Understanding And Using Reading Assessment K 12

Why do we assess reading? What do we assess when we assess reading? How, where, and when do we assess reading? Reading instruction and assessment expert Peter Afflerbach addresses these questions and much more in the 3rd edition of Understanding and Using Reading Assessment, K–12. Using the CURRV model to evaluate reading assessment methods—including reading inventories, teacher questioning, performance assessment, and high-stakes reading tests—Afflerbach considers the consequences and usefulness of each method, the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders, and the reliability and validity of the assessments. In addition, he examines four important but often overlooked aspects of reading assessment: • Assessment accommodation for English-language learners and students with special needs • Assessment of noncognitive aspects of reading, such as motivation, engagement, self-concept, and self-efficacy • The use of formative and summative assessment • The importance of self-assessment in building reading independence The book provides detailed case studies from all grade levels to illustrate reading assessment done well. It also includes 15 reproducible forms and checklists that teachers and administrators can use to optimize their reading assessment efforts. Students are expected to read increasingly complex texts and to complete increasingly complex reading-related tasks to demonstrate their growth as readers. This book offers teachers and administrators alike a clear path to helping students meet those expectations. This book is a co-publication of ASCD and ILA. New to the 3rd edition: • New chapter “Formative and Summative Assessment” • Three significantly revised chapters—Performance Assessment; Assessment Accommodation for English Learners and Students With Special Needs (“Accommodation and Reading Assessment” in 2nd edition); Assessing “the Other”: Important Noncognitive Aspects of Reading • Fifteen reproducible and downloadable forms and checklists

Why do we assess reading? What do we assess when we assess reading? How, where, and when do we assess reading? Reading instruction and assessment expert Peter Afflerbach addresses these questions and much more in the 3rd edition of Understanding and Using Reading Assessment, K–12. Using the CURRV model to evaluate reading assessment methods—including reading inventories, teacher questioning, performance assessment, and high-stakes reading tests—Afflerbach considers the consequences and usefulness of each method, the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders, and the reliability and validity of the assessments. In addition, he examines four important but often overlooked aspects of reading assessment: Assessment accommodation for English-language learners and students with special needs Assessment of noncognitive aspects of reading, such as motivation, engagement, self-concept, and self-efficacy The use of formative and summative assessment The importance of self-assessment in building reading independence The book provides detailed case studies from all grade levels to illustrate reading assessment done well. It also includes 15 reproducible forms and checklists that teachers and administrators can use to optimize their reading assessment efforts. Students are expected to read increasingly complex texts and to complete increasingly complex reading-related tasks to demonstrate their growth as readers. This book offers teachers and administrators alike a clear path to helping students meet those expectations. This book is a co-publication of ASCD and ILA. New to the 3rd edition: New chapter “Formative and Summative Assessment” Three significantly revised chapters—Performance Assessment; Assessment Accommodation for English Learners and Students With Special Needs (“Accommodation and Reading Assessment” in 2nd edition); Assessing “the Other”: Important Noncognitive Aspects of Reading Fifteen reproducible and downloadable forms and checklists

This clear, no-nonsense book guides current and future teachers through the concepts, tools, methods, and goals of classroom literacy assessment. The expert authors examine the roles of formative, summative, and benchmark assessments; demystify state and national tests and standards; and show how assessment can seamlessly inform instruction. Strategies for evaluating, choosing, and interpreting assessments are discussed, as are ways to communicate data to parents and administrators. User-friendly resources include boxed vignettes from teachers and researchers, practical assessment tips (and traps to avoid), and 12 reproducible planning forms and handouts. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

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.

Intended for teachers frustrated by test-driven assessments that merely mimic real reading behaviors, this text focuses assessment on knowing individual students so that teaching addresses their individual strengths and needs.

Understanding Reading revolutionized reading research and theory when the first edition appeared in 1971 and continues to be a leader in the field. In the sixth edition of this classic text, Smith's purpose remains the same: to shed light on fundamental aspects of the complex human act of reading--linguistic, physiological, psychological, and social--and on what is involved in learning to read. The text critically examines current theories, instructional practices, and controversies, covering a wide range of disciplines but always remaining accessible to students and classroom teachers. Careful attention is given to the ideological clash that continues between whole language and direct instruction and currently permeates every aspect of theory and research into reading and reading instruction. To aid readers in making up their own minds, each chapter concludes with a brief statement of "Issues." Understanding Reading: A Psycholinguistic Analysis of Reading and Learning to Read, Sixth Edition is designed to serve as a handbook for language arts teachers, a college text for basic courses on the psychology of reading, a guide to relevant research on reading, and an introduction to reading as an aspect of thinking and learning. It is matchless in integrating a wide range of topics relative to reading while, at the same time, being highly readable and user-friendly for instructors, students, and practitioners.