Special Children: Special Education
Reading
Reading Assessment
There are many types of reading assessments. Informally, many teachers design their own reading tests to determine how their students are performing in areas related to the classroom curriculum. A teacher may design a test each week to measure her students' recall or recognition of words (such as Dolch Words) used in the stories they are reading. Or a teacher may design a test to measure her students' ability to sound out new words using short or long vowels or other phonics rules they were taught in class.
Criterion-referenced tests designed to measure students' attainment of various reading components are commonly used by classroom teachers. For example, a kindergarten teacher may use a criterion-referenced to test to measure her students' knowledge of the alphabetic principle. She likely administers this test many times over the course of the school year to measure her students' progress learning all the letter names and sounds.
Norm-referenced tests, which are formal assessment measures, are used to measure students' progress compared to other students across the nation in their grade and at their age level on various academic tasks and skills in reading. For example, a third grader may be asked to read a list of vocabulary words which are determined to be appropriate for students in third grade. If the child is able to read all the words, she is performing at her grade level on this vocabulary test.
There are many types of reading assessments. Informally, many teachers design their own reading tests to determine how their students are performing in areas related to the classroom curriculum. A teacher may design a test each week to measure her students' recall or recognition of words (such as Dolch Words) used in the stories they are reading. Or a teacher may design a test to measure her students' ability to sound out new words using short or long vowels or other phonics rules they were taught in class.
Criterion-referenced tests designed to measure students' attainment of various reading components are commonly used by classroom teachers. For example, a kindergarten teacher may use a criterion-referenced to test to measure her students' knowledge of the alphabetic principle. She likely administers this test many times over the course of the school year to measure her students' progress learning all the letter names and sounds.
Norm-referenced tests, which are formal assessment measures, are used to measure students' progress compared to other students across the nation in their grade and at their age level on various academic tasks and skills in reading. For example, a third grader may be asked to read a list of vocabulary words which are determined to be appropriate for students in third grade. If the child is able to read all the words, she is performing at her grade level on this vocabulary test.
Examples of the various kinds of reading tests are listed below.
Informal Tests in Reading:
Curriculum-based measures by Aimsweb and Dibels
Criterion-referenced tests in reading:
Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills-Revised (CIBS-R) by Curriculum Associates
Norm-referenced tests in reading:
Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised (WRMT-R) by Pearson
Test of Reading Comprehension (TORC-4) by PRO-ED
Individual Achievement Test Batteries which include reading assessments:
Woodcock-Johnson-III (WJ-III) Battery by Riverside Publishing
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III) by Pearson
Informal Tests in Reading:
Curriculum-based measures by Aimsweb and Dibels
Criterion-referenced tests in reading:
Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills-Revised (CIBS-R) by Curriculum Associates
Norm-referenced tests in reading:
Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised (WRMT-R) by Pearson
Test of Reading Comprehension (TORC-4) by PRO-ED
Individual Achievement Test Batteries which include reading assessments:
Woodcock-Johnson-III (WJ-III) Battery by Riverside Publishing
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-III) by Pearson
