How do you Administer an Informal Reading Inventory (IRI)?

1. How do you Administer an Informal Reading Inventory (IRI)? Unless stated otherwise the content of this section is based on Leslie, L. & Caldwell J.S. (2010). Qualitative reading inventory – (5th Edition.) Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon..

2. Before the IRI • What materials are necessary to administer an IRI? • Word lists • Passages to be read • Scoring sheets • Audio recorder • Stopwatch • Clipboard • Pencils/Paper • Please turn to the ‘Summary Guidelines for Administration’ • Page 38 in the QRI-5 Get Ready! Benedictine University

3. Word Lists • Goal: Estimating the starting point for passages • Begin by choosing a word list that is 2-3 years below the child’s chronological grade placement • Administer the first word list, recording automatic and identified responses • If the student scores in the instructional or frustration level, move down • If the student scores in the independent level, move up Benedictine University

4. Reading Passages • Goals: • To determine a student’s independent, instructional and frustration levels • To assess a student’s ability to read different types of text (narrative vs. expository, familiar vs. unfamiliar) • To assess a student’s ability to comprehend in different modes (oral vs. silent) Benedictine University

5. Reading Passages • Diagnostic options • Assessment of prior knowledge • Oral reading miscue analysis • Assessment of comprehension through unaided recall • Assessment of comprehension through look-backs • Assessment of comprehension through think-alouds Benedictine University

6. Reading Passages • Choose a passage for the student to read • The student should have scored at the independent level on the corresponding word list • Ask the student to read the passage silently or orally. • If read orally, record miscues and time the student’s rate • If read silently, time the student’s rate • Ask the student to do a retell, answer questions or do both • Score the student’s word identification and comprehension level and determine if more testing is necessary Benedictine University

7. Scoring Retellings • Retellings are not used in determining independent/instructional and frustration levels • Retellings can provide information for instruction • Primary-6th grade • Does the student understand the basic structure of a narrative? • Does the student understand main idea and supporting details in an expository? • Are the retellings sequential? • Is the recall accurate? • Upper middle school – high school • Did the student summarize the story’s main ideas? • Did the summary incorporate any details? • Was the retelling specific? • Was the retelling accurate? Benedictine University

8. Look-Backs • Use of look-backs can allow teachers to determine if students are having a memory issue or if they truly didn’t understand the text • Based on research on the QRI-5, reading levels on high school passages should be determined using look-backs due to the complexity and length of the passages Benedictine University

9. Think-Alouds • A think-aloud is a reader’s verbalizations in reaction to reading a selection • A think-aloud is time consuming, but can provide insight into a reader’s strategy usage • Think-alouds are scored based on the type of statements that a student makes, such as: • Paraphrasing or summarizing • Making new meaning • Questioning that indicates understanding • Noting understanding • Reporting prior knowledge • Identifying personally • Questioning that indicates lack of understanding • Noting lack of understanding Benedictine University

10. Listening Level • Determines the highest level at which students can understand printed materials, without the difficulty of decoding • If instructional level is below listening level – students are reading below potential • If listening level and instructional level are equivalent – students are notpoor readers – even if their instructional level is below grade level • Instead of a listening or instructional issue, a language developmentissue should seriously be considered Gunning, T.G. (2010) Assessing and correcting reading and writing difficulties. Boston, MA.: Pearson, Education, Inc Benedictine University

11. How do You Examine a Miscue Analysis? Unless stated otherwise the content of this section is based on: Chapter 5-10 – Lauren, L. & Caldwell, J. (2011). Qualitative Reading Inventory - 5. New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

12. Performing a Miscue Analysis • Works best with at least 15-20 miscues from the independent or instructional level • Procedure: • List all the miscues and the actual text • Do not include insertions or omissions • Analyze whether or not the miscues have similar letter-sound patterns • Analyze whether or not the miscues were self-corrected • Analyze whether or not the miscues changed the meaning of the text Page 67 Benedictine University

13. Analyzing the Miscues • Analyzing a student’s miscues can indicate the strategies used by the student when reading orally • If there a high percentage of sound similarity - the student is paying attention to letters and sound patterns • If there is a high percentage of miscues that retain meaning - the student is comprehending while reading • If there is a high percentage of miscues that change meaning – the student is not comprehending while reading Benedictine University

14. How do you Complete a Running Record?

15. Running Records • Running records are done one-on-one with students • They take only a few minutes to administer • No special text is required • Text should be at instructional level • You can do leveled reading assessment by taking a running record using a book that is close to the child’s developmental level • The running record allows you to record a child’s reading behavior as he or she reads from the book • A free download Running Records Form can be found at: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/assessment/graphic-organizers/48403.html Benedictine University Web Source: http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy/running_records.html

16. Running Records • Mark text when you notice a student making: • Analyze the student’s errors and ask yourself: • Are they using syntax, visual or context clues? • Taking a running record improves with practice and experience • Be patient with yourself during your first attempts Benedictine University

17. Interpreting and Evaluating Informal Reading Inventories EDUC 602 Week 2 Benedictine University

18. Interpreting an Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) Unless stated otherwise the content of this section is based on: Chapter 3, Lauren, L. & Caldwell, J. (2011). Qualitative reading inventory - 5. New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. Benedictine University

19. Reading Levels • Independent Level • This is the level at which a student can read successfully without assistance • Oral reading is fluent • Accuracy is 98% or above • Comprehension should be 90% or above • Students should read materials at their independent level for: • Free reading • Strategy instruction • Fluency Practice Benedictine University

20. Strengths of Using an IRI • Flexibility • The IRI can be used to: • Estimate student’s reading levels • Verify suspected reading problems • Group students for guided reading sessions • Choose appropriate books for students • Design and evaluate interventions • Document student growth +’s Benedictine University

21. Reading Levels • Instructional Level • This is the level at which a student can read with assistance from a teacher • Reading should be free of behaviors such as finger pointing and tension • Accuracy should be at 95% or above for meaning changing miscues • Comprehension should be at 70% or above • Students should read materials at their instructional level for: • Content area instruction in which the teacher provides background knowledge and introduces new words and concepts Benedictine University

22. Reading Levels • Frustration Level • This is the level at which a student is unable to read the material • Reader exhibits behaviors such as finger pointing and tension • Oral reading lacks fluency and expression • Accuracy is less than 90% • Comprehension is less than 70% • Teachers should avoid using materials at the student’s frustration level Benedictine University

23. Interpreting Reading Levels Using the QRI-5 • The QRI-5 has identified independent, instructional, and frustrationlevels for you, without asking you to calculate percentages Leslie & Caldwell, p. 65 Benedictine University

24. Reading Levels • Be cautious when referring to a student’s independent, instructional and frustration levels • Levels fluctuate depending on: • Background knowledge • Text structure (narrative vs. expository) • Oral vs. silent reading Benedictine University

25. What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using an IRI to Determine Students’ Strengths and Weaknesses? + Unless stated otherwise the content of this section is based on: Chapter 1 Lauren, L. & Caldwell, J. (2011). Qualitative reading inventory - 5. New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. Benedictine University

26. Weaknesses of using an IRI • The IRI is NOT norm-referenced • Student’s scores are not compared to a norm group • The IRI is NOT standardized • Examiners do not administer the test identically for all students • An IRI’s passages can be too brief and too easy ’s Benedictine University

27. Reflections on the Benefits and Limitations of an IRIDue at the end of week 3 Unless stated otherwise the content of this section is based on: Chapter 1 Lauren, L. & Caldwell, J. (2011). Qualitative reading inventory - 5. New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. Benedictine University

28. IRI Considerations– Benefits and Limitations • General Information: • Reflect on how thoroughly the five critical areas of reading instruction (comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, phonemic awareness, and phonics) are assessed by the QRI-5 • Reliability and Validity • Jot down notes summarizing the IRI reliability and validity data cited in the QRI-5 for use in your classroom • Word List points to consider… • Are the words appropriate for the levels at which they are listed? • Are there other words that you think should be included in any of these lists? • Are there alternative words that address issues such as ELLs, age-appropriateness for struggling readers, etc? Benedictine University

29. IRI Considerations– Benefits and Limitations • Comprehension Passages • Are the passages high-interest reading material? • Are the passages appropriate for the grade level at which they are placed? • Read a random sampling of the comprehension questions. Evaluate the questions based on difficulty and appropriateness for the grade level. Then reflect on the information you can gain about a student’s reading ability based on these questions. • Reflection • What challenges did you experience when administering the QRI-5? • What are the overall strengths and weaknesses of the QRI-5? • Why might a QRI-5 be administered instead of a formal assessment? Benedictine University