Adult Reading Assessment
Archive for May, 2011
Question 2: Questions and Read Forward segments
May 24th
Question
Does Read Forward indicate which segment each question is from?
Answer
Locator tests – yes
Other tests – no
Explanation
For the Read Forward Locator tests, the score sheet indicates exactly which segment each question aligns to. For example, on the score sheet for the Locator ABC, we see that questions 1 – 10 align to segment A, questions 11 – 20 align to segment B, and questions 21 – 30 align to segment C.
For the rest of the Read Forward tests, it is not as precisely indicated. All tests are a blend of skill levels; in general, 60% of the questions on a test are at that specific level, 20% from the previous level and 20% from the next level. This means, for example, that any segment B test is designed so that about 60% of the questions target segment B skills, 20% target segment A skills and 20% target segment C skills. In general, the easier questions would be at the beginning of the test and the harder questions appear at the end of the test. But this does not mean that it is literally the first 20% of questions that are the easiest. This is because the difficulty level of a question is determined by the question and the text in combination. This means that one text may have questions at different levels: two from segment B and one from segment C, for example.
Why wasn’t this information included in the resource? This information is beyond the scope of the original Read Forward project as the main aim is to be an informal, formative assessment tool that can be used in conjunction with other resources in the classroom to help adult learners improve their reading skills in a way that is referenced to an adult benchmark.
Question 1: Reading skills being targeted
May 9th
Question
Does Read Forward indicate which specific skills each question is targeting?
Answer
No
Explanation
Read Forward is divided into six levels called segments. Each segment concentrates on a different skill set that includes from 4 – 8 specific reading skills. These are clearly stated in the Reading Skills chart, available in the User Guide and as a PDF on the Training page.
What this means is that all the questions in that segment require that learners use those specific skills to complete the answer. For example, the specific skills being targeted in Segment B include:
- Understand common words in text
- Relate common words to other words in nearby text
- Know where to write personal information in a form
- Interpret a short text
- Select from choices
- Make choices that are based on understanding meaning rather than on relying only on structure
The resource does not indicate which of these six skills learners needs to demonstrate to answer each of the 30 questions in each of the five tests at Segment B.
We understand how useful this would be to practitioners, as it would provide two useful pieces of information about the learners:
- Which specific skills they have mastered (based on which questions were answered correctly)
- Which specific skills they still need to work on (based on which questions were answered incorrectly)
In addition, it would allow instructors to pull out questions from the resource that would provide the most useful practice for learners. For example, if a learner wrote the Segment B – Circle test and the questions he answered incorrectly indicated that he needs more practice with the skill “Know where to write personal information in a form,” the instructor could look through the remaining Segment B tests for questions that target that skill and use those specific texts with that learner.
At this point, instructors will need to spend time with the tests of the segment they are working with to determine which questions target which skills. Keep in mind that a single question may, and often does, target more than one skill. This, of course, becomes a lot more work for those instructors who will be working with a variety of segments.
Why wasn’t this done as part of the resource? It was not a part of the original proposal, as the aim of the project was to work with creating a resource that was referenced to IALS yet applicable to a classroom/teaching setting. This was a large task in and of itself, as it required determining sub-segments of IALS, creating and testing texts and questions, and determining whether or not questions were placed in the appropriate segment. (For more details about the development of the resource please refer to the User Guide or the Development page of the website).
We agree with the instructors who say this would make a great companion piece for the Read Forward resource and would be an interesting follow-up project. Currently we do not have plans for another project.
Questions about Read Forward answered
May 9th
Our training workshops were not only a great opportunity for us to share the Read Forward resource with reading practitioners from across Canada; they also provided an opportunity for us to contemplate the questions practitioners had about assessment. In the coming weeks, we will answer some of the common questions that popped up in our discussions, as they pertain to Read Forward. After appearing in the blog, these answers will all be posted at the bottom of the Training page for quick reference.
Question 1: Does Read Forward indicate which specific skills each question is targeting?
Question 2: Does Read Forward indicate which segment each question is from?
Question 3: Are the blank pages in segments E and F intentional?
Read Forward USB flash drive instructions
May 6th
Sometimes what at first appears simple is actually more complex. After numerous training workshops and much positive feedback about the Read Forward resource, there is one question that keeps coming up: how do I use the USB flash drive?
Besides the User Guide, all the rest of the materials included in the Read Forward resource are delivered in PDF format and stored on a unique, credit-card shaped USB flash drive. This particular USB model has puzzled quite a few folks – one user recently commented it is like having a candy but not being able to open the wrapper. This post includes a few images and some instructions to clarify how to use the USB.
The entire USB is not intended to be inserted into the computer. There is a little part of it that fits into a regular USB port, just like all other flash drives.
To open, push the middle portion out by pressing on the tab that contains the lanyard hole from the side that has the grooves. This should pop up the portion you need to insert into the computer. You may have to apply a little more pressure the first time you do this.
Insert this portion into your computer so that the contacts (gold lines) connect with the contacts inside the port on the computer. If, when you first plug it in, the computer does not recognize it, take it out and flip it the other way – you have likely just put it in upside down, as this is easy to do.
Note: if you push too hard when opening the flash drive, it is possible to break it away from the plastic case – the drive itself is not broken, it is just harder to store than if it remains attached to the case.
We encourage you to copy all the files from the USB flash drive onto your computer. This way, you can store the original USB and use it as a back-up if something happens to one of your files.