Assessment & Reporting

Assessing literacy skills is paramount to gauge students’ progress and inform instructional decisions. With numerous assessment tools available, educators often seek guidance on selecting the most appropriate one to meet their students’ needs effectively. Today, I delved into the realm of literacy assessment and the student reporting policy in British Columbia (BC), shedding light on valuable tools and reporting practices.

Literacy Assessment Tool: Running Records

One widely-used literacy assessment tool is Running Records. Developed by Marie M. Clay, Running Records provide insights into a student’s reading behaviors and abilities. It involves a teacher listening to a student read aloud and recording their responses, errors, and self-corrections.

What is it?
Running Records capture a student’s reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. They offer a window into the strategies students use while reading, such as decoding skills, word recognition, and comprehension monitoring.

Why Choose it?
Running Records offer a holistic view of a student’s reading skills, helping teachers tailor instruction to meet individual needs. They provide actionable data to differentiate instruction, identify areas for growth, and monitor progress over time.

How to Use it?
Running Records can be employed across grade levels, from early emergent readers to proficient readers. Educators administer Running Records regularly, typically once a month or as needed, to track students’ reading development.

When to Use it?
Running Records are valuable during literacy instruction to inform grouping strategies, instructional planning, and intervention placement.

Cautions about Running Records:

1. Interpretation Challenges:
   Running Records requires careful interpretation by educators. Errors and self-corrections made by students may not always reflect their true comprehension level. Teachers must exercise caution to avoid misjudging a student’s reading proficiency based solely on surface-level errors.
2. Standardization Concerns:
   The administration and scoring of Running Records may lack standardization across educators and schools. Variations in recording procedures and scoring criteria can impact the reliability and consistency of results.
3. Limited Scope:
   While Running Records offer insights into reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension, they may not capture all aspects of literacy development comprehensively. Other factors such as vocabulary acquisition, background knowledge, and social-emotional factors contribute to a student’s overall literacy proficiency. Running Records should be supplemented with additional assessments to gain a holistic understanding of students’ literacy skills.
4. Time and Resource Intensive:
   Administering and analyzing Running Records require significant time and resources. Educators must balance the benefits of Running Records with the practical constraints of classroom time and workload. Strategic planning and collaboration can optimize the efficacy of Running Records while minimizing their impact on instructional time.

Student Reporting Policy in BC:

British Columbia’s student reporting policy emphasizes clear communication of student progress to parents and caregivers. The BC Ministry of Education mandates a comprehensive reporting system that includes a proficiency scale, frequency of reporting, and standardized reporting formats.

Proficiency Scale:
BC employs a four-point proficiency scale to assess student achievement:

Frequency of Reporting:
Reporting occurs regularly throughout the school year, with formal written reports issued at designated intervals. In BC, interim reports are provided in the fall and spring, while formal report cards are distributed in the winter and summer terms.

Example Report Card Comment for Literacy:

“Jane is demonstrating proficiency in literacy. She exhibits excellent comprehension strategies and applies critical thinking skills to analyze texts. Jane engages actively in discussions, demonstrating a deep understanding of literary concepts in class. With continued practice, she shows potential for further growth in fluency and expression.”

Selecting appropriate literacy assessment tools and understanding student reporting policies are essential components of effective teaching and learning. By leveraging these tools and practices, educators can empower students to achieve literacy success and thrive academically. For more information on Running Records, visit https://literacypages.wordpress.com/2018/08/21/running-records-101-the-history-how-to-score-code-analyze/. To learn about BC’s student reporting policy, visit https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/legislation-policy/public-schools/student-reporting.