How Can I Find Out a Student’s Reading Level?
Posted by PLB Blogger · 1 Comment
Here’s a quick tool from Sue Klund, Reading Expert, to find a student’s independent reading level (the level that gives you the most growth in reading scores when reading independently). It is also great to have this for a new student.
Google “San Diego Quick Assessment“.
This time-saving tool has been around for a long time. It is a one-page quick assessment that you can use for any student. They only have to read the lists of words to you. When they get only one of the ten words wrong – on a list – that is their independent reading level. This can be used with student in elementary through high school.
Discuss here: What are some strategies that you use to determine the reading levels of your students?
I used a variety of techniques to determine reading levels. First, I checked test scores. I looked for the grade equivalence score and I automatically subtracted one year from the reported score. A college instructor advised us to do that because she believed that would bring us closest to the instructional level. I found that to be true. I also used the Quick Assessment mentioned above or at least one like it. I even used the obligatory “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” composition to determine reading skill. It was easy to spot the babies with very limited ability using those compositions. Those children were then given an informal reading inventory which consisted of reading one to three leveled passages of about 100 words. I had three reading groups, it was all I could manage and feel like I was really on top of what was happening. These children usually landed in the lowest level group but I remember one class for which I used IFLs to prove that I needed above level groups and the materials to teach them. In fact no one in that class read below level. That year was a dream and I discovered what a challenge working with the academically able could be and I developed lessons and strategies that served me well throughout my career.