| How do you assess your students' reading ability? | | | | 8. Hand out the passage that you have typed and |
| If you are a content area teacher (science or | | | | modified for the the students to complete. After |
| social studies, for example), then you hardly have | | | | a reasonable amount of time, collect the cloze |
| time to be figuring out what your students' | | | | tests. When you get read to 'grade' them, here |
| reading level is, but more importantly, just | | | | are the directions to follow: |
| because you know an individual student reads at | | | | 9. A student receives one point for each exact |
| the 10.6 level doesn't REALLY tell you what you | | | | word replacement. Misspelled words are OK, for |
| need to know, which is this, "Can this student | | | | example, if the word should have been "receive" |
| read and learn from the text materials in this | | | | and the student puts in "recieve," then the |
| class?" | | | | student gets the point. |
| Using a cloze test is one way to help you make | | | | 10. Multiply the total number of points by 2; the |
| this determination. Here are the directions | | | | number you get equals the percentage correct. A |
| (followed by additional suggestions): | | | | student who make 25 correct replacements gets |
| | | | a 50%. A student who makes 15 correct |
| 1. Choose a passage of approximately 300-400 | | | | replacements gets a 30%. You will NOT be giving |
| words from your regular course textbook. | | | | these back to students and will NOT be putting |
| 2. The passage you choose should be one which | | | | down a grade for this (other than maybe |
| the students have never encountered before and | | | | participation or attitude, or the like). This is an |
| it should be representative of the entire text. | | | | assessment to help you determine how much |
| 3. Make a photocopy of the text so that you can | | | | support your students are going to need with the |
| mark it prior to typing it into your computer. You | | | | reading in your class. |
| are going to type up the text as a Word | | | | 11. Use the guidelines below for interpreting the |
| document so that you can make the changes | | | | score. |
| you need to. When marking the photocopy, do | | | | Independent = 61% or more correct This text |
| the following: | | | | may be too easy for this student and you will |
| 4. Leave the first sentence intact. | | | | want to have supplementary materials available |
| 5. Then, counting from the first word of the | | | | and offer independent research projects and |
| second sentence, underline every fifth word until | | | | more challenging texts to help keep the student |
| you have underlined 50 words. | | | | engaged and moving forward with his/her learning. |
| 6. Leave at least a whole sentence intact at the | | | | Instructional = 40-60% correct. This text will be |
| end of the passage. If you want, leave a whole | | | | appropriate with teacher guidance and structured |
| paragraph or so intact at the end. | | | | reading (which is what strategic content teachers |
| 7. Type the passage, putting blanks for each | | | | know to do). |
| word that you underlined. Be sure to make the | | | | Frustration = below 40%. This text is too difficult |
| blanks of equal length since you don't want | | | | for the student and in order for him/her to learn |
| students trying to figure out the word by | | | | from the text, you will need to provide structured |
| whether it's a 'little' or 'big' word. Tell the students | | | | listening support, text that is easier (but |
| that you are going to have them complete a | | | | comparable in content, etc. |
| cloze test - and that it's going to be pretty | | | | Differentiating instruction in content classrooms is |
| difficult and unlike some other assessments they | | | | a challenge, there's no question. Knowing whether |
| have done. In fact, if they get even 1/2 of the | | | | there is a 'match' between your students and the |
| words filled in correctly, they are doing very well | | | | text you will be expecting them to read is a first |
| (which is true). | | | | step to differentiating wisely. |