Structured External Assignment
Karen D. Letonoff
Wilmington University
Reading Assessment Data Table
MEE 7998 – Fall 2014
Learning to reading can be a daunting
and challenge task for many students. It can be the cause of stress,
frustration, and a feeling of failure for all of those involved in the process.
Choosing the appropriate assessment, can provide important information about a
student’s learning style, strengths, and weaknesses, and will serve as a guide
for the teacher to follow during instruction.
It can ease the stress and frustration which a struggling student may be
feeling, while aiding in the process of attaining his/her individual
educational goals.
With a vast selection of
assessment tools which test for a variety of different abilities and screen for
many different disabilities, selection of the appropriate assessment can be
confusing at best. There are guides such as “Common Educational Tests used for
Assessments for Special Education,” (DREDF) to help teachers and parents select
the appropriate test for evaluation a struggling learner. Many schools have
preferred assessments which they utilize for the evaluation of their students.
The following compares and
contrasts several diagnostic assessments:
Slosson
Intelligence Test (SIT)
The Slosson Intelligence Test is widely
used to provide a quick, reliable index of intellectual ability in children age
four through adults. There are several great aspects of this test which
include; the relatively short amount of time to administer, it does not
penalize individuals who are slower to complete, fearful, or uncooperative, and
it is applicable for visually impaired students. Scoring is calculated
simultaneously while the test is being administered for quick results. The
weaknesses are that this test is expensive and a degreed professional must
administered. There is a wide range of education and physiological professionals
who can administer this test which makes it appealing in a school environment.
Slosson Oral
Reading Test (SORT)
The
Slosson Oral Reading Test assess the level of oral word recognition, word
calling or reading level in learners from pre-school age through adulthood. The
test is very quick to administer taking only about five minutes. SORT
determines the students reading level and is highly reliable. SORT is utilized
in conjunction with the SIT test for a well-rounded evaluation; however it does
not measure word knowledge and comprehension, only oral reading can be measured.
A flow with SORT is that large differences exist in student’s geographical
location, occupational status level, and age levels. SORT is useful as a screening
instrument, to assess progress, determine a student’s grade level for reading, and
determine if further diagnostic assessment is appropriate.
BRI (Basic Reading
Inventory)
The BRI determines a student's
instructional and independent reading levels, rate, accuracy, and prosody.
It is easy to administer
and includes all of the tools teachers need to assess, interpret, and develop
responsive reading instruction while remaining inexpensive. Test can be
utilized for reading levels from pre-primer to grade 12. Drawbacks for use of
the BRI are that all test forms which are given may not exactly line up with
all students learning levels and it is time consuming to administer. Students
can lose focus during the lengthy testing process. It does however cover a wide
range of students reading abilities, is easy to use and interpret, it’s an all
in one format makes it easy to follow and score. While some may say that the
BRI is old and outdated it remains a valuable evaluation tool among educators.
Wepman’s Auditory
Discrimination Test (WADT)
The Wepman’s Auditory
Discrimination Test identifies children who are slower than average in
developing auditory discrimination and who may have trouble learning to read.
The WADT’s test is a
quick, five-minute test and identifies difficulties in phonemes. It must be administered
by a Level B certified administer, is
not appropriate for all ages, ages four
to eight only, and is expensive. Further drawbacks are that it is best for
English language learners and students who are bi-lingual. It can however, be
administered at half year intervals for baseline and track progresses and the
examiner reads the pairs of words aloud, so no reading is required by the
student.
Test of
Visual-Perceptual Skills, 3rd Edition
The Test of Visual-Perceptual
Skills is used to determine a child's visual perceptual strengths and
weaknesses. The test includes 16 plates for each perceptual are. A comprehensive
evidence-based assessment-intervention system in reading, writing, and math is
provided by the results of this assessment. The new third edition covers all of
the ages that were previously served by two earlier versions: TVPS-R and
TVPS(UL)-R covering ages four to thirteen and twelve to eighteen bracket. It
was created for use by occupational therapists, psychologists, education
diagnosticians, developmental optometrists, learning specialists, and other
assessment professionals who provide individual and school wide screening. The
test can be administered in ten to twenty minutes with responses being made vocally
or by pointing, which is ideal for children with disabilities. The downsides to
the test are that the administrator must be a qualified Level B, it is very expensive, and scoring is done manually.
Process Assessment
of the Learner – 2nd Edition (PAL-II)
The
Process Assessment of the Learner – 2nd Edition is a comprehensive
evidence-based assessment-intervention system in reading, writing, and math for
RTI levels 1,2, and 3. Any educational professional can administer this manual
scoring test, however a one-hour instructional webinar is recommended prior to
administration. This test is for students who are in kindergarten through the
sixth grade. The downside is that it is very expensive and completion times
vary. Three tiers organize the test: prevention, problem solving and diagnosis.
The administration, evaluation,
and determination of a plan of action as the result of these assessments, can
provide enormous benefits to a student who is struggling to read, the teacher
who is differentiating instruction, and to the parents who may be feeling
helpless in the efforts to assist their child.
References
Disability Rights Education &
Defense Fund, (2014). Berkeley,
CA. Online
Johns, Jerry L., Laurie
Elish-Piper, and Beth Johns. Basic Reading Inventory: Pre-primer through Grade
Twelve and Early Literacy Assessments. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Pub., (2012).
Print.
Kendall Hunt. (2014). “Basic
Reading Inventory: Pre-Primer through Grade Twelve and Early Literacy
Assessments”. Johns, J., Dubuque, IA. Online.
Kids IQ Test Center. (2014). Online
Multi-Health Systems Inc. (2014).
North Tonawanda, NY. Online.
Pearson. (2014). San Antonio, TX.
Online.
Pearson. (2014). San Antonio, TX.
Online.
Slosson Educational Publications,
Inc. (2014). East Aurora, NY. Online
Western Psychological Services.
(2014). Torrance, CA. Online.
Zahn, A. (2009). “Why Use The
Basic Reading Inventory Developed by Jerry Johns?”
Chicago, Illinois. Online.
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