Assessment 5. Case Study as presented to candidates
Background. To earn a reading endorsement in the State of Ohio, reading specialist/literacy coaches
must obtain 100 clock hours of field experience. These 100 hours are to be equally divided across three
grade bands: PreK-3rd grade, 4th-9th grade, and 7th-12th grade. As part of the practicum, reading
specialist/literacy coaches are required to work one-on-one with a student struggling in reading and
writing in each of these grades bands for approximately 30-35 hours. At the conclusion of their work
(30-35 hours) with each of these three students, they are required to write a case study report on the
student they assessed and instructed.
Case Study Report You will complete a case study report on one student in each of three grade bands
(total of 3 Case Studies: One each in PreK-3, 4-9, and 7-12) that you are working with on reading and
writing. The purpose of the case study report is to assess, instruct, follow, document, and reflect on your
study student’s literacy development in three areas: text comprehension, word study, and writing. Upon
receiving comments, suggestions, and a grade from the instructor, you must arrange for a conference
date with the classroom teacher and parent or caregiver to discuss the results. In addition, you will
reflect and discuss this process via small group discussion boards available on Blackboard. The case
study report utilizes the following format:
Assessment
Background (IRA 3.3) Use a variety of surveys, checklists, and interviews to gather information about
your student. Gather information from various sources including the parent, classroom teacher, and
student. Write background information about the student using this information.
Assessment of Text Comprehension (IRA 3.1, 3.2, 3.4) Using the information gathered on the student,
use an informal reading inventory, either the Comprehensive Reading Inventory (CRI) or the Qualitative
Reading Inventory-5 (QRI-5) to assess your student’s text comprehension of narrative and/or expository
texts. (There are certainly many other informal reading inventories available as well but we will focus on
these two for these practica). Provide a rationale for your assessment of either or both texts. Describe
the informal reading inventory, including its strengths and weaknesses as an assessment tool. Analyze
your student’s performance and determine his/her instructional reading level in narrative, expository or
both. Include a table displaying the results. In addition describe your student’s strengths (i.e., the
strategies the student is presently using) and needs in text comprehension (e.g., understanding text
structures (story grammar, cause-effect, etc), making inferences, summarization, meaning vocabulary,
monitoring comprehension, etc.). Relate these strengths and weaknesses to a continuum of
development. If you have a young student, assess your student’s understanding of print concepts using
and adapted version of Marie Clay’s Concepts about Print available on Blackboard.
Assessment of Word Identification/Recognition (IRA 3.1, 3.2, 3.4) Using the information gathered on
your student, select the areas of word identification to assess: alphabetic principle/print knowledge,
phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics, or morphology. Use the subtests from the CRI (e.g., Letter
Naming Test, Phonemic Segmentation Test, Phonics Quick Test, etc.) as well as informal tests (e.g.,
Rhyming Check, Morphology Check, etc.) discussed in class and posted on Blackboard to assess your
student. Provide a rationale for your selection of areas and assessments. Describe the assessments
including their strengths and weaknesses as assessment tools. Analyze your student’s performance and
describe his/her strengths and needs (e.g., letter-sound correspondence, phoneme segmentation,
affixes, etc.). Relate these strengths and weaknesses to a continuum of development
Assessment of Spelling and Writing (IRA 3.1, 3.2, 3.4) Using the information gathered on your student,
use a spelling inventory from Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, & Johnston (2008) to assess your student’s
spelling. Describe the spelling inventory, including its strengths and weaknesses as an assessment.
Analyze your student’s performance and determine the student’s stage of spelling development. In
addition describe your student’s strengths and needs in spelling. Collect three to four writing samples
(suggestions for prompts are posted on Blackboard: Fictional Narrative, Expository, Persuasive, Creative
Writing). Describe the use of writing samples and their strength and weakness as an assessment tool.
Analyze your student’s performance in writing content, mechanics, conventions and spelling within and
across prompts using the Areas of Writing and Stages of Writing checklists posted on Blackboard. In
addition, describe your student’s strengths and needs in writing and his/her writing stage. Relate these
strengths and weaknesses to a continuum of development
Assessment Summary (IRA 3.3) Write an overall review of the results of the assessments. Summarize the
student’s strengths and needs in text comprehension, word identification, and spelling and writing.
Relate these strengths and needs to a continuum of development. Suggest a goal of instruction in each
of these areas.
Instruction
Instruction in Text Comprehension (IRA 2.2, 2.3, 3.3)
Define text comprehension. Explain why you worked on this area and how it addressed the needs of the
student. Name the wide range of strategies you implemented with the student to improve this area
including technology-based practices. Describe one strategy that worked particularly well with the
student. Be specific so that the next reading specialist/literacy coach or classroom teacher can pick up
where you left off. Describe the results of your work in text comprehension based on a summary of the
data you reported in the Actual Results section of your Weekly Lesson Plans as well as your lesson
reflections. Be specific in explaining exactly how this data shows improvement from the beginning of
instruction until the end of instruction. In other words, did you see growth over the sessions? Justify
your answers by linking them to the student’s work.
Instruction in Word Identification/Recognition (IRA 2.2, 2.3, 3.3) Define the area(s) of word study that
you worked on with your student (alphabetic principle/print knowledge, phonological/phonemic
awareness, phonics, or morphology). Explain why you worked on this area and how it addressed the
needs of the student. Name the wide range of strategies you implemented with the student to improve
this area including technology-based practices. Describe one strategy that worked particularly well with
the student. Be specific so that the next reading specialist/literacy coach or classroom teacher can pick
up where you left off. Describe the results of your work in word study based on a summary of the data
you reported in the Actual Results section of your Weekly Lesson Plans as well as your lesson reflections.
Be specific in explaining exactly how this data shows improvement from the beginning of instruction
until the end of instruction. In other words, did you see growth over the sessions? Justify your answers
by linking them to the student’s work.
Instruction in Spelling and Writing (IRA 2.2, 2.3, 3.3) Define spelling and writing. Explain why you worked
on these areas and how they addressed the needs of the student. Name the wide range of strategies
you implemented with the student to improve both spelling and writing including technology-based
practices. Describe one strategy that worked particularly well with the student. Be specific so that the
next reading specialist/literacy coach or classroom teacher can pick up where you left off. Describe the
results of your work in both spelling and writing based on a summary of the data you reported in the
Actual Results section of your Weekly Lesson Plans as well as your lesson reflections. Be specific in
explaining exactly how this data shows improvement from the beginning of instruction until the end of
instruction. In other words, did you see growth over the sessions? Justify your answers by linking them
to the student’s work.
Recommendations (IRA 2.2, 2.3, 3.3, 3.4) Based on your work with this student, the results of your
continual analysis in the Weekly Lesson Plans, and the interests of the child, what instructional practices
do you recommend to further develop the student’s text comprehension, word identification, and
spelling and writing? Suggest specific strategies and activities. In addition, suggest instructional
materials and books.
LSLS 7028: Practicum I & LSLS 7029: Practicum II
Case Study Report
Student’s Initials:
Student’s Grade Level:
Session Dates:
UC Candidate:
ASSESSMENT
Background
Assessment of Text Comprehension
Assessment of Word Identification/Recognition
Assessment of Spelling and Writing
Assessment Summary
INSTRUCTION
Instruction in Text comprehension
Instruction in Word Identification/Recognition
Instruction in Spelling and Writing
Recommendations