Administering the Teacher’s College
Running Records Assessment
2012 Tulsa Institute
Please sit with your CMA groups.
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Your Presenters
• Julie Baker, Houston ’09, Kansas City MTLD
julie.baker@teachforamerica.org
LS at Hamilton and & Robertson
• Angelica Leveroni, Rio Grande Valley 2007
angelica.leveroni@gmail.com
LS at Hale, McLain, & Rogers
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Agenda
1
What is a reading level? Why does it
matter?
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Why do we use Running Records?
3
4
Steps to Administering a TC Running
Record
CM Practice
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 AfricanAmerican 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.
Tonight’s Objectives
 Identify the components of a
student’s reading level and
explain the significance of this
information to targeted, goaldriven 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.
What is a Reading Level?
 Grade level approximation
 Decoding + comprehension
 Some examples:
 Flesch Kincaid scores (Microsoft Word)
 DRA levels
 Lexiles
 Fountas & Pinnell
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.
 Flexible (ability) grouping
From where does the approximation come?
 For kids: “Trial and error”



 For texts: Complexity of…



Vocabulary
Sentence structure
Sentence variety
Decoding
Fluency
Comprehension
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
This is not an exact science.
…but it will be invaluable to your work.
5 Steps to Administering Running Records
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Find a starting point.
Gather materials.
Assess oral reading.
Assess comprehension.
Calculate final score to determine whether text is at
independent level.
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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
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Snapshot: San Diego Quick
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San Diego Quick: Ms. Bisso & Scarlett
• Where does she make three mistakes?
• Where would we start her Running Records?
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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
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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
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Step 3: Assess Oral Reading Fluency
•Student reads first 100 words aloud
•Teacher times student and notes miscues on scoring form
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Miscues that count as errors
Miscues that don’t count as
errors
Substitutions
Self-corrections
sitting at the small back (black) table
Mispronunciations
Repetition
Severely  severly
Omissions
Short Pauses
a boy can hatch a plan
Insertions
Pete flew ^right^ in through the door
Reversals
So dumbfounded and startled
Teacher prompts
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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
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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
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Step 5: Final Score Sheet
Note – This score sheet assesses for your student’s
independent level.
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CM Practice
• Handouts you will need for this portion
- Blank San Diego Quick
- Running Record N
- Sample Student Response N
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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
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Practice: Oral Reading Fluency
• What was her accuracy rate?
• How would you rate her on the fluency scale?
98% accuracy
4 on Fluency Rubric
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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
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Practice: Final Score & Next Steps
• Calculate final score.
• Next steps?
Independent at Level N
Continue testing until she is
no longer independent
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When kids start behind, they stay behind.
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Contact Info
• Julie Baker, julie.baker@teachforamerica.org
LS at Hamilton & Robertson
• Angelica Leveroni, angelica.leveroni@gmail.com
LS at Hale, McLain, & Rogers
http://readingandwritingproject.com/resources/assess
ments/reading-assessments.html
OR
Google “Teacher’s College Reading Assessments”
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