Reading Assessment

For ten years and in two classic books, Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell have described how to analyze the characteristics of texts and select just-right books to use for guided reading instruction. Now, for the first time, all of their thinking and research has been updated and brought together into Leveled Books, K-8 to form the ultimate guide to choosing and using books from kindergarten through middle school. Fountas and Pinnell take you through every aspect of leveled books, describing how to select and use them for different purposes in your literacy program and offering prototype descriptions of fiction and nonfiction books at each level. They share advice on: the role of leveled books in reading instruction, analyzing the characteristics of fiction and nonfiction texts, using benchmark books to assess instructional levels for guided reading, selecting books for both guided and independent reading, organizing high-quality classroom libraries, acquiring books and writing proposals to fund classroom-library purchases, creating a school book room. In addition, Fountas and Pinnell explain the leveling process in detail so that you can tentatively level any appropriate book that you want to use in your instruction. Best of all, Leveled Books, K-8 is one half of a new duo of resources that will change how you look at leveled books. Its companion-www.FountasandPinnellLeveledBooks.com-is a searchable and frequently updated website that includes more than 18,000 titles. With Leveled Books, K-8 you'll know how and why to choose books for your readers, and with www.FountasandPinnellLeveledBooks.com, you'll have the ideal tool at your fingertips for finding appropriate books for guided reading. Book jacket.

A groundbreaking integrated approach to reading assessment that addresses each child's unique Learning Profile Fifteen to twenty percent of our nation's children have reading difficulties. Educational evalua-tors must be able to use progress monitoring and diagnostic tools effectively to identify students who may be at risk, evaluate the effectiveness of school-wide reading programs, and suggest interventions that will improve reading skills. Written from a strengths-based perspective, Reading Assessment: Linking Language, Literacy, and Cognition is the first book of its kind to present a research-based, integrated review of reading, cognition, and oral language testing and assessment. Author Melissa Lee Farrall explores the theoretical underpinnings of reading, language, and literacy, explains the background of debates surrounding these topics, and provides detailed information and administration tips on the wide range of reading inventories and standardized tests that may be used in a reading psychoeducational assessment. With a focus on how to craft professional evaluation reports that illuminate a student's strengths—not just weaknesses—Reading Assessment enables school psychologists and diagnosticians, reading specialists, and special education professionals to conduct evaluations and develop effective interdisciplinary remedial recommendations and interventions. Clear, engaging, and inviting, Reading Assessment features: Case examples and practice exercises Chapter-opening reviews of each theory Strengths, weaknesses, and potential problems of tests and their interpretations Chapter-ending review questions that foster skill development and critical thinking Comprehensive information on more than 50 different assessment tests Reading Assessment is an invaluable resource that helps professionals gain the knowledge and skills to confidently interpret test results and prepare detailed and effective evaluation reports designed to meet each child's unique needs as a learner.

Now in a revised and updated fourth edition, this accessible text has given over 100,000 preservice and inservice teachers vital tools for systematic reading assessment in grades K–8. The book explains how to use both formal and informal assessments to evaluate students' strengths and needs in all components of reading. Effective, engaging methods for targeted instruction in each area are outlined. In a convenient large-size format, the book includes 30 reproducible tools, plus an additional multipage assessment in an online-only appendix. Purchasers get access to a companion website where they can download and print the reproducible materials. New to This Edition *Expanded coverage of the middle grades (4–8), including a new chapter and case study, and explicit attention to this grade range throughout; new coauthor Kevin Flanigan adds expertise in this area. *New and expanded topics: computer-based testing methods, assessing academic language, and how to use reading inventories more accurately. *Additional reproducible tools: informal reading inventory summary form, comprehension retelling forms for narrative and informational text, computer-based comprehension test comparison worksheet, revised Informal Decoding Inventory, and more.

Weaving together the latest knowledge and best practices for teaching children to read, this indispensable text and professional resource provides a complete guide to differentiated instruction for diverse learners. Uniquely integrative, the book places the needs of English language learners and students with disabilities front and center instead of treating them as special topics. Accessible chapters on each of the core components of literacy clearly demonstrate how to link formal and informal assessment to evidence-based instruction. Special features include Research Briefs, Tech Tips, Internet Resources, Reflection and Action Questions, and dozens of reproducible student activities and assessment tools.

From leading experts, this indispensable resource presents a practical model for conducting reading assessments for screening, diagnosis, and progress monitoring in each of the three tiers of response to intervention (RTI). K-8 teachers and school personnel are guided to use norm-referenced, informal, and curriculum-based measures to assess key components of reading development and make informed choices about instruction. The book describes how to survey existing assessment practices in a school and craft a systematic plan for improvement; reproducible tools include a 10-page RTI Assessment Audit that can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size. See also Assessment for Reading Instruction, Third Edition, which explains the fundamentals of assessment and provides essential hands-on tools.

A groundbreaking integrated approach to reading assessmentthat addresses each child's unique Learning Profile Fifteen to twenty percent of our nation's children have readingdifficulties. Educational evalua-tors must be able to use progressmonitoring and diagnostic tools effectively to identify studentswho may be at risk, evaluate the effectiveness of school-widereading programs, and suggest interventions that will improvereading skills. Written from a strengths-based perspective,Reading Assessment: Linking Language, Literacy, andCognition is the first book of its kind to present aresearch-based, integrated review of reading, cognition, and orallanguage testing and assessment. Author Melissa Lee Farrall explores the theoreticalunderpinnings of reading, language, and literacy, explains thebackground of debates surrounding these topics, and providesdetailed information and administration tips on the wide range ofreading inventories and standardized tests that may be used in areading psychoeducational assessment. With a focus on how to craftprofessional evaluation reports that illuminate a student'sstrengths—not just weaknesses—Reading Assessmentenables school psychologists and diagnosticians, readingspecialists, and special education professionals to conductevaluations and develop effective interdisciplinary remedialrecommendations and interventions. Clear, engaging, and inviting, Reading Assessmentfeatures: Case examples and practice exercises Chapter-opening reviews of each theory Strengths, weaknesses, and potential problems of tests and theirinterpretations Chapter-ending review questions that foster skill developmentand critical thinking Comprehensive information on more than 50 different assessmenttests Reading Assessment is an invaluable resource that helpsprofessionals gain the knowledge and skills to confidentlyinterpret test results and prepare detailed and effectiveevaluation reports designed to meet each child's unique needs as alearner.