INFORMAL ASSESSMENT
1
Informal Assessment
Informal assessment means using
non-standardized methods of diagnosing
learning problems and measuring student
progress.
2
Advantages of
Informal Assessment
Informal assessment has the following advantages
over norm-referenced testing:
• Can be more closely related to the curriculum
• More sensitive to small gains
• Less cumbersome to administer and score
• Relates directly to planning instruction and teaching
• Can identify specific error patterns
3
Types of Informal Assessment
• criterion-related assessment--an assessment which
involves comparing a student’s performance to a given
criteria (rather than to a norm group; mastery testing)
• curriculum-based assessment--tests which use excerpts
from the general education curriculum as the subject
matter for testing
• direct measurement--measuring progress by using the
same instructional materials or tasks that are used in the
classroom
• probes--brief tests used for assessment of mastery of
specific skill or sub-skill
4
Teacher-Made Tests
• When designing informal instruments research has shown that
teachers
are prone to make errors that may skew the results.
• E.g., matching items, followed by completion, essay and true/false.
Teachers may write test items using different levels of learning,
although, many teachers use items at the knowledge level because
they are easier to write.
• Such items require the student merely to recall, recognize, or match
the material.
• Higher order thinking skills are needed to assess a student’s ability to
sequence, apply information, analyze, synthesize, infer, or deduct.
5
Criterion-Referenced Testing
Criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) compare the
performance of a student to a given criterion for mastery.
Criterion-referenced testing can be used to determine the
examinee’s position along the continuum from acquisition
to mastery. To be accurate, criterion-referenced tests
must have “item density,” enough items in each domain to
make sure that the topic is covered adequately. The
advantages of CRTs include:
• Practical
• Fair
• Assists with measuring educational accountability
Sources for CRTs
• Adapt existing norm-referenced instruments
• Use published criterion-referenced tests (like The
Brigance Inventories)
• Design teacher-made CRTs
– Curriculum-based
– Direct measurement
7
Establishing Criterion
With published CRTs, the authors provide a criterion for
mastery on their instrument. When a teacher designs a CRT,
the teacher must determine an appropriate mastery criterion.
Some tasks require 100% mastery (e.g., math facts) and others
can tolerate a lower standard like 80 or 90% (e.g., reading
comprehension). Typical criterion for mastery are listed
below:
• More than 95% = mastery of objective
•
90% to 95% = instructional level
•
76% to 89% = difficult level
•
Less than 76% = failure level
(See Activity 5.6, p. 165)
8
What Does Mastery Mean?
If a student is able to reach a mastery level score
just once on a particular criterion-referenced
instrument, this does not necessarily mean that
the student actually has mastered the skills being
tested. To establish mastery with some certainty,
the student would need to be tested over multiple
trials.
9
Beyond Mastery:
Other Considerations
• Does passing the test mean that the student is
proficient and will maintain the skills?
• Is the student ready to progress to the next level in
the curriculum?
• Will the student be able to generalize and apply the
skills in other contexts?
• Would the student pass the mastery test if it were
given again at a later date?
10
Brigance Inventories
The Brigance is standardized assessment system that
provides criterion-related assessment of basic academic
skills. There are three age levels of Brigance Inventories.
• Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Early Development (birth
to age 7)
• Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Basic Skills (elementaryaged students)
• Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Essential Skills
(intermediate and secondary students)
11
Brigance Inventory of Essential Skills
The criterion-referenced individually administered Brigance
Diagnostic Inventory of Essential Skills covers academic skill
areas and life skills. The former includes reading/language
arts, math, and study skills. Life skill subtests include food and
clothing, money and finance, travel and transportation, and
communication and telephone skills. The Inventory of
Essential Skills also includes rating scales for measuring health
and attitude, responsibility and self-discipline, job interview
preparation, communication, and auto safety. Inventory
materials include a student record book that records
competency levels and defines instructional objectives and a
class record book that provides a matrix of skills assessed, skills
mastered, and objectives for a group of up to 15 students. The
inventory is widely used to assess secondary level students and
adult learners with special needs.
12
Strengths of the Brigance
The Brigance is considered one of the most comprehensive
criterion-referenced instruments. It is also viewed as being well
suited to determining mastery of very specific learning objectives.
The test manual states that results of the Brigance should be
considered in conjunction with the student’s classroom
performance, classroom observations, and scrutiny of actual
curriculum goals. The specific strengths of the Brigance include:
• Helps to determine what a student has or has not learned
• Contains suggestions for specific instructional objectives
• Requires no testing expertise
• Can help with referral decisions
13
Curriculum-Based Assessment
Curriculum-based assessment (CBA) means using materials
and tasks from the general curriculum to diagnose learning
problems or to measure student progress. Curriculum-based
assessments are usually given at the end of an instructional
period (summative). CBA assesses mastery of specific content
or skill taught during an academic period. Students results are
compared against a standard of mastery (e.g., student must
pass with 80% of items correct).
14
What Is Curriculum-Based Measurement?
Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) is the
method of monitoring student progress through
direct, continuous assessment of basic skills.
CBM is used to assess skills such as reading
fluency, comprehension, spelling, mathematics,
and written expression. Early literacy skills
(phonics and phonological awareness) are similar
measures and are downward extensions of CBM.
15
CBM Is Formative Assessment
With curriculum-based assessment, the student is measured from
the beginning of instruction against the ultimate goal for the
student’s learningThroughout the school year,
the student would be measured against the year-end goal to see if the
student is making reasonable progress.
Measuring progress during instruction is called formative assessment.
Formative assessment
allows the teacher to make changes in instruction based upon the
student’s academic performance. Thus, the teacher is able to make
quick adjustments so the student does not “get stuck” and continues
to make progress toward the ultimate learning goal.
16
How Valid Is CBM?
CBM assessment practices are based on 25 years
of scientific research at the University of Minnesota and
elsewhere (Deno, 1985; Deno, Marston, & Mirkin, 1982;
Deno, Marston, Shinn, & Tindal, 1983). These informal
tests are time efficient and inexpensive, yet produce
accurate charts of student growth over time.
17
What Is a CBM Probe Like?
CBM probes last from 1 to 5 minutes depending
on the skill being measured and student
performance is scored for speed and accuracy to
determine proficiency. Because CBM probes are
quick to administer and simple to score, they can
be given frequently to provide continuous
progress data. The results are charted and
provide for timely evaluation based on hard data.
18
What Is the Content of CBM?
As the name implies, CBM materials have
historically been derived from individual school
curricula. Currently, the CBM field is moving
towards standard general curriculum probes to
increase standardization and make more accurate
comparisons. This is especially helpful when
curriculum changes over time.
19
Rule of Thumb
Teachers can design their own curriculum-based assessments using
classroom materials. There are some basic guidelines for developing
curriculum-based assessments. Below are some “rules” for
assessment design in various academic areas:
• In reading, students should read aloud from reading
materials for 1 minute. The number of words read
correctly per minute (WCPM) constitutes the basic decision-making unit.
• In spelling, students write words that are dictated at specific intervals
(either 5, 7, or 10 seconds) for 2 minutes. The number of correct letter
sequences and words spelled correctly are counted.
• In written expression, students write a story for 3 minutes after viewing a
story starter. The number of words written, spelled correctly, and/or
correct word sequences are counted.
• In mathematics, students write answers to computational problems via
two minute probes. The numbers of correctly written digits in correct
position are counted.
20
Baseline and Goal
In order to set up a measurement process, the teacher first determines
baseline in the skills to be taught. For example, the teacher would do
three probes of a skill or set of skills. The scores for the three probes
are averaged or the median score can be selected as the baseline
score. Once the baseline number has been determined, the teacher
can estimate the goal (e.g., number of words read correctly, number
of problems solved correctly, number of words spelled correctly) to be
reached by the end of the year. The research literature provides
guidance for reasonable yearly gains by grade level. For example, a
second grader with a baseline of 55 correctly read words per minute
can be expected to increase oral reading proficiency by approximately
38 words by the end of the year. The goal then is 93 correctly read
words per minute.
21
Aimline
The aimline is the goal line against which
progress is measured in curriculum-based
measurement. In order to plot the aimline,
the teacher would begin at the baseline
score and draw a line to the goal. To
monitor the instruction, the data are plotted
twice per week. When a student falls below
the aimline for three consecutive measures,
the instruction should be adjusted. When
the student excels above the aimline for
three consecutive measures, the instruction
should be made more challenging.
22
Content for CBA
SCOPE
SEQUENCE
When a teacher is designing a curriculum-based
assessment, a good source of information for what to
include in the assessment is a scope and sequence. A
scope and sequence is a formal listing of the range of skills
and the sequence in which those skills must be learned in
a particular academic domain (e.g., reading, written
expression, mathematics). To see an example of a Scope
and Sequence, go to the Document Sharing Section of the
course.
23
Task Analysis
Sometimes when developing CBA, the test
designer will look at a specific skill or sub-skill
and try to address it with items that constitute the
steps toward completing a task or skill. The
name for this process is task analysis. Task
analysis simply means analyzing a task by
breaking it down into the smallest steps or subskills.
24
Task Analysis Example
Let’s assume, for example, that the teacher wants to assess the
following skill:
Recognizes initial consonant sounds and their association with the
consonants in the alphabet
A task analysis for recognizing initial consonant sounds might include
steps like these:
Test single letters (uppercase) for identification in this order–
M, T, S, F, D, G, L, H, C, B, N, K, V, W, J, P
Test single letters (lowercase) for identification in this order-m, t, s,
f, d, r, g, l, h, c, b, n , k ,v, w, j, p
Test matching of upper- and lowercase consonants
Test matching most common sounds with consonants
Test initial consonant sound identification in CVC words
25
Error Analysis
Error analysis is one of the best ways to
determine what types of academic problems a
student may be having. What the teacher does is
look for patterns of errors. Once the error
patterns are discovered, the teacher can then
develop instructional lessons to correct the errors.
(See Activity 5.9,p. 167)
26
CBA/CBM Summary
Curriculum-based assessment is a relatively simple
process, involving a thorough analysis of the
requirements of the curriculum in a particular
domain, the development of items to cover the
domain, and arrangement of those items in order
from the simplest (or easiest) to the most complex (or
most difficult). Using CBM allows the teacher to
keep track of a student’s progress in the curriculum
and to compare one student’s scores to those of other
classmates learning the same curriculum.
27
• What Curriculum Based Assessments are
available to you?
• Which ones do you use?
28
Value of Curriculum-Based Assessment
•
•
•
•
Provides more direct feedback to students
Supports increases in student achievement
Provides accurate screening information for eligibility
Provides useful data to determine when students are
ready to return to the general education program
• Is appropriate for assessing medication effects
• Is useful in designing instructional programs
29
Cautions in Using CBM
• Limited to measuring discrete skills; can’t
measure global skills like creativity
• More sensitive to changes in rote learning
than in higher level thinking skills
30
Issues in Informal Testing
• Are standards appropriate for student in terms of race,
culture and gender?
• Are test items free from cultural bias?
• Is the language appropriate for the student?
• Does the measure bypass the limitations imposed by the
disability?
• Are CBA measures of sufficient technical quality?
• Does the CBA measure thoroughly cover the skill range?
• Is the test long enough to provide enough information on
the student’s performance?
31
Informal Assessment of Reading
Decoding, word recognition, fluency, and comprehension
are the broad areas of reading that teachers typically
assess using informal methods.
• Decoding--the ability to associate sounds and symbols
• Word Recognition—the ability to read words instantly on
sight
• Fluency--rate and ease with which a student reads orally
• Comprehension--ability to derive meaning from written
language
Bader Informal Reading and Language Inventory
32
Informal Techniques for Assessing Reading
Decoding
Word
Recognition
Fluency
Comprehension
Attitudes Toward
Reading
Match letters and
sounds
Read grade level
word lists
Timed oral reading
of letters
Answering questions
Interview
Read isolated
letters, blends,
syllables and real
words
Read Dolch Words
Timed oral reading
of word lists
Paraphrasing
Questionnaire
Sound out nonsense
words
Timed oral reading
of phrases
Story retelling
Student history
Sound out
combinations of
vowel sounds and
patterns, consonant
blends, and digraphs
Timed oral reading
of sentences
Cloze
Read sentences that
contain new words
Timed oral reading
of paragraphs
Maze
Sentence
Verification
Vocabulary
identification
33
MEASURES WORD (IN ISOLATON) RECOGNITION
Basic Sight Words/High Frequency Words/Dolch List
MEASURES WORD RECOGNTION AND PASSAGE COMPREHESION
FRYE READABILITY FORMULA
http://teacher.depaul.edu/Reading_Passages_FICTION.html
See the wiki for The High Frequency Word List
34
Sample Informal Reading Inventory
Motivation Statement: Imagine how you would feel if you
were up to bat and this was your team’s last chance to win
the game! Please read this story.
Passage:
Whiz! The baseball went right by me, and I struck at the air! “Strike
one!” called the man. I could feel my legs begin to shake! Whiz! The
ball went by me again, and I began to feel bad. “Strike two,”
screamed the man. I held the bat back because this time I would kill
the ball! I would hit it right out of the park! I was so scared that I
bit down on my lip. My knees shook and my hands grew wet. Swish!
The ball came right over the plate. Crack! I hit it a good one! Then I
ran like the wind. Everyone was yelling for me because I was now a
baseball star!
35
Comprehension Questions and Possible Answers
1. What is this story about?
(Main idea--a baseball game, someone who gets two strikes and finally
gets a hit
2. After the second strike, what did the batter plan to do?
(Factual--Hit the ball right out of the park)
3. Who is the “man” in this story who called strikes?
(Inferential--the umpire)
4. In this story, what was meant when the batter said, “I would kill the ball”?
(Terminology--Hit it very hard)
5. Why was the last pitch a good one?
(Cause and effect--Because it went right over the plate)
6. What did the batter do after the last pitch?
(Case and effect--The batter hit it a good one and ran like the wind.)
36
Scoring an IRI
Error Count:
Omissions _____
Aided words _____
Insertions _____
Repetitions _____
Substitutions _____
Reversals
_____
Scoring Guide
Word Recognition ErrorsComprehension Errors
Independent
1
Instructional
6
Frustration
12+
0
1-2
3+
37
IRI Reading Levels
The results obtained from IRIs are grade level scores.
Typically, informal inventories provide three reading
levels: Independent Level, Instructional Level, and
Frustration Level. A student’s Independent Level
is the level of graded reading materials that can be read
easily with a high degree of comprehension and few errors
in decoding. At this level, the student reads
independently, without instruction or assistance from the
teacher. Reading materials at the student’s Instructional
Level are somewhat more difficult; this is the level
appropriate for reading instruction. Materials at the
Frustration Level are too difficult for the student;
decoding errors are too frequent and comprehension too
poor for instruction to occur.
38
Criteria for Reading Levels
According to Kirk, Kliebhan, and Lerner (1978), the usual criteria for determining independent,
instructional and frustration levels are as shown in the chart below:
Independent Reading Level
Word Recognition: 98% to 100%
Comprehension:
90% to 100%
Instructional Reading Level
Word Recognition: 95%
Comprehension:
75%
Frustration Reading Level
Word Recognition: less than 90%
Comprehension:
less than 50%
These levels have been
criticized for being too
stringent. For example,
Spache (1972) warned that
“if the teacher employs an
Informal Reading Inventory
(IRI) for his estimate of
instructional level, he may
be expecting children to
read with a very unrealistic
degree of oral accuracy.”
39
Error Analysis in Reading
Error analysis is generally used to investigate decoding mistakes in
oral reading. The teacher records deviations from the printed text
that the student makes while reading orally. Several types of errors
can occur when students read connected text. Most systems of error
analysis include at least four classes of errors:
•
Additions—the reader adds words or parts of words to the text
•
Substitutions—the reader mispronounces a word or parts of words; this
type of error is also called a mispronunciation. (e.g., want for what)
•
Omissions—the reader fails to pronounce words or parts of words. This
error occurs when readers skip words, when they hesitate in
responding, or when they say the do not know a word.
•
Reversals—The reader changes the order of the words in a phrase or
sentence or the order of sounds within a word.
40
Miscue Analysis
An alternate method of error analysis takes into account the quality
of the errors that readers make . This is called miscue analysis.
Miscues are analyzed to determine whether they represent a change
in meaning from the original test. For example, the substitution of
hold for fight in “fight back the tears” is semantically correct and
does not alter meaning. However, the substitution of ready for right in
“he’ll be all right” does change the sense of the passage.
Miscues that produce changes in meaning can be further analyzed.
For example, the student’s miscue and the original text can be
compared in these three ways:
• Graphic Similarity: How much do the two words look alike?
• Sound Similarity: How much do the two words sound alike?
• Grammatical Function: Is the grammatical function of the reader’s
word the same as the grammatical function of the text word?
41
Informal Assessment of Mathematics
Math is a relatively easy subject to assess using informal
methods. The areas that are usually assessed include:
• Math facts
• Computation
• Math reasoning
• Math applications
The assessment should be combined with both task
analysis and error analysis to determine specific problem
areas. These problem areas should be further assessed by
using probes to determine the specific difficulty.
Interviewing the student is also helpful in determining
how the student is reasoning through a problem.
42
Methods of Informal Math Assessment
•
•
•
•
•
•
Informal Inventories—Informal inventories survey a variety of skills to determine where the student’s
strengths and weaknesses lie. Inventories usually have only one or two examples of each type of math
problem so further analysis of errors is necessary in more specific probes.
Criterion-Referenced Tests--CRTs are used to assess mastery of specific mathematics skills (e.g.
multiplication by 9).
Error Analysis—Error analysis is a process of looking at the student’s responses to determine why a
mistake was made and to see if there is a pattern of repeated types of errors. Error analysis differentiates
between systematic computation errors and errors that are random or careless mistakes.
Diagnostic Probes—Probes are in-depth assessments of the mastery of a specific skill or sub-skill; typically
a probe contains several items focused on the same skill.
Clinical Math Interviews—Clinical interviews elicit information about the procedures that students use to
arrive at their answers. The student is observed going about the mathematics task and then the student is
interviewed to find out the cognitive strategies he or she used to accomplish the task.
Portfolio Assessment—A portfolio should contain several examples of the student’s work, including
classroom quizzes or assignments, group or individual projects, written math reports or math logs, or
artwork related to mathematics. Portfolios may also contain results of standardized tests and informal
assessments, student self-assessments, and student interest surveys and questions. Teachers might
include checklists of student progress, graphs of results from CBA measures and records of clinical math
interviews.
43
Example of an Informal Inventory
Addition
6
+2
3
+5
4
+0
10
+5
8
+3
11
+4
Subtraction
6
3
-4
-3
4
17
98
47
-3 -4
Multiplication
3 2
2
x 2 x2
x8
-0
6
x0
33
x 4
22
x 4
3
22
17
10
-32
33
+5
14
67
+15
27
-3
232
x3
+71
-6
-24
204
x4
44
Example of Math CRT
Criterion for Mastery: 100% (10/10) correct
Directions: Round off each number to the nearest
hundred (100).
1. 721
__________
2. 7,879 __________
3. 6,834 __________
4. 881
__________
5. 8502 __________
6. 13,782 __________
7. 789,332__________
8. 3,055 __________
9. 803
__________
10. 419
__________
45
Math Error Analysis
The teacher examines the student’s work and observes how
the student goes about solving the problems. The teacher can
then analyze what types of errors the student is making.
Common types of errors include:
•Incorrect operation
•Incorrect number fact
•Incorrect algorithm
•Errors in place value
•Failure to follow sequence of
•Placement (working from right to left)
•Copying or handwriting errors
•Random errors
46
Error Analysis Practice
For each of the following problems, analyze and describe the types of
errors the student is making. Note that within the same box, all of the
problems display the same error.
A
83
66
+ 67
1410
+29
815
+851
148
C
58
+12
16
627
-486
261
67
+31
17
476
B
D
753
+693
1113
861
-489
428
47
More Error Analysis
175
E
- 54
1111
185
- 22
1513
632
F
-147
495
523
-366
167
563
-382
181
17
G
x 4
128
46
x 8
648
1206 divided by 6 = 21
H
48
Teacher-Made Probes
Teacher-made probes can be used to identify specific problem areas. Mixed
probes are used to locate areas that need further assessment or instruction.
In the probe on the following page, each of the following categories
has nine items:
• basic addition facts of sums to 9 (first item and then every fourth item),
• two-digit numbers plus two-digit numbers with no regrouping (second
item and then every fourth item),
• two-digit number plus one-digit number with no regrouping (third item and
then every fourth item), and
• basic addition facts of sums to 18 (fourth item and then every fourth item).
When scoring a probe, the student receives one point for every correct digit
in the correct place. On this probe, the student can obtain a maximum score
of 63 correct digits with no errors. After three times, a high score of 40 or
more correct digits per minute with no errors is a reasonable criterion for
diagnostic purposes.
49
Example of a Math Probe
4
+3
22 33 9 6 36 41 6 8
+41 +6 +7 +2 +62 +3 +5 +0
53 78 5 7 43 82 7 5 61
+44 +1 +8 +2 +36 +5 +4 +3
+37
7 5 82 37 6 4 31 57 7
+6 +2 +13 +2 + 6 +4 +18 +32 +9
Patterns: 0-9 facts, 2D +2D, 2D + 1D, and 0-18 facts
Number of Correct Digits: ___________
50
Error Analysis of Probe Results
If the student fails to reach the criterion on a mixed
probe, it is important to analyze the responses and locate
the errors in the items missed. This analysis provides the
teacher with information for further assessment with
specific skill probes (such as 0-9 facts). Also, specific skill
probes can be used to monitor the daily progress of the
student.
For what grade level do you think this probe was designed?
51
Analysis of Math Observation and
Clinical Interview
• What previous knowledge did the student bring to this
•
•
•
•
problem?
To what extent are the ideas accurate and complete?
What strategy did the student employ to solve the
problem?
Could the student do the steps of the problem in proper
sequence?
Were the student’s calculations accurate?
52
Diagnostic Questions for Analysis of
Problem Solving
Agree
Disagree
______
______ Decodes words correctly in story problem
______
______ Understands the meaning of the situation described in the story
problem
______
______ Identifies the relevant and irrelevant information in the problem
______
______ Can illustrate the components of the problem
______
______ Selects the appropriate operation (addition, subtraction,
multiplication or division)
______
______ Writes down the computational problem correctly
______
______ Remembers number facts correctly
______
______ Selects the appropriate computational algorithm
______
______ Estimates the correct answer
______
______ Determines is answer “makes sense”
53
Informal Assessment of Written Expression
Written expression includes a complex array of
skills which all must be working relatively well in
order for the written product to be legible,
understandable, and persuasive. Informal probes
of writing skills can be done in each of the
important areas, including handwriting, writing
mechanics, spelling, and composition. On the
next slide is a chart showing common methods of
informal writing assessment by category.
54
Common Informal Methods of
Assessing Writing
Handwriting
Writing Mechanics
Spelling
Composition
Analysis of handwriting
sample (copy 100 word
passage)
CRTs of punctuation,
capitalization, and grammar
Paper and pencil dictation
test
Rating scales and checklists
of skills
Rating handwriting sample
according to grade level
template (e.g., shape, slant,
spacing, size, smoothness)
Informal surveys of
punctuation, capitalization,
and grammar
Oral spelling
Writing sample analysis
(write for 15 minutes on a
topic or from a story starter)
Inventories and CRTs (e.g.,
Denver Handwriting Analysis,
Brigance)
Rating scales
Multiple-choice format
(choose the correct spelling)
Work samples
Writing samples
Spontaneous writing sample
Observation and clinical
interview
Work samples
Work samples
Inventories of regular words,
irregular words and
homophones
Criterion-referenced test
(usually of grade level words
55
Writing Sample
the peopol of englind didn’t the cherch roals. So a group
of pepol got to gether and desided to live. So after a lot of
comfermising. The king gov them 3 ships and they set sail
for a mew land. They sailed a long ways for a to long tine.
Then they saw it land it was North amareca. They landid
on plymouth rock. There they started to beld the ferst
coliny. The firs winter wase the hardes a lot peopl dide
from being sick. Afte the winter was over the ingin’s
becom frinds with them and to them how to hunt and
grow food.
What kinds of errors do you see in this composition? What is your error analysis?
56
Excerpt from a Writing Checklist
Agree Disagree
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
Content
______Does the writing clearly communicate an idea or ideas to the reader?
______Is the content adequately developed?
______Is the content interesting to the potential reader?
Vocabulary
______Does the writer select appropriate words to communicate his/her ideas?
______Does the writer use precise/vivid vocabulary?
______Does the writer effectively use verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs?
______Does the vocabulary meet acceptable standards for written English (e.g., isn’t vs. ain’t)?
Sentences
______Are the sentences complete (subject and predicate)?
______Are run-on sentences avoided?
______Are exceptionally complex sentences avoided?
______Are the sentences grammatically correct (e.g., word order, subject-verb agreement)?
Paragraphs
______Do the sentences in the paragraph relate to one topic?
______Are the sentences organized to reflect the relationships between ideas within the
______Does the paragraph include a topical, introductory or transition sentence?
paragraph?
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Sample Writing Interview Questions
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You’ve finished your composition. Tell me about what you’ve written.
When you finished, did you read over what you had written? Did you make any
changes?
What did you change?
Did you have anyone else read your paper? Did you change your paper on the
basis of suggestions that someone else made?
While you were writing, what did you think about? Did you consider the ideas you
were writing about? What should come first, second, and so on? Choosing the
exact words to express your meaning? Spelling the words correctly, using correct
punctuation, and following all the rules for correct grammar?
Do you think that you’ve accomplished your purpose in writing? Why or why not?
If not, what do you need to change?
Do you think your writing will be understandable for your audience? Is the
vocabulary suitable? The tone? If not, what do you need to change?
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Spelling Assessment
A short informal spelling test can be designed by selecting
grade level words from a frequency-of-use word list. The
student is asked to spell on paper words from each
grade list until three words in a grade list are missed. The
student’s spelling level can be estimated as that at which
two or fewer words are missed.
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Common Types of Spelling Errors
• Dysphonetic errors. Spelling errors which reflect inaccurate
spellings without regard to phonics. Words may have some
correct letters, but the letters are placed in bizarre positions,
such as ronaeg for orange. Students with this problem read
and spell primarily through visualization.
• Dyseidetic errors. Spelling errors reflect phonic-equivalent
errors (e.g., pese for peace, det for debt).
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Summary of Methods of
Informal Assessment
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Criterion Referenced Tests—tests of
one skill with a designated level of
accuracy in order for the skill to be
considered mastered
Curriculum-Based Assessments—
informal tests using content from the
curriculum
Probes—tests of specific skills or subskills with multiple examples of the
same skill to determine strengths and
weaknesses of the student
Checklists—lists of academic or
behavioral skills
Questionnaires—questions about a
student’s behavior or academic
performance that can be answered by
the student or by a parent or teacher
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Work Samples—samples of a student’s
classroom work
Permanent Products—products made
by the student that can be analyzed for
academic or behavioral performance
Performance assessment--assessment
that requires the student to create an
answer or product to demonstrate
knowledge
Authentic assessment--assessment that
requires the student to apply
knowledge in the real world
Portfolio assessment--evaluating
student progress, strengths, and
weaknesses using a collection of
different measurements and work
samples
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