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Week 5

Just got placement-I start tomorrow.  No assignment due tonight.

Week 4

Still no placement waiting waiting........................................................

Reading Diagnostic Paper

The Evaluation of Reading Diagnostic Tests

Summary

            The important role of a teacher is being able to know their students by determining their strengths and weaknesses.  This is an ongoing process where the teacher wants to see their students to show progress.  The best way is to be aware of the best reading diagnostic assessments available that will test students in all aspects of reading.  The teacher needs to make sure the student is assigned to right reading level, so they can thrive without frustration.  Each school usually has several diagnostic tests they use for the students.  You need to look at all aspects of reading and make sure the test will properly measure the student’s reading level and be to diagnose any reading problems.  The best strategy would be not to rely on one assessment for accuracy and reliability, but take a look at several.  Additionally, the students need to be tested on a regular basis because a test only measures the student’s ability at that point in time.  Most tests are quick screening tools that help the teacher identify problems and confirm reading levels for students.  The test can measure vocabulary, reading word lists, phonics, oral and silent reading, reading comprehension, visual cues, reading fluency, etc. A teacher wants to look at the best assessments for their class in order to make effective decisions.  The students look at their assessment results as a way to confirm their skills by being able to their progress. 

The table will below will describe in detail the purpose, appropriateness, strengths, and weaknesses of five widely used reading assessments.  The Basic Reading Inventory is a quick assessment that provides a solid base for a teacher to create a reading plan from testing the student on sight words and word passages. Slosson Intelligence Test Primary (SIT-P) is used in early education to identify any problems students may have in reading.  The Slosson Oral Reading Test and Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test are quick screening tools that should be used with other assessments.  Visual Motor Integration Test helps diagnose students with visual discrimination issues that can cause problems in reading.  Gray’s Diagnostic Reading Test is very reliable and the result would stand on its own; however, you should always look at more than one assessment.

Reading Diagnostic Assessment Table

Test	Purpose	Strengths	Weaknesses	Appropriateness
Basic Reading Inventory (BRI) Test	BRI is an easy assessment to administer to determine the level of the reader by evaluating their reading fluency by measuring accuracy, rate, and prosody.   The BRI test the student on grade level sight words and passages with comprehension questions, timed reading to determine a student’s rate of how many words per minute they can read.  Both silent and oral reading is measured.   The assessment can measure how many words they got right, substitute or get wrong.  This helps create a reading plan based on the student’s reading level.	A valuable diagnostic tool to find the instructional level and evaluate the student on right grade leveled word lists or reading passages.   The teacher can individually evaluate the students and place the students in reading groups and provide reading materials based on their instructional level.   The teacher can quickly measure reading fluency and comprehension and determine what direction to take his/her instruction.	There is no clear separation narrative or expository passages lacking a good balance between the two   Most passages are drawn from textbooks instead of stories   Differences in passage lengths   Variability in measures based on the type of BRI assessment used on student   Comprehension questions are informal and can affect the normal classification scheme of reading comprehension	This a good assessment tools to help group students and developing reading plans to help them grow and improve.   This is a good starting point and the teacher can conduct other assessments to confirm the BRI results.   The BRI provides consistent results that help the students enhance reading skills with less frustration.
Gray Diagnostic Reading Test (Psychological Reading Test)	GORT-4 measures the growth in oral reading and an aid in diagnosing reading difficulties.  It is for 6-18 yr. olds   The assessment has five scores that reflects rate, accuracy, fluency, comprehension and overall reading ability   It has developmentally sequenced reading passages with five comprehension questions following each passage.   Identifies students who are below their peers in oral reading proficiency, diagnose specific reading strengths and weaknesses, and document student reading growth as a result of special intervention.	The test is takes in account in its passages the differences of key demographic variables such as race, gender, ethnicity, and geographic region   Provide reliable and consistent measures of students where teachers can develop appropriate lessons and have the students groups in the appropriate reading leveled groups   The results help diagnose reading problems with students	Even though the assessment takes in accounts for key demographic variables there is not research to back it up	The highly reliable assessment with a scientific base where the teacher can be confident about the results. This assessment is appropriate to group the students in the right reading groups and know where they stand with reading   The results on first test and retest can reflect growth in reading   This test has history to accurately measure students, but you should always look at other assessments to correctly diagnose the children with reading difficulties.
Slosson Intelligence Test Primary (SIT-P)	Assessment for 2-7 yr. olds   Covers 121 verbal questions covering vocabulary, comprehension, auditory sentence memory and short-term memory numbers and 90 nonverbal covering nonverbal spatial reasoning, visual motor integration and speed of visual processing   Early screening that allows to identify individual needs and determine if further assessment or special services are required for the student	Quick assessment that takes less time to administer, score and interpret the results.   Can make efficient decision about the student   A qualified master level educator counselor gives the assessment and they are qualified to administer, score, and interpret the results to lead to consistent, accurate decisions	The test for the 2-3 yr. olds is less stable when their environment and responses are changing drastically   Ignores the differences and consistencies with gifted students, students with special needs, lower socioeconomic and at risk populations   Ignores individual differences and unfair to categorized to get reasonable fit for educational needs.	The test is more appropriate for the 4-7 yr. old where the results are consistence where they have the developed knowledge by school age to complete the test and results are reliable   The test is less appropriate for 2-3 yr. olds where results are inconsistent based on their learning experiences   The test is a helpful tool for getting quick results to provide the student any additional services they may need   Finally, you should always look at other assessment to accurately place the student because you cannot rely on one assessment alone
Slosson Oral Reading Test (SORT)	A quick screening test that looks at oral word recognition and determines a student’s reading level   A list of 200 word arranged in order of difficulty.  This can be given to students 4 and older   It can be used to assess a student’s progress, determine grade reading level, and see if further diagnostic testing is needed	Satisfactory reliability in the results and it test oral reading skills   The content has been reviewed by experts, textbook authors and compared to various curriculum guides where the lists have validity   Words are selected to show reading progress	Not an assessment that measures all aspects of reading such as word knowledge and comprehension   The assessment sample has not proven results to show norm data from all demographic groups or students with special needs to gifted students	This is a quick assessment for screening only you cannot use the results to determine a student’s reading level without further assessments   This test is meant for initial screening or research where pair with other tests and a teacher’s judgment the student can be confidentially classified in the right reading level
Visual Motor Integration Test (Visual Discrimination Test)	There are two main VMITs :  Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (DTVMI) and the Full Range Test of Visual Motor Integration (FRTVMI) both measure similar visual motor integration constructs   This help determine if there will be learning disabilities that can be addressed by measuring visual motor skills	This a quick test that takes 5-15 minutes and is easy to score   Reliable and unbiased measure of visual motor ability   Can help diagnose learning disabilities that visual discrimination problems	There can a difference in results based on sex because of maturity   This cannot be used as a repeated assessment on a student to measure progress   You only can see assessment at that point in time	This is appropriate as a helpful tool to assess students with visual discrimination problems that can affect their reading level to determine a reading plan for them   This assessment is good for an initial measure and diagnosis, but when looking at long-term growth a teacher needs to look at other assessment tools
Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test	Individual test where the test involves instructing the child to indicate if the word pairs read aloud are the same or different from 40 pairs of words in five minutes   An assessment of student's ability to discriminate between commonly used phonemes through the measure of the ability hear spoken language	Easy test to administer and score   Can help identify children who have delayed speech or difficulty with reading	Examiner reliability and background noise for this test can produce results that not accurately measure the students ability   Not clear if poor auditory discrimination is significant factor for articulation problems   Should be a screening test where major decisions are made about the student   Variation may result based on rate of presentation and emphasis on word pairs	This test should be use with other assessments and this test can be the initial measurement to classify students   Again, should be used to make decisions on determining reading levels   This is a quick assessment along with the teacher’s judgment can help the students who are having difficulties with reading

 

References

Erfold, B. and Paulette, D.  (2005). Psychometric Analysis of Young Children's Responses to the Slosson Intelligence Test-Primary (SIT-P). Journal of Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development. 38(10), 130-140.

Nilsson, N.L. (2008). A Critical Analysis of Eight Informal Reading Inventories. The Reading Teacher, 61(7), pp. 526-536.

Ruddell, R.  Teaching Children to Read and Write 4^th edition. United States.  Pearson.

 

 

 

 

 

Week 3

Sitting here in class no assignment yet.  Our assignment this week was to write about how children learn to read:

Introduction

            Every child takes a unique path in learning to read that can rely on various factors.  These factors can be based on their social environment before they start school.  It all starts when we are born being curious about our surroundings.  Babies want to learn about their environment in which they live.  As they develop, they want to learn new things and how to communicate with their loved ones.  How a baby develops really depends on their social environment.  The key ingredient is that the family is active in introducing them to the world of books.  Additionally, the young child learns language development from listening to their family and peers.  They enhance language by listening to the stories their parents read to them.  It is the introduction to books with decodable pictures that helps a young child interpret the world around them.  The important role of a parent is to build the excitement of exploring books for their children.  The more the child is exposed to books, the more likely they will embrace reading.  In the early years, it helps to introduce your child to the library and read each day to them.  Children relate to book that have characters they recognize from television shows such as Dora or a common experience.  They learn to explore a book by decoding the pictures.  The amount of this exposure will help a teacher take a student to the next level of reading.  However, the challenge a teacher faces is each child she gets has a different level of exposure to language and books.  It is up to the teacher to help bridge the gap between his/her students in order to help them embrace learning to read.  A teacher needs to understand the different stages of reading and know it is not easy for everyone to learn to read.  The children need to be given the tools to be a successful reader.  Most importantly, a teacher needs to realize each student is different and they need to be assessed to determine their reading level. 

Learning to Read Stages

Each child begins the process with language development, so they can communicate with their family and peers.  The first stage is the pre-alphabetic where a child is learning their letters. It is important to focus on learning letters, letter sounds, and expanding their word vocabulary.  This stage is the most important because if you do not grasp these concepts, then you will have difficulties down the road learning to read independently.  Usually picture books are used in this stage, so they can develop picture literacy by learning to interpret the meaning in the story.  The pictures books play an important role in attracting a student to read by the artistic design elements and its relation to the text in the story.  This is where the artistic style of the pictures helps the early reader relate to the mood and setting of the story.  This is enhanced by the student ability to draw pictures to help tell a story. 

The next two stages early alphabetic and later alphabetic help develop the skills of phonological awareness, phonics, word recognition, spelling, and repeated exposure to reading materials.  This is where the students move from sounding out letters to being able to take more cues on sounding out more complex words.  The best strategies is rhyming words, learning about word families, having spelling tests, exposing them to new vocabulary, and having them write down their thoughts.  This is taking the student to the next level and their progress really depends on how they have mastered their previous skills.  Again, having the student incorporate a home reading program is the key to their success.  This stage begins to introduce the students to leveled readers and chapter books depending on their progress.  The students first learn to read by reading aloud and then move towards reading to them themselves.  The teacher needs to have assessments to understand where each student stands, so they do not get frustrated where they do not want to read.  At this stage, we want to develop independent readers with minimal frustration.  Another main component to reading is keeping the student’s interest in reading by helping them find stories that interest them.  As a teacher, it is important to know your student in order to make recommendations on what stories they can read. 

The next stage is reading fluency where the student has expanding vocabulary and phonics, and can decipher longer words.  At this level, the student has developed comprehension skills where they can answer questions about the story they have read.  They learn to ask questions to themselves as the story unfolds.  The independent reader can reflect deeply about the story and write about it.  They have a strong understanding of different genres of books and want to be exposed to new stories that challenge their minds.  The further development of vocabulary and reading comprehension is explored in depth in grades four and beyond. 

Reading Development Levels

The four stages of reading development are called the emergent, early, transition, and fluent readers.  The emergent readers need books that are going to catch their attention.  Primarily, they read picture books where they can recognize letters, words, and language patterns.  They usually want to review the book more than once with an adult guiding them through the story.  The early readers use several strategies or cues on how the story will unfold by looking for language patterns, the message in the story, and picture literacy.  The transitional readers like to read books in a series where they can relate to the characters.  They read at a good pace with a better comprehension of the story.  Fluent readers are independent and can interpret more complex language.  They can gain an understanding that stories project ideas and can influence one’s ideas.   By the time, the students get to grade four; they should have the skills in place where they can comprehend what they are reading and be able to read any book in their grade level or higher.  A teacher should be able to assess the student’s reading level in order to put them in pace with all fourth graders.  Assessment is the key to understanding where each student stands, so they are not frustrated and letting the parents know how they can help their child to strengthen their reading skills. 

Conclusion

            As a teacher, I know having a strong reading program in my classroom is important.  I need to communicate with parents and stress the importance of reading at home.  Additionally, I need to keep the interest heighten for my students where they are excited to read.  I want them to be able to expand their minds and show them how books open new opportunities for them.  By giving them the tools to be a successful reader, I am giving them the opportunity to excel in life.  Reading is not easy for everyone, so it is important for each student grasp the early stages of reading.  Finally, the true success of a student’s interest in reading is based on the enthusiasm they have been exposed to from their environment at home, school, and in the community. 

Week 2

January 16th

Still waiting for placement.

1st research project due: Visual Literacy for Reading Comprehension my prezi link:  http://prezi.com/_vnpebikxnbo/visual-literacy/

Introduction

The early development of a child starts with the development of language skills within the home environment.  Their literacy development varies depending on their experiences before starting school.  The teacher does not have control over this; however, they must be able to adapt their instruction based on the literacy needs of their class.  This can vary year to year depending on the socioeconomic status of the students.  The teacher can assess their students and determine the best path to take in developing reading comprehension skills.  Oral language skills are not the only mode of communication. Written communication is also developed by a child before school by drawing pictures on what they see in their environment.  Through the development of these early skills of communication, a child is able to become an emergent reader or writer through the introduction of picture books.  The literacy development of a child is important by exposing them early to pictures, so they can gain interest in reading.  The first step is for the parents to develop a literacy program at home by reading to their children, which will be further enhanced in school by their teachers.  Starting in Pre-K, the teachers already start teaching their student visual literacy by asking questions about a story.  The teacher does this by asking the students to interpret the pictures in the story.  An example of this is showing the students pictures from the story and asking them to put them in order based on the main events in the story.  The teacher needs to set the foundation for a visual literacy program where students are able to strengthen their literacy skills by making the connection between the words in a story and its pictures.

Visual Literacy Main Components

            Pictures books help children make the connection to a story by its illustrations.  An illustration can tell us the mood and setting of a story where we can see pictorial interpretations of the characters in the setting of the story.  The pictorial properties in the illustration include color, shape, line, size, and style.  This helps the students make that special connection between the text and its pictures.  It helps the child visualize the story and be able to see the story in both the author’s and illustrator’s eyes.  Some of our classic fairytales would not be the same without the illustrations.  The illustrations help tell the story along with the text. This helps them gain an understanding in developing early reading comprehension skills.  Also, the students learn to understand the main idea of a story by being able to summarize the story’s main events.  The teacher can help by using tools such as a Venn diagram or a graphic organizer or a story map.

The basic design elements are picture to text interaction where the illustrations reinforce, describe, and establish a connection to the story.  The way a teacher can teach these skills is making color and cultural connections, explaining how style implies the setting and makes the tone, and the composition that makes the characters and main plot of the story.  Teachers can help the students make these connections by teaching the components of visual literacy and reading different genres of books.  By exposing the students to a variety of books, they can begin to understand how to connect the illustrations to the story.  The more stories they are exposed to the stronger their visual literacy skills will be developed.  Another key component to developing their visual literacy skills is to have the parents reinforce it at home with a home reading program.  Both the parents and the school are important partners in developing their child’s reading comprehension.  Visual literacy can be developed by looking at the text to text connections, inference, visualizing, interpreting the main idea, and answering questions about the story. 

Conclusion

            As a teacher, I believe visual literacy is a major component to reading comprehension.  The illustrations help us understand and expand our creative minds in understanding how a story unfolds.  Without the pictures in a story, how would we get the same details in a story?  The illustrations bring the story to life and help open the eyes of the children to a wonderful world of reading.  This article definitely emphasizes the importance of visual literacy.  The more exposure the students have to reading, the more likely they will be avid readers. By enhancing their visual skills it help them comprehend the stories they have read, which in turn opens a new world for them.

My first night in Practicum III

I am sitting in my first night of Practicum III absorbing the new assignments for this block.  Wow! 

1. Research article next week with Prezi due week 2
2. Summary of how children learn to read due week 3
3. SEA week due week 4
4. Critique of 5 resources due week 6
5. BRI due week 7

I am ready to work this block. I am just waiting for my placement.