In the Classroom

I have been observing in a fifth grade classroom in Hurlock Elementary School. This has been a very educational and interesting experience. One of the things that I love and plan to implement at my own school is reading enrichment. Three afternoons per week students switch classrooms. They go to an enrichment group where they work on the specific reading skills they need to practice. I have been in Mrs. Rickwood's classroom, where her students are working on decoding multi-syllabic words. Mrs. Rickwood helped create the curriculum she is using, and it is great! I have really learned a lot and enjoyed watching her teach these phonics lessons!

SEA Data Table

Reading is complex. It requires combining several skills at one time. Reading involves phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Trying to determine which of these reading skills a child needs to work on can be very challenging. When a child struggles to learn to read, it can be very difficult to uncover the cause of the struggle. There are many different diagnostic reading assessments that can help with this challenging task. Because there are so many potential assessments, teachers must evaluate the various options to determine which assessment will be the most useful. In this paper, we will examine five of the prospective assessments and evaluate how they would be most effective.

SIT

            The first diagnostic reading assessment that I researched was the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT). This test is intended to assess verbal skills and abilities. The test includes 187 questions that cover six cognitive domains: vocabulary, general information, similarities and differences, comprehension, quantitative memory, and auditory memory. It is used to help determine a verbal IQ. This test is easy to administer and score. The SIT can be used with all ages. It is useful in diagnosing learning disabilities as well as giftedness. One benefit of this test is that it can be administered to individuals with disabilities such as blindness or orthopedic disabilities. One potential weakness of this assessment is its use of academic terminology. This could potentially cause the test to be biased. Those who have had more formal education would be expected to score higher. While this test should not be the sole assessment in determining a child’s reading level, it can be very helpful in identifying his verbal strengths and abilities.

 

 

SORT

            Another useful diagnostic reading assessment is the Slosson Oral Reading Test (SORT). This assessment is used to evaluate word recognition using sets of 20 words. There are a total of 200 words in the test. The SORT can be used for pre-primer through high school levels. It only takes 3-5 minutes to administer and score this assessment. The administrator would simply allow the student to read the words in each list until they are no longer able to correctly read any of the words. To score this assessment, the administrator would count the number of words read correctly and match that list to an equivalent grade level. This test is reliable, quick, and has features for the impaired. However, it does not test for word meaning, comprehension, or fluency. There is also no way to use the SORT for progress monitoring, because there is only one set of leveled word lists. Therefore, like the SIT, this assessment should be used in combination with observations and other diagnostic reading assessments.

BRI

            The Basic Reading Inventory (BRI) is a test that assesses several reading skills. When taking this assessment, the child would begin by reading word lists similarly to the SORT. When the child misreads six or more words in the list, he reaches what the BRI refers to as “frustration level.” At this time, the administrator would move to the next type of assessment, leveled passages. The child would be assessed on fluency, accuracy, vocabulary, and comprehension during this part of the assessment. Once the assessment is scored, the administrator will have the child’s independent, instructional, and frustration level of reading. The BRI also provides suggested interventions based on the results of the assessments. Another great feature of the BRI is progress monitoring. There are three sets of leveled word lists and passages. This allows the student to be reassessed using the same type of test in order to monitor progress. This is a very useful assessment, but it does not assess phonemic awareness, which is a fundamental reading skill.

WADT

            Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test (WADT) is a wonderful example of a phonemic awareness assessment. The administrator of the WADT reads pairs of words aloud, and the child indicates whether the words have the same sounds or different sounds. The test consists of forty pairs of words. Poor scores on the WADT typically indicate that the child will have a hard time learning to read, and reading interventions should be considered. While poor scores often indicate potential disabilities such as dyslexia, they could also be the result of hearing impairment, poor listening or attention problems. This assessment is a good early indicator of possible reading struggles, but it is only recommended for use with children between the ages of four and eight.

PAR

            The Predictive Assessment of Reading (PAR) is the final reading assessment that I researched. This assessment should be administered by the child’s teacher. It is intended to be used as a screening and diagnostic tool. The PAR assesses a child’s phonemic awareness, letter identification and high frequency single word identification, rapid naming, fluency, and vocabulary. This assessment helps the teacher identify the specific cause of a reading deficit, and it provides recommendations for intervention. This assessment is recommended for students in kindergarten through the third grade. While this is a very thorough and useful assessment, it is also the most expensive of the five assessments.

            All of the assessments that I researched had benefits and uses. The SIT can be used to determine a child’s verbal skills and abilities. The SORT is useful in determining a child’s ability to recognize and decode words. The WADT can be used to diagnose problems with auditory discrimination. The BRI and PAR both help to pinpoint the specific reading skills that a child is struggling with, and they provide plans for instruction. The most important thing to remember is no single assessment should be used to settle on a child’s reading level and placement. Teachers should use a combination of different assessments and observations of the child to determine placement and plans for intervention.

Reading Diagnostic Tests

	SIT Slosson Intelligence Test	SORT Slosson Oral Reading Test	BRI Basic Reading Inventory	PAR Predictive Assessment of Reading	WADT Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test
Purpose	-Oral  assessment of  verbal skills -Can be used as part of a diagnostic test for learning disabilities	-Evaluates word recognition skills -Useful in finding a child’s reading level	-Evaluates several reading skills -Provides information for instructional decision making in reading	-Evaluates several reading skills including: phonological awareness, letter recognition, and vocabulary -Diagnoses a child’s strengths and weaknesses with reading	-Identifies children who struggle with auditory discrimination or phonemic awareness -Can be used to diagnose students who will struggle to learn to read
Strengths	-Easy to administer and score -Features for the impaired	-Reliable -Quick -Features for the impaired	-Easy to use -Progress monitoring (3 forms) -Suggests instructional strategies -Targets student needs	-Assesses multiple reading skills in one test -Determines the specific cause of a reading deficit -Recommends a plan for intervention	-Quick and easy to administer and score -Economical
Weaknesses	-May be biased due to the use of academic questions	-Does not assess comprehension or fluency -No progress monitoring (only one form)	-Suggested grade level may not align with other assessments	-Expensive -Only available in large numbers	-Low scores may be inaccurate if the child has a hearing impairment, poor listening, or attention problems
Appropriateness	-Can be used with all ages to assess verbal IQ	-Can be used with Pre-Primer through High School to assess word recognition skills	-Can be used with Pre-Primer through High School To assess their current reading level	-Can be used with children in grades K-3 to assess current reading level and predict future reading levels	-Can be used with 4-8 year olds to diagnose potential learning disabilities

 

 

References

Why Should You Choose PAR as Your RTI screener/RTI Assessment? (2012). Child’s Mind

 Publishing. Retrieved on March 5, 2014 from: http://childsmindpublishing.org

 

Johns, J. (2012). Basic Reading Inventory (11^th ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing

 Company.

 

McKechnie, J., & Bradley, E. (2001). Test Review: Slosson Intelligence Test Revised (SIT-R).

            Retrieved on March 5, 2014 from http://aac.ncat.edu/newsnotes/y01win.html

 

Slosson Oral Reading Test (2012). Retrieved on March 5, 2014 from:

            http://www.kentuckyliteracy.org/sites/ccldzen/files/literacy_tool/tools/SlossonOral

            Reading Test.pdf

 

Western Psychological Services. (1987). Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test, Second

            Edition. Retrieved on March 5, 2014 from:

            http://www.ecasd.k12.wi.us/student_services/assessments/ADT.pdf

 

Critique of 5 Instructional Materials

There are thousands of instructional materials available for teaching reading. These materials serve many purposes from teaching curriculum to review games. Some are geared toward beginning readers, and others challenge advanced readers. Instructional reading materials can range in price from hundreds of dollars to completely free. In this paper I will critique five instructional reading materials based on their usefulness, targeted reading level and cost.

Printable Leveled Readers from Reading A-Z

            Reading A-Z is a website that offers printable leveled readers. There are hundreds of books to choose from. Each book comes with a chart explaining the appropriate age and grade level for the book as well as the Lexile, DRA, Reading Recovery, and Fountas & Pinnell levels. The available books range from Preschool through Fifth grade. A few books in each level are marked as “benchmark” books, and there are a variety of both fiction and non-fiction books available. The books can be printed and put together, projected onto a SmartBoard, or downloaded onto e-readers. There are lesson plans that correspond to each book. These include worksheets that can be printed and/or projected onto a SmartBoard with vocabulary, word work, comprehension, discussion group questions, and assessments. Reading A-Z could be used as a classroom curriculum or as a supplement for reading enrichment or tutoring purposes.

            Reading A-Z books and lesson plans can be found at http://www.readinga-z.com. There are a few free printable books available, and teachers can sign up for a free trial period. If a teacher decides to use Reading A-Z the cost for the complete curriculum is $99.95/ 1 year. This is a significant amount of money to spend on supplemental reading materials, but it could be used as a classroom curriculum. The potential to print each student a copy of the book and the worksheets, and also be able to project the book and worksheets on the SmartBoard make this product very useful in the classroom. However, the additional time and cost of printing all of the books should also be taken into consideration. Reading A-Z has a lot to offer for teachers and tutors who have the resources to print, project, or download the materials.

Syllable Whiteboards

            Mrs. Rickwood, my mentor teacher, teaches a phonics reading enrichment class in the afternoon. One of the materials her students use every day during that time is 3” x 5” whiteboards. Whenever a child comes to a word that they cannot sound out, they use these whiteboards to break the word into syllables. They begin by counting the vowels in the word in order to decide how many boards they will need. Each vowel is written on its own board. They then look at the consonants around each vowel and decide which board to put the consonants on. They read each syllable individually as they touch the board. Then they sweep their fingers beneath the boards and put the syllables together to read the multisyllabic word. From observing Mrs. Rickwood during her phonics enrichment time, I have seen how very effective the use of the boards can be.

            Zykerra, the child I am working with is in a fluency enrichment group instead of Mrs. Rickwood’s phonics group. Mrs. Rickwood allowed me to borrow a few of the syllable boards to use with Zykerra during one of our tutoring sessions. I asked Zykerra to read the poem “Jabberwocky” which is filled with multisyllabic nonsense words. In the first stanza, Zykerra really struggled to decode the nonsense words. I followed Mrs. Rickwood’s method of using the boards, and Zykerra was able to successfully break the nonsense words down into syllables and then put the word back together. After using the syllable boards with a few words, Zykerra was able to start decoding the nonsense words without the need of the boards.

            Syllable whiteboards are a wonderful tool. Mrs. Rickwood says she has had the same ones for years. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a place that sells this size of whiteboards, but I asked Mrs. Rickwood where she bought hers. She said she bought a big sheet of whiteboard at Lowes and they cut it for her into the size she wanted. I found at http://www.homedepot.com  that a 32 square ft. sheet of white board can be purchased at Home Depot for only $13.38, and an employee there can cut the sheet at no additional expense. Dry erase markers can be purchased at Walmart, Staples, Office Depot, and tons of other stores for only a few dollars. In my opinion, syllable whiteboards are an inexpensive and useful instructional material for teaching reading.

Starfall.com

            There are a lot of apps and websites that can be used to encourage reading. Starfall.com is one of my favorites. Starfall.com is an educational website. It has fun songs and games to teach phonics. It also has leveled stories for children to read. The leveled readers are great. Each story focuses on a phonics rule. If the child who is reading cannot figure out a word, he can click on the word, and the computer will sound out the word and read it to the child. Startfall.com is useful for preschool through first grade. The only thing I do not like about Starfall.com is that it does not have anything for more advanced readers. It could be used during learning centers time in a classroom. Students love it because of the songs, games, and fun stories. Teachers and parents love it because children can play and read without needing help from an adult. While a membership can be purchased to open more games and activities, many of the activities and stories are free.

 

 

Sight-word Ring

            Sight-word rings are another tool that Mrs. Rickwood uses in her classroom. Mrs. Rickwood simply purchased binder rings and cut cardstock into 2”x 2” squares. She has her students write sight words or vocabulary words on the cards, and uses a hole punch to attach the cards to the ring. Every student in her class has a sight-word ring. They can attach their ring to the inside of a binder or they can put it on a belt loop or lanyard. Mrs. Rickwood gives them time to choose a partner and drill each other on their words, or they can go over their words on their own if they have extra time. This is a great alternative to flashcards because the ring helps students keep all of the cards together. The weakness of this idea is if a student loses his ring, he loses all of his words as well. I looked on http://www.staples.com, and 16 binder rings can be purchased for $3.49. Staples also sells packages of 50 sheets of cardstock for $9.99. These purchases could be made at the beginning of the school year, and could last and be used all year. They would be great for all ages and reading levels as well.

Common Syllable Cards

            Many children feel overwhelmed when they see multisyllabic words. They may have a good understanding of phonics, but when they see a big word they do not know how to break it down into smaller, easier to read chunks. Zykerra, the child I am tutoring, struggles with decoding multisyllabic words. In an effort to help Zykerra recognize that big words are made up of small syllables, I gave her cards with common syllables printed on them. I found a chart of the most common syllables at http://www.teacher.scholastic.com/reading/syllabication.pdf. I printed the chart onto cardstock and cut the syllables into individual cards. I gave Zykerra the cards and we played a game where we tried to make multisyllabic words by putting the cards together. This activity helped Zykerra recognize that she can easily read multisyllabic words because they are made up of small syllables that she already knows. This instructional material was free. The chart was free to print, and I already had a piece of cardstock. Syllable cards could be used with beginning readers all the way to upper elementary students.

            As I have researched instructional reading materials, I have found that teachers could potentially spend their life’s savings on materials such as books, curriculums, apps, flashcards, and games. However, there are tons of free and inexpensive instructional materials available. Luckily, there are many veteran teachers, like Mrs. Rickwood, who are happy to share their creativity and ideas with new teachers. Mrs. Rickwood has shared with me tons of inexpensive, creative, and useful instructional materials for teaching reading, that I am sure will be invaluable as I take them to use in my own classroom.