Assessment and Evaluation

Avoiding a Rush to Judgment: Teacher Evaluation and Teacher Quality

By: Thomas Toch and Robert Rothman (2008)

Comprehensive methods of evaluating teachers that avoid the typical "drive-by" evaluations can promote improvements in teaching.

Having Your Child Tested for Learning Disabilities Outside of School

By: Reading Rockets (2008)

Children who struggle with reading often need extra help. This help usually comes from the school, but some parents choose to look outside of the school for professionals who can assess, diagnose, tutor, or provide other education services. The following article provides information on how to find the right person for your child.

Position Statement on Student Grade Retention and Social Promotion

By: National Association of School Psychologists (2008)

In this position statement about student grade retention and social promotion, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) identifies characteristics of students more likely to be retained; and the impact of retention at the secondary school level, late adolescence, and early adulthood. NASP also provides a long list of alternatives to retention and social promotion.

A Critical Analysis of Eight Informal Reading Inventories

By: International Reading Association (2008)

There are a number of current informal reading inventories. Each has its strengths and limitations and unique characteristics, which should be considered in order to best fit a teacher's needs.

Preparing Your Child for Testing

By: Reading Rockets (2008)

Best Practice for ELLs: Screening

By: U.S. Department of Education (2007)

Studies show that screening English language learners for abilities in phonological processing, letter knowledge, and word and text reading will help identify those who are progressing well and/or who require additional instructional support.

Determining Adequate Yearly Progress From Kindergarten through Grade 6 with Curriculum-Based Measurement

By: Lynn S. Fuchs and Douglas Fuchs (2007)

Use Curriculum-Based Measurement to make sure students are on track for academic success by charting their trajectory of improvement all the way through the school year. CBM calculates rate of improvement during the first month of school and determines how much a student will need to improve each month to reach benchmark goals.

Selecting Assessments for Your School

By: American Federation of Teachers (2006)

There are over two dozen individually administered screening tools produced for the primary grades. Considering their subject matter and purpose, schools must decide which assessment best fits their needs. This article gives an overview of the screening tools and the kind of information they provide.

Screening, Diagnosing, and Progress Monitoring for Fluency: The Details

By: Jan Hasbrouck (2006)

Screening, diagnosing, and progress monitoring are essential to making sure that all students become fluent readers — and the words-correct per-minute (WCPM) procedure can work for all three. Here's how teachers can use it to make well-informed and timely decisions about the instructional needs of their students.

Assessment Testing: In Their Hands

By: Jacob Milner (2006)

Handheld formative assessment technology provides teachers with a virtually real-time picture on which students need help, where they need it, and how the teachers can help best.

RTI and Reading: Response to Intervention in a Nutshell

By: G. Emerson Dickman (2006)

RTI is not a particular method or instructional approach, rather it is a process that aims to shift educational resources toward the delivery and evaluation of instruction that works best for students. This article provides a quick overview of RTI as it relates to reading.

Helping Children With Communication Disorders in the Schools

By: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2005)

The following are frequently asked questions on how to help children with communication disorders, particularly in regards to speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

What's 'Normal,' What's Not: Acquiring English as a Second Language

By: Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin and Alejandro Brice (2005)

How can you tell when a student has a language-learning disability and when he or she is merely in the normal process of acquiring a second language?

School Psychologists and Student Reading Achievement

By: Reading Rockets (2005)

School psychologists play a critical role in the lives of children who are struggling to learn. More and more, for example, school psychologists are leaders in developing and carrying out the assessments and placements decisions that impact students from the beginning of their school careers. With your help, schools can reduce the number of students who lag behind grade level – and increase the number of successful readers.

Early Reading Assessment: A Guiding Tool for Instruction

By: The Access Center (2005)

How do you choose the best method for measuring reading progress? This brief article describes which assessments to use for different reading skills so that you can make sure all students are making progress towards becoming readers!

How Can I Help My Child Do Well On Tests?

By: Carolyn B. Bagin and Lawrence M. Rudner (2004)

Standardized testing is one form of assessment used in schools. Find out about standardized tests, how and why schools use them, and how you can support your child.

Parents' Guide to Standardized Testing

By: Carolyn B. Bagin and Lawrence M. Rudner (2004)

Standardized testing is one form of assessment used in schools. Find out about standardized tests, how and why schools use them, and how you can support your child in this article for parents.

Early Screening Is at the Heart of Prevention

By: American Federation of Teachers (2004)

Early intervention works. Because it is also expensive, it’s important to be able to identify the kids who are most at risk of reading failure. Thanks to a new generation of screening assessments, we can identify these students as early as kindergarten—and then invest in interventions for them.

Informal Reading Assessments: Examples

By: Reading Rockets (2004)

The following are sample charts you can use when assessing students informally in the classroom. Most of the assessments here should be given one-on-one.

Informal Classroom-Based Assessment: Watch & Learn

By: Reading Rockets (2004)

The following are five short video clips that offer you the chance to watch and learn effective classroom-based assessment strategies. The video clips are from Reading Rockets' PBS television series Launching Young Readers.