ofAssessing Reading: Multiple Measures and the Teach-ing Reading Sourcebook.


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