Description of Assessments
Assessment 1
AIMSweb Test of Early Literacy (TEL)
AIMSweb (Pearson, 2013) is an assessment system that provides the framework for RTI implementations and tiered instruction. It offers multiple assessments for universal screening and progress monitoring, and web-based data management, charting, and reporting. Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) and Letter Sound (LSF) Fluency subtests on the AIMSweb TEL were utilized for the analysis of pre and post data. On the Letter Naming Fluency subtest, students named as many upper and lower case letters as possible in one minute. On the Letter Sound Fluency subtest, students named as many letter sounds as possible in one minute. Benchmarks are established three times per year for all students, using grade-level assessment probes. Reports identify students at risk, help focus areas of instruction, evaluate student progress, and serve as an accountability and communication tool for system improvement. Phoneme Segmentation (PSF) and Nonsense Word (NWF) Fluency subtests on the AIMSweb TEL were utilized for the analysis of post data. On the Phoneme Segmentation subtest, students listened to a word and broke it into phonemes in one minute. On the Nonsense Word Fluency subtest, students named as many letter sounds in consonant-vowel-consonant words in one minute. Benchmarks are established twice a year for all students, using grade-level assessment probes (see Appendix A).
Assessment 2
Marie Clay Observation Survey (MCOS)
Marie Clay’s Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (2002, 2005) is the primary assessment tool used in Reading Recovery to provide a systematic way of capturing early reading behaviors. A teacher administers this standardized assessment through methods of systematic observation. On the Letter Identification subtest, students were asked to name all known upper and lower case alphabet letters in random order (see Appendix B).
Assessment 3
Qualitative Reading Inventory – 5 (QRI-5)
The QRI-5 (Leslie & Caldwell, 2010) is an informal reading inventory that provides information about a student’s reading abilities. It can be used to identify reading levels as either independent, instructional, or frustration as well as provide other diagnostic information about individual students. The QRI contains graded word lists to assess accuracy, speed, and automaticity and also to determine the starting point for the oral reading passages. Multiple passages are designed to assess the oral and silent reading ability of students from kindergarten through grade 12. As students read the word lists, I recorded if the student was able to automatically read the word identified or just identified the word. In this study, students’ automatic reading of words in isolation was analyzed to show which word attack patterns emerged for the students, and which level reading passage was recommended for oral reading (see Appendix C).
Assessment 4
Teacher-Made High-Frequency Word List (HF Words)
Students were assessed using a word list comprised of 59 high-frequency words from the Scott Foresman Reading Street curriculum. Students were provided with a standard instruction to, “Point to each word as you read it aloud. There are some words you may know, and some you may not. If you come to a word you do not know, just move to the next word. I cannot help you read the word. Try your best. Ready?” Students were provided with the same pre and post list of high-frequency words. A word was considered mastered if the student read it with automaticity. The number of words correctly read with automaticity were calculated for pre and post intervention comparison (see Appendix D).
AIMSweb Test of Early Literacy (TEL)
AIMSweb (Pearson, 2013) is an assessment system that provides the framework for RTI implementations and tiered instruction. It offers multiple assessments for universal screening and progress monitoring, and web-based data management, charting, and reporting. Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) and Letter Sound (LSF) Fluency subtests on the AIMSweb TEL were utilized for the analysis of pre and post data. On the Letter Naming Fluency subtest, students named as many upper and lower case letters as possible in one minute. On the Letter Sound Fluency subtest, students named as many letter sounds as possible in one minute. Benchmarks are established three times per year for all students, using grade-level assessment probes. Reports identify students at risk, help focus areas of instruction, evaluate student progress, and serve as an accountability and communication tool for system improvement. Phoneme Segmentation (PSF) and Nonsense Word (NWF) Fluency subtests on the AIMSweb TEL were utilized for the analysis of post data. On the Phoneme Segmentation subtest, students listened to a word and broke it into phonemes in one minute. On the Nonsense Word Fluency subtest, students named as many letter sounds in consonant-vowel-consonant words in one minute. Benchmarks are established twice a year for all students, using grade-level assessment probes (see Appendix A).
Assessment 2
Marie Clay Observation Survey (MCOS)
Marie Clay’s Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (2002, 2005) is the primary assessment tool used in Reading Recovery to provide a systematic way of capturing early reading behaviors. A teacher administers this standardized assessment through methods of systematic observation. On the Letter Identification subtest, students were asked to name all known upper and lower case alphabet letters in random order (see Appendix B).
Assessment 3
Qualitative Reading Inventory – 5 (QRI-5)
The QRI-5 (Leslie & Caldwell, 2010) is an informal reading inventory that provides information about a student’s reading abilities. It can be used to identify reading levels as either independent, instructional, or frustration as well as provide other diagnostic information about individual students. The QRI contains graded word lists to assess accuracy, speed, and automaticity and also to determine the starting point for the oral reading passages. Multiple passages are designed to assess the oral and silent reading ability of students from kindergarten through grade 12. As students read the word lists, I recorded if the student was able to automatically read the word identified or just identified the word. In this study, students’ automatic reading of words in isolation was analyzed to show which word attack patterns emerged for the students, and which level reading passage was recommended for oral reading (see Appendix C).
Assessment 4
Teacher-Made High-Frequency Word List (HF Words)
Students were assessed using a word list comprised of 59 high-frequency words from the Scott Foresman Reading Street curriculum. Students were provided with a standard instruction to, “Point to each word as you read it aloud. There are some words you may know, and some you may not. If you come to a word you do not know, just move to the next word. I cannot help you read the word. Try your best. Ready?” Students were provided with the same pre and post list of high-frequency words. A word was considered mastered if the student read it with automaticity. The number of words correctly read with automaticity were calculated for pre and post intervention comparison (see Appendix D).