Retelling as an Assessment

Take the time to assess retelling! Especially if you have a reader you are trying to figure out. It is a great place to start for Response to Intervention plans.

Guidelines for Selecting Text for Retelling Assessments Genre: use the same type you have been studying in class Text level/reading competency of child: Make sure is a match. Retelling Mode: Have it be consistant with what you have been using in class. (If only doing Oral to Oral, then assess that.)

Length of text: Depends on student experience with retelling and the genre used. As they gain proficiency, can be longer and more complex. Text features: Include familiar concepts, opportunity for problem solving, illustrations, clarity in layout, literal to abstract, simple to complex language. Text features will not be the same for all students in class. You are trying to fit them for retelling assessment.

Ideas for retelling texts Passage from a content book Time for Kids article Newspaper article Web page Magazine article Letter Graph, table, chart

Assessment Procedures 1. Conduct without prompts. This is not a guided retelling opportunity. 2. Text/story should not be discussed before with student prior to retelling. Do ask for a prediction based on the title. 3. The retelling (oral or written) is immediately after the listening or reading of the text (based again on what level of retelling you are assessing).

Score against a rubric. (see MLPP websites in Resources section to print rubrics.) Record the mode or retelling you administered. (oral to oral, written to written, etc.) Score the prediction as R-easonable, U-nreasonable, N-one given.

Other considerations: Retelling text can be part of a larger text. Remember the purpose is to assess comprehension, not writing ability, however looking at the piece can give you insight into the writing ability of the child also. (use a writing rubric to do that) Scoring is always done against the rubric, never child to child.