Types of Informal Classroom-Based Assessment

Overview

Informal classroom-based assessments are essential tools for assessing various components of reading in students. These assessments are typically conducted one-on-one in a comfortable and non-distracting setting. They help teachers understand strengths and weaknesses in student reading abilities and guide instruction.

Types of Assessments

1. Letter/Sound Recognition

• Purpose: To assess familiarity with letters and their sounds.
• Age/Grade Mastery: Kindergarten.
• Assessment Frequency: Three times during kindergarten.
• Assessment Method: Show letters to students and ask them to identify the letter and its sound.

2. Concepts of Print Awareness

• Purpose: To assess understanding of the functions and parts of print in books.
• Age/Grade Mastery: Kindergarten.
• Assessment Frequency: Twice during kindergarten.
• Assessment Method: Use books to ask students about parts of the book and the text.

3. Phonological Awareness

• Purpose: To assess ability in recognizing words, rhymes, syllables, and onset-rime.
• Age/Grade Mastery: Kindergarten.
• Assessment Frequency: Throughout kindergarten and first grade.
• Assessment Method: Questions about words in sentences, rhymes, syllable blends, and onset-rime.

4. Phonemic Awareness

• Purpose: To assess abilities like phoneme matching, isolation, blending, segmentation, and manipulation.
• Age/Grade Mastery: Kindergarten to early second grade.
• Assessment Frequency: Three times during kindergarten and first grade.
• Assessment Method: Identify sounds in words and manipulate phonemes.

5. Informal (Qualitative) Reading Inventory

• Purpose: To measure grade-level reading, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and oral reading accuracy.
• Age/Grade Mastery: Grades 1-12.
• Assessment Frequency: Ongoing throughout schooling.
• Assessment Method: Reading passages followed by comprehension questions.

6. Reading Comprehension

• Purpose: To assess understanding of a text.
• Age/Grade Mastery: Grade-appropriate.
• Assessment Frequency: As needed.
• Assessment Method: Reading passages followed by detailed questions.

7. Oral Reading Accuracy

• Purpose: To measure oral reading accuracy.
• Age/Grade Mastery: Grades 1-3.
• Assessment Frequency: Several times a year.
• Assessment Method: Read passages aloud with error tracking.

8. Reading Fluency

• Purpose: To measure how many words a student reads correctly in one minute.
• Age/Grade Mastery: Grade-appropriate.
• Assessment Frequency: Regularly throughout the year.

9. Word Recognition

• Purpose: To assess sight word vocabulary.
• Age/Grade Mastery: Kindergarten to 2nd grade.
• Assessment Frequency: Three times a year.

10. Phonic Elements

• Purpose: To assess knowledge of phonic elements.
• Age/Grade Mastery: Grades 1-3.
• Assessment Frequency: Several times a year.

11. Portfolios

• Purpose: To document student achievement and growth.
• Types: Collection, Display, Teacher/Student Assessment.
• Use: Helps guide instruction and showcases student progress.

Implementation Tips

• Keep the testing environment comfortable and ensure other students are occupied.
• Use the gathered data to guide and adjust instruction.
• Combine assessments to get a fuller picture of student abilities.
• Encourage student reflection and active participation in their learning process.

Conclusion

Informal assessments provide valuable insights into student reading abilities and are crucial for effective instruction planning. They should be conducted regularly and used in conjunction with other teaching strategies to support student reading development.