Analyzing Running Records

and Planning Appropriate

Instruction

Presented by:
Angie Rosen
Literacy Consultant

Agenda

Analyzing Reading Behaviors

Three Cueing Systems
Cold vs. Warm Running Records
Scoring a Running Record
Analyzing Miscues
Calculation and Conversion
Appropriate Leveled Texts
Teaching Cross-Checking
If This . . . Then This . . .

Why is it Important to
Analyze Reading Behaviors?
to determine why a student is making or not
making progress in reading
to observe how a student approaches novel
reading situations and what he or she learns
from the encounter
to determine a students appropriate reading
level

Proficient readers use three

cueing systems . . .
Her________ was blue.
Syntax (knowledge of word order and sense)
Jane opened her closet. Her _________ was blue.
Semantic (prior knowledge of closets)
Jane opened her closet. Her b_________ was blue.

Graphophonics (letter-sound association)

Three Cueing Systems

Semantic Cues

Syntactic
Cues

Graphophonic
Cues

Proficient readers use all three cueing systems.

Using Semantics Cues

Meaning (M) - Meaning is part of the
cueing system in which the child takes his
or her cue to make sense of text by
thinking about the story background,
information from pictures, or the meaning
of a sentence. These cues assist in the
reading of a word or phrase.
(Reading A to Z, n.d.)

Using Syntactic Cues

Structure (S) Structure refers to the
structure of language and is often
referred to as syntax. Implicit knowledge
of structure helps the reader know if
what he or she is reading sounds correct.
(Reading A to Z, n.d.)

Using Graphophonic Cues

Visual (V) Visual information is related
to the look of the letters in a word and
the word itself. A reader uses visual
information when he or she studies the
beginning sound, word length, familiar
word chunks, and so forth.
(Reading A to Z, n.d).

When should I take a running record?

Cold Running Records

You should take a

cold running record
three times a year
(Sept., Jan.,
May/June) using the
Fountas and Pinnell
Benchmark
Assessment System.

Warm Running Records

You should have

students reread
Guided Reading
books so that you
have one running
record per week for
each child in your
class.

Figure
3.13

After instruction/reread
Evaluate retention of learning

Determine book level placement

(change group)
Evaluate independent ability

Record reading behaviors/miscues

Benchmark Assessment

Recognize trends

Report Card/ Conference time

Determine book level progress

Comprehension Assessment

Rationale for Warm Running Record

on-going analysis of reading behaviors

drives instruction:
89% and below move down a level
90%-95% stay in current level
96% and above move up a level
data collection

What is a warm running record?

Both teacher and child look at the same text.
Grade 1 number of words in a story (up to 100)
Grade 2 - 100 words
Teacher codes reading behaviors on a separate form.

Teacher does not intervene.

Observes what child can do without teacher
support.
Records all accurate reading with a check mark.
Mismatches (miscues) are recorded with specific
codes.

Running Record
Practice

Scoring Running Records

Credit the child with any correct or corrected words.
No penalty for trials that are eventually correct (selfcorrections).
Insertions are errors, even when repeated.
Every word omitted is counted as a separate error.
Repeated errors are counted every time (unless it is a name).
A broken word (a/way) is not considered a reading error.
Mispronunciations, such as gonna for going to are counted
as correct.
Inventions (child is creatively producing his own story) defeat
the system.
Try that again counts as one error.
Repetitions are not counted as errors.

Lets try some cold running records . . .

Independent F&P D (NF)

Instructional F&P E (NF)
Frustration F&P E (F)

Lets look at some examples . . .

mall
I went to the store with my friends.
M Yes, mall makes sense here.

S Yes, both words are nouns.

V No, the words are not visually similar.

Lets look at some examples . . .

house
I saw a horse trotting away.
M No, houses dont trot!

S Yes, both words are nouns.

V Yes, both have the same beginning and
ending sounds.

Lets look at some examples . . .

bithaday
He ate the whole birthday cake.
M No, nonsense words NEVER make sense.

S No, nonsense words usually dont fit

grammatically either.
V Yes, hes trying to decode.

Lets try a warm running record . . .

Mrs. Wishy-Washy

Analyzing Miscues
The text said:
I like to see horses at the farm.
The child said:
I like to see heres at the farm.

heres
RR: horses

E
M S V

SC

Analyzing Miscues
The text said:
I like to see horses at the farm.
The child said:
I like to fly horses at the farm.
fly
RR: see

E
M S V

SC

Analyzing Miscues
The text said:
I like to see horses at the farm.
The child said:
I like to see ponies at the farm.
ponies
RR: horses

E
M S V

SC

Calculation and Conversion

Use the Calculation and Conversion Table to find
the following information for each problem:
Error Rate (ratio)
Accuracy Rate (%)
Reading Level
Independent
Instructional
Frustration

Student A

Running Words
Errors

75/3 =

75 words, 3 miscues

Ratio 1:25

96%

Independent Level

100 3 x 100 = 300 = (4) = 96%

75
1
75

Easy Text

(Independent level)

enjoyment
practice of strategies under their control
focus on meaning, deeper thinking
builds confidence
builds fluency development
silent reading or DEAR time

Student B

Running Words
Errors

100/8 =

100 words, 8 miscues

Ratio 1:12.5 92%

Instructional Level

100 8 x 100 = 800 = (8) = 92%

100 1
100

Just Right Text

(Instructional level)
mixture of support and challenge
reads at a good rate with phrasing and
intonation
knows or solves most of the words (at
least 90%)
uses knowledge of what makes sense

Student C

Running Words
Errors

50/7 =

50 words, 7 miscues

Ratio 1:7

85.5% Frustration Level

100 7 x 100 = 700 = (14) = 86%

50
1
50

Hard Text

(Frustration level)

lose meaning
lose language structure
try to get through words
practice inappropriate reading strategies
frustration/avoidance

Typical Reading Levels

Grade K: A-C
Grade 1: C-I
Grade 2: J-M
Grade 3: N-P

I have MSV information.

Now what???
Semantic Cues

Syntactic
Cues

Graphophonic
Cues

Proficient readers use all three cueing systems.

Cueing System

Teaching Cross-Checking
Does it look
right?

Graphophonic
Cues

Does it sound Does it make

right?
sense?

Syntactic
Cues

Semantic
Cues

Our Decoding Strategies Promote

Cross-Checking . . .

Using Gestures to Teach

Boushey and Moser (2009) recommend
using gestures to teach cross-checking.

Instruction is Driven
by Running Record Results
Which reading strategies is the child using?
Which behaviors are disrupting reading?
How can I support the reader?

During each listen in during Guided Reading you should

compliment each child on something specific he or she
did well (praise one) and offer something for the child to
work on (fix one).
Example:
Brian, I like the way you pointed and slid through the
word dish. Good readers remember to point and slide.
I noticed when you got to this word (shout) you said
sout. Do you see any chunks in this word? Right; theres
the /sh/ chunk and the /ou/ chunk. Lets put it all
together now. Right; thats the word shout. Remember
that good readers look for chunks.

Mrs Wishy Washy

What would you praise?
What would you fix and why?
How would you say it?

Your own running records

What would you praise?
What would you fix and why?
How would you say it?

If a reader . . . then the teacher . . .

makes visual
perception errors
consistently such as

reversals (b, d, p, q, g)
or inversions (W for M)

Ask:
What letter does it
start with?
What would you
expect to see at the
beginning/middle/
end?
Did your points
match?
Does it look right?

If a reader . . . then the teacher . . .

makes language errors
(syntax/ structure),
such as She runned
to the door.

Ask:
Can you reread that?
Can you say it another
way?
What is another word
that might fit here?
What sounds do the
letters make?
(ran vs. run)

Does it sound right?

If a reader . . . then the teacher . . .

makes meaning errors
such as wave for
river or skip for
jump

Ask:
What happened in the
story when . . . ?
What do you think it
might be?
Can you reread this?
I heard you say
wavedoes that word
start with the sound
you hear in wave? Or
skip?

If a reader . . . then the teacher . . .

uses the look at

the teacher
strategy!

teach mini-lessons
for the decoding
strategies
offer Pocket Full
of Strategies
model what you do
if you get stuck on
a word

Happy
Analyzing

References
Boushey, G. & Moser, J. (2009). The CAFE Book: Engaging
All Students in Daily Literacy Assessment and
Instruction. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Reading A to Z (n.d.). Running records and benchmark

books. Retrieved January 3, 2011 from http://www.
readinga-z.com/assess/runrec.html?context=guidedreading