Assessing Readers

Aimed at teachers of kindergarten through sixth grade, this book is a revised edition of Reading Assessment and Instruction. It addresses a gap in reading diagnosis, combining the narrative, observation-based approach to assessment with the quantitative analysis that usually guides reading specialists. The author places the classroom teacher's own knowledge, judgment, and responsibilities at the center, while drawing on the range of philosophies in reading and literacy education.

The book covers practical assessment, instruction, and classroom organization. Its focus includes students' strategies, strengths, interests, motivation, fluency, schemata, and metacognitive awareness, and it contains many sample assessments. It also considers how to individualize instruction so that students with special needs and students from every cultural and sociocultural background can learn. Chapters address standardized tests and scores, affective influences, linguistic and comprehension strategies, and cognitive strategies. Other chapters discuss miscue analysis, portfolios and rubrics, classroom organization, grouping for ongoing assessment and instruction, and explicit instruction with sample lessons.

To support use as a working reference, each chapter opens with focus and goal statements and includes "consider and react" prompts and end-of-chapter questions for reflection. Contextual definitions, a glossary of terms, and an appendix of portfolio and rubric assessment forms are also included. The book's overall aim is to help teachers weigh the value of their assessment and instruction choices and give them tools to reach their goals.