Week 9 Assignment 3

Summarize each assessment battery tool. 

QRI5 is an informal reading inventory used to assess the level at which a student is reading.  The measures assess whether students are able to read independently and how much they need help from the teacher.  Passages provided for students are chosen based on student grade level and the level at which they are expected to read.  Students are assessed based on the words per minute they are able to read and their ability to retell a story.  QRI5 is used to identify students’ independent, instructional and frustration levels as readers.

DIBELS is a system of assessments that are used to measure different aspects of reading.  The system is used to assess early level reading and literacy skills.  The assessments are used often and are brief.  Phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, comprehension, vocabulary and fluency and accuracy with text can all be measured using the DIBELS system.  In most cases students are scored based on the number of words/sounds/phonemes they produce correctly.

Describe the similarities and differences of both assessments. 

Similarities. The two literacy assessments are similar in that they are used to measure student reading skills and abilities.  Both can be used to measure student progress toward a goal and identify student strengths and weaknesses.  Each assessment method scores students based on the words they read correctly and counts the number of errors the student makes when reading. 

Differences. DIBELS is primarily to determine early reading skills and determine early success where as QRI5 can be used throughout high school.  The DIBELS assessments seem to be mostly kept to one minute where QRI5 did not have such specific time constraints.  These assessments also seem to be more specific and there are different assessments for each big idea reading skill.

Describe how they can be used (in the classrooms or as a standardized tool) for instructional planning and decisions. 

Both assessments can be used to determine student reading level and the appropriate text to provide students with.  They can also be used to measure student progress toward goals and to create new reading goals for students.  The assessments should be repeated throughout the year to track student growth and determine new levels of student’s reading skills.  These can be used in small groups and with individual students (DIBELS is used individually).  The results of these assessments can and should be used to plan appropriate instruction for students and decide what level of text is appropriate for students.  They can also help to identify at risk students and areas of weakness.  The information provided by these assessments can be used to gauge and promote student reading fluency and comprehension.