Victoria Bielomaz

3/19/16
English Language Arts and Assessment
I am a 4th grade teacher in a downtown Las Vegas school. I currently have 16 male
students and 14 female students in my classroom. The majority of the students in my class are
Hispanic. In fact, 25 of them are Hispanic, ranging from Mexican, Salvadoran, or they are
unsure of their heritage (only knowing that they are Hispanic, since they speak Spanish). Most of
these students have learned English as a Second Language. I also have one Filipino student
(who is an English Language Learner), three Caucasian students, and one African-American
student.
Today my principal brought a new child to my classroom. His name is Miguel. He is ten
years old. Like most cases in which I get a brand new student, it will be weeks until I receive
Miguel's educational records. I have zero understanding of him as of yet. At this time, I do not
know his likes or dislikes, I do not know his views on school, and I have no indication of his
reading and writing ability.
During Miguels first week at school, it is my responsibility to determine as much
information about him as I can. To do this, I will administer multiple assessments to get to know
his likes and dislikes, and assess his reading and writing ability. From there, I can determine
what Miguels educational needs are, and how I can best meet those needs.
It is likely that Miguel has been part of the many school districts that continue to have
the inability to meet the individualized needs of all students (Gardner & Talbert-Johnson,
2000, p. 74). This includes: minority students, students with special needs, and students who are
considered to have a low socioeconomic status (Gardner & Talbert-Johnson, 2000).

Furthermore, it is likely that Miguel has transiency issues, as he is coming to my

classroom in the middle of the school year. In fact, in elementary schools, there are high
transiency rates of students moving from school to school multiple times in the school year
(Gardner & Talbert-Johnson, 2000). This can lead to gaps in knowledge and low academic
achievement (Gardner & Talbert-Johnson, 2000). Regardless, as his teacher it is my duty to
meet his needs so further assessment is necessary. A great place to begin is by getting to know
the student.
Assessments
Interest Inventory Assessments
Description of Assessment. One assessment teachers can use to get to know their
students is the Interest Inventory by Flynt and Cooter. Using interest inventories, teachers can
learn about their students' background knowledge, interests, and motivations (Flynt & Cooter,
2016, p. 30). The Interest Inventory is an assessment in which there is a series of questions to get
to know the student you are working with. One topic on the interest inventory includes home life.
For example, the Flynt & Cooter (2016) assessment asks the students where they live, who they
live with, jobs they have at home, and reading habits at home. Other questions focus more on the
students likes and motivations, such as their favorite subject in school, future career choice,
ideas on how to spend money, views on technology, and hobbies (Flynt & Cooter, 2016). Lastly,
some questions revolve around reading: reading in front of others, reading for fun, books as gifts,
etc. (Flynt & Cooter, 2016).
Another interest inventory, similar to the Interest Inventory by Flynt and Cooter is
Starring MeA Primary Interest Inventory (2016) by Berman. This inventory focuses on
topics of interest; you can learn your students favorite ways to learn new things, and preferred

learning environment (Berman, 2016). The student rates their feelings on certain topics by
checking the smiley face, the neutral face, or the sad face (Berman, 2016). There are pictures
next to the topic they are rating. For example, the topic will be 'dinosaurs', there is a picture of a
dinosaur, and then three empty boxes underneath a picture of a smiley face, a neutral face, or a
sad face. The students can choose one. With this assessment you might learn that your students
enjoys all of the topics except for insects, pets, computers, drawing, dancing, using puppets, and
writing a letter. Or that (s)he absolutely wants to learn how to do magic, how to paint, and
how to make a book. It even has students rate their feelings on learning modes (computers,
videos, books, and games) and learning environment (with a group, at a table, and in a quiet
space) (Berman, 2016).
Purpose. This information gained by this assessment will help to align instructional
materials to fit [your students] strengths, needs, and abilities (Flynt & Cooter, 2016, p. 30). So,
this means that you can use the assessment to determine topics of interest, which could be
incorporated into the selection of texts for instruction. Also, this assessment is wonderful
because it helps gauge the way your student feels about reading at home and at school. You can
see what would make your student comfortable or uncomfortable (e.g. does your student like to
read aloud, does (s)he like to work with partners, etc.).
Rationale. As mentioned by Duke and Martin (2015), students will engage in a specific
task based on their motivation to read the text, and this will play a role in their comprehension of
the text. By incorporating texts based on your students' interests you are more likely to motivate
your students to engage in the text. For example, if a student has a strong interest in dinosaurs,
you can use this information to select a text with dinosaurs when teaching a new reading skill.

Pros and Cons of Interest Inventory. Doing Fylnt and Cooters Interest Inventory does
not always go well when working with students who are low-performing. When asking some of
the more abstract questions ,students may not understand and may sit in silence. For example,
when asking, If you were to win 1 million dollars in a contest, how might you spend the
money? some students may have no idea how to respond. Also, if there is a language barrier,
students may not understand what you are asking them. Even simple questions about what job
they may like for the future might be difficult to answer. This is why the Starring MeA
Primary Interest Inventory is very good to use with English Language Learners. The pictures,
like that of the dinosaur, and the pictures of the simile face will help convey the question to the
student.
How the Interest Inventory Will Inform My Instruction. I will use the interest
inventory to get to know my student better. I want to know about family life, and outside
motivations. I will also use this to inform my selection of texts. If my student loves Mickey
Mouse, I will definitely keep that in mind when choosing a text. I will also use this to determine
possible modes of instruction and peer groupings. If the student I am working with loves
working on the computer, this will help me motivate him or her.
After giving Miguel the interest inventories, I know him much better. I know more about
his family life, topics of interest, and motivations. This will help me when selecting materials.
Yet, I still need to determine where to begin instruction. In order to get an idea of where
Miguels reading ability lies, I need him to read to me.
1-Minute Fluency Passage.
Description of Assessment. The 1-Minute passage is an assessment in which a student
gets one minute to read a passage in order to measure the number and accuracy of words read

(Rasinski, 2004). Both teachers and students have a copy of a grade level passage in front of
them (Rasinski, 2004). The teachers passage has a number at the end of each line that indicates
how many words a student has read, if stopping at the end of each line of the passage (Rasinski,
2004). The teacher notes mistakes on her form as the student is reading (Rasinski, 2004). She
marks the final word read aloud as the 1-minute timer rings (Rasinski, 2004). She must then
calculate the accuracy of words (Rasinski, 2004). For example, if a student read 100 words, and
missed 10, their score is 90 out of 100, which means the student is 90% accurate (Rasinski,
2004). There are passages for grades K-12 (Rasinski, 2004).
Purpose. This assessment serves as a tool to determine which students will require
additional reading instruction (Rasinski, 2004). Once a students accuracy rate is determined, the
teacher can compare the scores with target rates for each grade level (Rasinski, 2003). For
example, if the student is a third grader and reads 100 words per minute with 90% accuracy, and
the target rate for third grade is 107 words per minute by Spring benchmark, then the student is
on target. This student would not need additional instruction. Yet, if a student read 77 words per
minute with 75% accuracy, they would need additional instruction. According to Rasinski
(2004), readers who fall 2030 percent below the target rate will normally require additional
instruction (p. 46). Ideally, by using the 1-minute assessment, teachers can quickly determine
which students are not reading at the targeted words per minute and determine which students
need additional instruction (Rasinski, 2004).
Rationale. Fluency is important because it reflects the reader's ability to develop
control over surface-level text processing so that he or she can focus on understanding the deeper
levels of meaning embedded in the text (Rasinski, 2004, p.46). Basically, students who are
fluent readers can spend less time decoding and more time on making meaning. Fluency is an

important dimension that build[s] a bridge to comprehension (Rasinski, 2004, p.46). Being a
fluent reader includes the ability accurately decode words, or, sound out the words in a text with
minimal errors(Rasinski, 2004, p.46). The 1-minute assessment is used as a tool to determine
whether a student is on target with their fluency development or if they require supplementary
instruction.
Pros and Cons of 1-Minute Fluency Passage. A strength of this assessment is that it
only takes 1-minute to administer. On the other hand, although the passages are available by
grade level, some of the passages are easier than others for students. Because of this, many
teachers will average the fluency score on 3 passages.
Another issue with this assessment is that there becomes a large focus on fluency.
Because of this, testing has caused is the misinterpretation of what fluency means. Although
speed is one component, it is not the only component (Rasinski, 2004). Rasinski (2004) explains,
if we emphasize speed at the expense of prosodic and meaningful reading, we will end up with
fast readers who understand little of what they have read (p. 47). The end goal is
comprehension, so this is not conducive to that goal.
How the 1-Minute Fluency Passage Will Inform My Instruction. I will use this
assessment as an indication of whether or not my student needs individualized or small group
instruction. I will be able to tell if my student is having issues with decoding the text as they
read.
After using the 1-minute fluency passage, I can see that Miguel will need small group
instruction. He currently reads 58 words per minute with 10 errors. Now I see he is having
issues with decoding, yet I need to determine where he is breaking down in order to begin

explicit instruction in phonics. To assess what exactly he needs I will use the CORE Phonics
Assessment.
CORE Phonics Assessment
Description of Assessment. This assessment begins by having the students identify letter
names (both capitalized and lowercase). It then moves through more complex phonological skills
(ex., consonant sounds, long and short vowel sounds, consonant-vowel-consonant words, short
vowels and consonant blends, digraphs and trigraphs, r-controlled vowels, long vowels, variant
vowels, low frequency vowels and consonant spellings, and multisyllabic words).
Purpose. The purpose of this assessment is to determine where the student is struggling
when reading words in isolation (Mahler & Valle, 2008). By doing a detailed assessment of your
students phonics skills, you can subsequently use the results to drive explicit phonics instruction
(Mahler & Valle, 2008). Many times, the students ability to use phonics will help them when
they are reading individual words (Mahler & Valle, 2008). This assessment will give you a
starting point on what to teach your students and serve as a tool to monitor your students growth
in phonetic skills (Mahler & Valle, 2008).
Rationale. Teachers need to teach phonics because the correlation between phonic
knowledge and word identification is very high, and skill in word identification is highly related
to reading comprehension (Educators Publishing Service, 2016, p.1). So, by teaching phonics,
students are better able to identify words. If they are better at identifying words, they are more
likely to be fluent readers because a weakness in phonics and in word recognition also tends to
lead to dysfluent and slower reading (Educators Publishing Service, 2016, p.1).
Consequentially, if they are more fluent readers, they are more likely to comprehend the texts.

Pros and Cons of CORE Phonics Assessment. This assessment is very easy to use and
you can gain very useful information for planning your small group phonics lessons. The
protocol for this assessment is easy to follow because it has a sheet for the teacher to record the
results as the student reads on his or her own sheet. This keeps the student from getting
distracted as (s)he is reading.
One potential con of using this assessment is that it can take a while to administer. The
assessment says 10-15 minutes, yet, if a student is struggling, it can take more like 25-40 minutes
to get through the entire assessment. Also, when a student first begins to struggle (ex., they have
issues with long and short vowels) you still want to continue administering the test because they
may do fine with subsequent sections of the assessment (ex., r-controlled words, variant vowels,
etc.). This means it is beneficial to get through the entire assessment. Although it can take a
while to complete the assessment, the information gained is important and useful for instruction.
How the CORE Phonics Assessment Will Inform My Instruction. After giving this
assessment, I will know exactly where my student is lacking in their phonological awareness. I
can then explicitly teach students what they are missing. I can plan word studies and other
activates that will help them practice these skills.
By examining these scores, I can see that Miguel needs explicit instruction on his rcontrolled vowels, long vowels, variant vowels, low frequency vowels and consonant spellings,
and multi-syllabic words more than anything. He also needs a review of the vowels in isolation
(there are both long and short sounds for each vowel). As far as strengths, although he had a
hard time identifying both the short and long sounds of the vowels in isolation when he saw them
in the CVC words, he did great. Aside from a bit of letter confusion (with the p vs. b) he also has
a strong knowledge of his consonants and their sounds when seen in isolation.

There is still more to learn about Miguel. I now need to determine what grade level he is
reading at independently, and what grade level of texts to use as his instructional level. So, I will
use the San Diego Quick Assessment to determine more information.
San Diego Quick Assessment
Description of Assessment. San Diego Quick Assessment is used to measure the
recognition of words out of context (LaPray & Ross, 1999, p.1). The test consists of 13 word
lists (LaPray & Ross, 1999). Each word list is a different level (LaPray & Ross, 1999). The
assessment starts at the Pre-primer level and continues to Grade 11 (LaPray & Ross, 1999).
When administering the assessment the teacher begins on a word list two or three sets below the
students grade level (LaPray & Ross, 1999, p.1). The student reads the words in each list until
they have made 3 or more errors in a list (LaPray & Ross, 1999). Furthermore, while
administering this assessment students read the words from their own sheet (covering the lists
they are not reading from) and the teacher marks errors on a teacher record form (LaPray &
Ross, 1999).
Purpose. This assessment is relevant because proficient readers read accurately both in
and out of context while weak readers overly rely on context in order to recognize words
(LaPray & Ross, 1999, p.1). Consequently, this test can determine the true reading level of the
student by taking away the crutches of context clues because it is assessing words in isolation.
Rationale. Teachers need to know what level their students are reading on. By
determining texts in a range of levels to work with their students in, they can better provide
opportunities for struggle and success (Shanahan, 2016). In fact, learning and consolidation
come from taking on different levels of challenge varying the workload from easy to
strenuous (Shanahan, 2015, p.1). So, if you know where your students struggle, you can use that

to select texts that will challenge the student. Also, according to Shanahan (2016), students
should not be limited to their instructional levels. In fact, text difficulty levels should go up and
down, but the average difficulty over time should climb (Shanahan, 2016, p.1).
Pros and Cons of San Diego Quick. This assessment is true to its name: it is a quick
test, and it gives valuable information. It takes no more than 5 minutes to administer.
One negative aspect of the assessment is that part of the protocol says to use a paper to
block the other word lists that the student is not reading (LaPray & Ross, 1999). It also says to
cover the word list they are working in and move the paper down the list as they read (LaPray &
Ross, 1999). The teacher is supposed to say next so that the student moves down to the next
word (LaPray & Ross, 1999). This can disturb the students flow when reading. The student may
not wait for next, and may not need to use a paper, which could serve as a distraction. Yet,
there is a simple answer to this problem: do not use the paper.
How the San Diego Quick Will Inform My Instruction. This test can help me to
determine the reading level of my student. I will learn my students independent reading level, as
well as his or her instructional level. I can then choose texts for my student at his or her
independent level in order for he or she to be successful. I can also choose texts that will
challenge my student. Overall, I will make an informed decision when choosing my texts for
instruction.
After administering the assessment and analyzing the results, I learned that Miguels
independent level is Grade 1. Grade 2 is his frustration level of reading. His instructional level
is also Grade 2. At this point, I have plenty of information to begin instruction. Yet, there are a
few more assessments I can utilize to impact instruction.
Dolch Sight Words Reading Assessment

Description of Assessment. Dolch sight words are the most common words and nouns
encountered in childrens books (K12 Reader, 2015, p.1). To administer this assessment, the
students will have their list of sight words in front of them in the form of the Dolch Word List
(Hodge, 2009). The teacher will also have a copy of the list (Hodge, 2009). She will note on her
form the words the student says incorrectly (Hodge, 2009). The list includes multiple levels of
words (i.e., Pre-primer, Primer, First, Second, Third, and Nouns). The assessment can be used as
a way to collect data over multiple administrations of the assessment (Hodge, 2009).
Purpose/ Rationale. The Dolch sight words are important to know because they are
high-frequency words and are difficult to sound out or illustrate (K12 Reader, 2015, p.1). By
knowing these sight words, students will have access up to 75% of what is printed in almost any
piece of childrens literature (K12 Reader, 2015, p.1). If a student can identify these words, they
are more likely to be fluent readers. A teacher can use this assessment to determine which words
they know, and which words they still need to learn. Then, teachers can then use a variety of
strategies to teach the sight words they are lacking (K12 Reader, 2015).
Pros of Dolch Assessment. Like the San Diego Quick, the Dolch sight word assessment
takes very little time (5-10 minutes to administer). After giving the assessment, teachers can use
the data to enhance instruction. They can use the assessment to decide words to explicitly teach
the sight words to their students.
How the Dolch Sight Words Assessment Will Inform My Instruction. Once I know
the words my student is missing, I can go back and use different strategies to teach the unknown
words (ex., Flash cards, search puzzles, cloze passages, word shape activities, etc.) (K12 Reader,
2015). By teaching my students these words, I can help him or her to access a major portion of
the words they will encounter in their reading.

At this point, I have a great starting point in how I can aid Miguel with his reading
abilities. Planning small group activities for him and peers at similar levels of reading
development will be much more informed and specific. Yet, as a final form of assessment I will
need to evaluate Miguels writing skills. To do this I will use the Stages of Writing Development
as a lens to evaluate his writing.
Stages of Writing Development
Description of Stages. The beginning stage of writing development is the Pre-phonemic
stage (Stages of Writing Development, 2016). This stage is characterized by random scribbling,
controlled scribbling, drawing to tell stories, using mock letters, writing letter strings that have
no correlation with words or sounds, and letter strings with separation that resemble words
(Stages of Writing Development, 2016).
Next is the Early Phonemic Stage (Stages of Writing Development, 2016).
Characteristics from this this stage include picture labeling, environmental print, and using the
first letter of a word to represent the whole word (Stages of Writing Development, 2016).
The third stage is the Letter-Name Stage (Stages of Writing Development, 2016). In this
stage children use the beginning and end letters to represent the word (ex., ct stands for cat)
(Stages of Writing Development, 2016).
Next is the Transitional Stage, in which children use medial sounds, and using medial
sounds and vowels with the vowel used incorrectly (Stages of Writing Development, 2016). This
stage also has phrase writing and whole sentences but they have a lot of invented spelling (Stages
of Writing Development, 2016).
Finally, there is the Conventional Writing Stage (Stages of Writing Development, 2016).

Here full sentences are used with correct spelling of words (Stages of Writing Development,
2016).
Purpose/ Rationale. It is important to evaluate writing because it is a reflection of
reading development. In fact, development of pre-writing skills are critical to development of
phonological awareness skills (Abbott, 2009). This means that the skills gained in the small
group lessons for reading will go hand-in-hand with the students growth in writing
development. Phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, vocabulary, and writing skill
stimulate growth in one another (Abbott, 2009).
Pros of Using the Stages as a Way to Assess Writing. Using the Stages of Writing
Development as a tool for assessing writing skills is easy and quick. Teachers can monitor the
progress of their students and observe whether the student is using their new-found skills in
phonics in a real setting.
How the Stages of Writing Development will Inform My Instruction. This is another
lens by which I can determine my students' ability and success with phonemic awareness. A
student can demonstrate growth though his or her writing.
Assessment is an important part of teaching. Assessments can inform educators on the
abilities and needs of their students. This then allows the teacher to create meaningful lessons
and differentiated plans. By assessing Miguel, I now know how I can best meet his needs and
help him to become literate.

Resources
Abbott, M. (2009). Preschool writing stages of development and activities that encourage
preschoolers to write [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?
q=cache:cbFpb0zm0NYJ:erf.ku.edu/presentations/Preschool%2520Writing%2520Stages
%2520of%2520Development.ppt+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
AIMSweb. (2015). Reading: Standard progress monitor passages. Retrieved from
https://aimsweb.pearson.com/layout/Home.cfm?n=1&lGOMTypeID=1&Grade=4
Berman, K. (2016). Starring MeA Primary Interest Inventory. Retrieved from
https://altamirakris.wikispaces.com/Starring+Me+-+A+Primary+Interest+Inventory
Dolch, E.W. (1948). Dolch Word List: Sorted alphabetically by grade level. Retrieved from
http://www.oasisnet.org/Portals/0/Cities/Tuscon/Dolch%20Words%20with
%20Nouns.pdf
Duke, N.K., & Martin, N.M. (2015). Best Practices in Informational Text Comprehension
Instruction. In Gambrell, L.B., & Morrow, L.M. (Eds.) Best Practices in Literacy
Instruction (p. 249-267). New York: The Guilford Press.
Educators Publishing Service (2016). Why Teach Phonics? From teaching and assessing
phonics. Retrieved from https://eps.schoolspecialty.com/EPS/media/SiteResources/Downloads/articles/Why_Teach_Phonics.pdf
Flynt, E. S., & Cooter, R. B. (2014). Flynt/Cooter Comprehensive Reading Inventory-2: The
assessment of K-12 reading skills in English & Spanish. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Gardner, R., Talbert-Johnson, C. (2000). School Reform and Desegregation: The real
deal or more of the same?, Education and Urban Society, 33(1), 74-87.

Hodge, L. (2009) Dolch Sight Word Assessment. Retrieved from

http://education.wm.edu/centers/ttac/documents/webinars/languageinstructionsupportdoc
s/Lesson%209/dolcgsightwordassessment.pdf
K12 Reader (2015). Dolch Word List Worksheets and Activities. Retrieved from
http://www.k12reader.com/dolch-word-list/
K12 Reader (2015). Teaching Sight Words: Effective strategies for reading success. Retrieved
from http://www.k12reader.com/sight-word-teaching-strategies/
LaPray, M., & Ross, R.R. (1999). The Graded Word List: Quick gauge of reading ability.
Retrieved from https://webcampus.unlv.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1936609-dt-content-rid12772637_1/courses/2162-UNLV1-CIL-621-SEC1001-26646/San%20Diego%20Quick
%20Assessment.pdf
Mahler, J., & Valle, I. (2008). CORE Phonics Survey. Retrieved from
https://webcampus.unlv.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1936577-dt-content-rid12772618_1/courses/2162-UNLV1-CIL-621-SEC1001-26646/CORE%20PHONICS
%20SURVEY.pdf
Rasinski, T., (2004) Creating Fluent Readers. What Research Says About Reading, 61(6), 46-51.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar04/vol61/num06/CreatingFluent-Readers.aspx
Shanahan, T. (2015). Teaching with Books at the Students' Reading Levels. Retrieved from
http://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/shanahan-on-literacy/teaching-books-studentsreading-levels
Shanahan, T. (2016). Six Pieces of Advice on Teaching with Complex Text. Retrieved from
http://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/2016/03/six-pieces-of-advice-on-teaching-with.html

Stages of Writing Development (2016). Retrieved from http://www.mecfny.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/06/StagesofWritinghandout.pdf