Running Records: The Developmental Reading Assessment

Lauren MachenDr. GarrettEDUC 42122 February 2017Progress MonitoringProgress monitoring can be defined as, “repeated measurement of academic performanceto inform instruction of individual students in general and special education in grades K-8.” It isthe process by which teachers or other school personnel regulate if students are advancingappropriately from the emblematic instructional program, identifies students who are not makingadequate progress, and supports the construction of effective intervention programs for studentswho are not improving from typical instruction.There are numerous ways progress monitoring can be used in reading instruction. One ofthe methods is running records. A running record is a mechanism that helps teachers to

In addition, keeping running records to monitor a student’s progress issimilar to a medical diagnose on weight gain. You are able to run an assessment, analyze themiscues (problem areas), and reinforce ways to improve the prior assessment (prior number onthe scale). Referring back to education terms, how you plan for instruction to improve a student’scapabilities.Another way to progress monitor a student’s reading is through developmental readingassessment (DRA). “The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) is a standardized readingtest used to determine a student’s instructional level in reading.” The DRA is conducted one onone to students by teachers and/or reading specialists. Students read a selection and then retellwhat they have read to the examiner. As the levels escalate, so does the complication level foreach selection. The DRA is conducted to all students in 1st through 3rd grade during testing inSeptember and May. The test shows where the student is at the beginning of the school year, andyou are able to see how much they have improved by the end of the school

Itcan also be used to monitor readiness skills. When using CBM, the instructor provides thestudent with brief, timed samples, or "probes," constructed of academic material taken from thestudent’s school curriculum. In addition, the CBM graphs are able to provide you with greatinformation that can be shared with parents, teachers, and administration. CBM is an effectivetool when determine if a child should be retained or not.Progress monitoring is extremely important, and should be done frequently. Continuingprogress monitoring grants teachers and schools to adjust and modify instruction to expeditestudent growth, success, and learning. These assessments are great tools that be used in theclassroom, after you have received the data from these assessment you are able to planinstruction. Through instruction is when you find strategies and activities to promote studentgrowth. No child should ever end a school year being on the same reading level, or a lowerreading level from where they started. Advancement is critical in the school system and everychild deserves to succeed to their full potential.Fuchs, L.S. & Fuchs, D. (1986). Linking assessment to instructional intervention: An overview.School Psychology Review, 15,