1. Please sit with your CMA groups.
Administering the Teacher’s College Running Records Assessment 2012 Tulsa Institute
Please sit with your CMA groups.

2. Your Presenters Julie Baker, Houston ’09, Kansas City MTLD
LS at Hamilton and & Robertson
Angelica Leveroni, Rio Grande Valley 2007
LS at Hale, McLain, & Rogers

3. 1 2 3 4 Agenda What is a reading level? Why does it matter?
Why do we use Running Records? 3
Steps to Administering a TC Running Record 4
CM Practice

4. Tough Facts.
Of children who live below the poverty line for at least a year during their K-12 education and are not reading proficiently by third grade, more than a quarter never finish high school. The rate is highest for low-income African-American and Hispanic students, at 31% and 33% respectively.
On average, African-American and Hispanic 12th graders in the US read at the same level as Caucasian 8th graders.
Roughly 35% of low-income high school graduates are not ready to succeed in an introductory level college writing course.

5. Tonight’s Objectives
Identify the components of a student’s reading level and explain the significance of this information to targeted, goal-driven reading instruction and long-range growth.
Identify the purpose and components of a Running Records reading assessment and be prepared to administer and score an assessment for their own students.

6. What is a Reading Level? Grade level approximation
Decoding + comprehension
Some examples:
Flesch Kincaid scores (Microsoft Word)
DRA levels
Lexiles
Fountas & Pinnell

7. Why do we test for a reading level?
Select developmentally appropriate texts.
“Frustration level” texts: Kids make frequent errors; teacher should read these aloud.
“Instructional level” texts: Kids have some foundational knowledge but require direct instruction.
“Independent level” texts: Kids read & understand on their own.
Set clear, meaningful goals & benchmarks.
< 90% accuracy = Frustration
90-95% accuracy = Instructional
>95% accuracy = Independent
Flexible (ability) grouping

8. From where does the approximation come?
For kids: “Trial and error”
Decoding
Fluency
Comprehension
For texts: Complexity of…
Vocabulary
Sentence structure
Sentence variety

9. The Facts: Running Records
Purpose: determine student’s ability to read and comprehend text at a given level.
Outcome: Fountas & Pinnel score (A-Z)
Process: Find a ceiling.
: Fluency + comprehension
Limitations: Subjectivity

10. This is not an exact science.
…but it will be invaluable to your work.

11. 5 Steps to Administering Running Records
Find a starting point.
Gather materials.
Assess oral reading.
Assess comprehension.
Calculate final score to determine whether text is at independent level.

12. Step 1: Find a Starting Point
The San Diego Quick (SDQ)
Start at pre-primer
Check off words that are correct
Record errors
Stop the students when he/she misses 3 words in a grade level
Choose the lowest letter from that grade level to start your Running Records

13. Snapshot: San Diego Quick

14. San Diego Quick: Ms. Bisso & Scarlett
Where does she make three mistakes?
Where would we start her Running Records?
VIDEO LINK:

15. Step 2: Gather Materials
Start with the lowest letter for the grade level you determined on the San Diego Quick
Scarlett  3rd grade
Use your Reading Level Correlation Chart

16. Step 2: Gather Materials
For Student
Student text Level N
For Teacher
Teacher text and scoring forms for Level N
Teacher text and scoring forms for level below and above
Sample responses for comprehension questions

17. Step 3: Assess Oral Reading Fluency
Student reads first 100 words aloud
Teacher times student and notes miscues on scoring form

18. Miscues that count as errors Miscues that don’t count as errors
Substitutions
sitting at the small back (black) table
Mispronunciations
Severely  severly
Omissions
a boy can hatch a plan
Insertions
Pete flew ^right^ in through the door
Reversals
So dumbfounded and startled
Teacher prompts
Self-corrections
Repetition
Short Pauses

19. Step 3: Scoring Oral Reading Fluency
Record accuracy rate
100 - # of miscue errors
100
Determine fluency score
Rubric: 4 categories
93% accuracy rate
2 on the Fluency Rubric

20. Step 4: Assess Comprehension
Student finishes reading the rest of the text silently
Student gives an oral retelling of the passage
Can prompt if necessary, but make note of this
Use Retelling Rubric to rate
Student answers 4 comprehension questions orally
2 literal questions
2 inferential questions
2 on Retelling Rubric
2/4 comprehension questions correct

21. Step 5: Final Score Sheet
Note – This score sheet assesses for your student’s independent level.

22. CM Practice Handouts you will need for this portion
- Blank San Diego Quick
- Running Record N
- Sample Student Response N

23. Practice: San Diego Quick
Based on the San Diego Quick results, what running record level should we start assessing her at?
Grade 3
Level N

24. Practice: Oral Reading Fluency
What was her accuracy rate?
How would you rate her on the fluency scale?
98% accuracy
4 on Fluency Rubric

25. Practice: Comprehension Assessment
How would you rate her on the Retelling Rubric?.
How many comprehension questions would you give her credit for?
4 on Retelling Rubric
3 out of 4 questions

26. Practice: Final Score & Next Steps
Calculate final score.
Next steps?
Independent at Level N
Continue testing until she is no longer independent

27. When kids start behind, they stay behind.
The buck stops here.

28. Contact Info
Julie Baker,
LS at Hamilton & Robertson
Angelica Leveroni,
LS at Hale, McLain, & Rogers OR
Google “Teacher’s College Reading Assessments”