CHAPTER 5
Matching Context to Students:
Assessment as Inquiry
VIGNETTE: What would you do as reading specialist if a parent came to you worried that his daughter was not progressing in reading as well as her twin sister?
Contextualized Assessment and the Reading Specialist's Role
A reading specialist’s role is to interpret and explain standardized test scores and balance mandated testing information with authentic assessment findings to determine and advocate student strengths and needs to teachers, administrators, and parents.
"Contextualized assessment lies within the Difference Model that has, at its center, the student" (2007, p. 63). It is a complex inquiry process which gathers authentic information about students’ background experiences, communities, current instructional contexts, and literacy performances in order to plan and implement literacy instruction that provides a closer match to students’ needs.
Unlike a medical model, which finds something wrong with a student and endeavors to fix the child, the Difference Model is appropriate for all learners for whom there is a mismatch with instruction and the focus is on adapting instruction to support their strengths and meet their needs.
THE HOME:
Search for relevant information and record clues without bias on the Learner Assessment Profile form. Consider the home environment and language, the parents’ educational levels, family, relocations, medical information, current and former schools and records, parent interviews, and student interests. Resist the urge to come to any conclusions at this point.
THE COMMUNITIES:
These could include language, culture, socioeconomic, educational, family, interest, work, and religious. Information can be gained through interest inventories, reading logs, interviews, home visits, observations, and simple conversation.
THE SCHOOL AND CLASSROOM:
“Reflect on the school’s vision, educational plans, standards, and provisions for meeting all students’ literacy needs” (2007, p. 65). Without judgement, use teacher interviews, surveys, self-assessments, observation, materials checklists, and conversations to ascertain what is happening in the regular classroom, especially in relation to literacy instruction.
THE READER:
Gather information from a variety of sources, including observations in a variety of settings, interviews, reading and writing assessments, standardized norm-referenced testing, and reliable assessment instruments such as phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling surveys, retellings, and Informal Reading Inventories. Because the "interplay of contextual factors...influences school performance, it is important to consider how such factors operate within a particular student" (2011, p. 94).
EVALUATION:
Is there a match between the student and the classroom context?
What needs to be continued?
What needs to be changed? What would create a better
match?
“Make some informed guesses as to the school and classroom contexts that might be more appropriate” and “consider how much control or influence is possible over what seems to be causing the mismatch” (2007, p. 68). Prioritize the needed adjustments.
"Contextualized assessment lies within the Difference Model that has, at its center, the student" (2007, p. 63). It is a complex inquiry process which gathers authentic information about students’ background experiences, communities, current instructional contexts, and literacy performances in order to plan and implement literacy instruction that provides a closer match to students’ needs.
Unlike a medical model, which finds something wrong with a student and endeavors to fix the child, the Difference Model is appropriate for all learners for whom there is a mismatch with instruction and the focus is on adapting instruction to support their strengths and meet their needs.
THE HOME:
Search for relevant information and record clues without bias on the Learner Assessment Profile form. Consider the home environment and language, the parents’ educational levels, family, relocations, medical information, current and former schools and records, parent interviews, and student interests. Resist the urge to come to any conclusions at this point.
THE COMMUNITIES:
These could include language, culture, socioeconomic, educational, family, interest, work, and religious. Information can be gained through interest inventories, reading logs, interviews, home visits, observations, and simple conversation.
THE SCHOOL AND CLASSROOM:
“Reflect on the school’s vision, educational plans, standards, and provisions for meeting all students’ literacy needs” (2007, p. 65). Without judgement, use teacher interviews, surveys, self-assessments, observation, materials checklists, and conversations to ascertain what is happening in the regular classroom, especially in relation to literacy instruction.
THE READER:
Gather information from a variety of sources, including observations in a variety of settings, interviews, reading and writing assessments, standardized norm-referenced testing, and reliable assessment instruments such as phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling surveys, retellings, and Informal Reading Inventories. Because the "interplay of contextual factors...influences school performance, it is important to consider how such factors operate within a particular student" (2011, p. 94).
EVALUATION:
Is there a match between the student and the classroom context?
What needs to be continued?
What needs to be changed? What would create a better
match?
“Make some informed guesses as to the school and classroom contexts that might be more appropriate” and “consider how much control or influence is possible over what seems to be causing the mismatch” (2007, p. 68). Prioritize the needed adjustments.
IMPLEMENTATION:
Contextualized assessment and instruction involve a flexible, [ongoing] approach” and a “repertoire of assessments, instructional strategies, and materials available for students and teachers” (2010, p. 102). If the first effort at improving the match between student and instruction doesn’t work, try something different.
Contextualized assessment and instruction involve a flexible, [ongoing] approach” and a “repertoire of assessments, instructional strategies, and materials available for students and teachers” (2010, p. 102). If the first effort at improving the match between student and instruction doesn’t work, try something different.
Schoolwide Assessment Program
Collect background about the school and community’s strengths and needs.
Outline a snapshot of the current literacy program, including materials, approaches, interventions, teachers’ needs, and programmatic effectiveness, strengths and weaknesses.
Meet with literacy team to review a variety of assessment instruments that are available and have been field-tested with a similar school population. Examine what teachers are already using: what works and why and how assessment should reflect district and state standards and benchmarks.
Make recommendations and explain proposed assessment plan at a faculty meeting, seeking feedback.
Provide practice assessment sessions, a simple means of recording data, and opportunities to share findings and discuss effective instructional approaches.
Meet with literacy team and talk to teachers to evaluate effectiveness of assessment plan. If warranted, make changes based on their recommendations.
Outline a snapshot of the current literacy program, including materials, approaches, interventions, teachers’ needs, and programmatic effectiveness, strengths and weaknesses.
Meet with literacy team to review a variety of assessment instruments that are available and have been field-tested with a similar school population. Examine what teachers are already using: what works and why and how assessment should reflect district and state standards and benchmarks.
Make recommendations and explain proposed assessment plan at a faculty meeting, seeking feedback.
Provide practice assessment sessions, a simple means of recording data, and opportunities to share findings and discuss effective instructional approaches.
Meet with literacy team and talk to teachers to evaluate effectiveness of assessment plan. If warranted, make changes based on their recommendations.
Districtwide Assessment
A well-rounded assessment program includes three types of assessments:
NORM-REFERENCED:
Usually administered by school psychologists. Examples include Intelligence, General Achievement, Aptitude.
CRITERION-REFERENCED:
Usually administered by reading specialists. Examples include Standardized, Diagnostic/Informal Reading Inventories, Nonstandardized Teacher-Created.
GROWTH-REFERENCED/AUTHENTIC:
May involve reading specialists, literacy coaches, and classroom teachers. Include Portfolios/Document Analysis, Observation/ Anecdotal Records, Self-Evaluation Interviews, Performance-based.
NORM-REFERENCED:
Usually administered by school psychologists. Examples include Intelligence, General Achievement, Aptitude.
CRITERION-REFERENCED:
Usually administered by reading specialists. Examples include Standardized, Diagnostic/Informal Reading Inventories, Nonstandardized Teacher-Created.
GROWTH-REFERENCED/AUTHENTIC:
May involve reading specialists, literacy coaches, and classroom teachers. Include Portfolios/Document Analysis, Observation/ Anecdotal Records, Self-Evaluation Interviews, Performance-based.
Sample Learner Assessment Profile
Suggested Online Resources
Special Recommendation http://www.reading.org/General/Publications/ReadingToday/RTY-0912_Assessment_Stds.aspx Revised standards for the literacy process from the International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English.
http://www.carnegie.org/fileadmin/Media/Publications/PDF/tta_Morsy.pdf A guide to adolescent literacy assessment instruments from Carnegie Corporation's Time to Act reports.
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea500.htm High-quality information and links on all aspects of assessment.
http://www.carnegie.org/fileadmin/Media/Publications/PDF/tta_Morsy.pdf A guide to adolescent literacy assessment instruments from Carnegie Corporation's Time to Act reports.
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea500.htm High-quality information and links on all aspects of assessment.