Adult Reading Assessment
djager
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Read Forward Training Videos
Jun 28th
Along with publication of Read Forward, we recently offered some training sessions to provide basic background information and instructions on how to use the resource. These generated a lot of interest and both the face-to-face and online workshops quickly filled to capacity. At this point, we are not sure when we will be offering live training again. So, for those of you who were unable to attend, we have now posted a series of training videos here on the Training page of our website. You can also find them on YouTube by searching for Read Forward.
There are a total of 15 short, 2 – 4 minute, videos that present similar information that we covered in the original training sessions. We recommend watching all of them to get a feel for the entire resource if you did not attend training. For those of you who did attend and are just looking for a refresher on one aspect of Read Forward, these videos are organized so that you can quickly locate the information that is most relevant to your situation and learners. The most detailed information is available in the User Guide; these videos serve more as an introduction.
- Resource Contents: overview of what components make up the Read Forward resource
- IALS: introduction to IALS and its connection to Read Forward
- Tests – General Information: information about design and use of all the Read Forward tests
- Segment A: Skill list and a text/question example from the first level of Read Forward
- Segment B: Skill list and a text/question example from the second level of Read Forward
- Segment C: Skill list and a text/question example from the third level of Read Forward
- Segment D: Skill list and a text/question example from the forth level of Read Forward
- Segment E: Skill list and a text/question example from the fifth level of Read Forward
- Segment F: Skill list and a text/question example from the first sixth of Read Forward
- How to Prepare: information on how to prepare the tests and the learners to write the Read Forward tests
- How to Administer: tips on how to administer Read Forward tests
- How to Mark: guidelines and explanations on how to mark the Read Forward tests
- How to Provide Feedback: how to use the Read Forward Results Feedback Form to provide feedback to learners after writing one of the tests
- Locator Tests: how to use the Read Forward Locator Tests and Score Sheets to determine which segment a learner should begin with
- User Guide: overview of what is included in the Read Forward User Guide
Question 3: Blank pages in high level tests
Jun 8th
Question
Are the blank pages in segments E and F intentional?
Answer
Yes – click on the image below for examples (pgs. 4, 8, 12, 16, 22)
Explanation
One of the reading skills that is being assessed at the segment E and F level involves navigating longer texts, and by longer – at this point – we mean more than one page. As such, we have a number of texts that are two or three pages in length.
Most of the longer texts have “blank” pages in them to help keep the layout consistent – the questions are intended to always be on the left (before the text starts) an the text on the right. Some three page texts will span both the right and left pages, depending on the layout requirements for the test as a whole. As such, it is important to keep these pages and print them out as part of the complete test. These pages are not truly blank – as seen above. We have put a subtle line design on the page to indicate that no information is missing.
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.
Read Forward Official Launch
Apr 12th
Here at Bow Valley College the Read Forward team is excited to officially launch the product of two years of collaborative work with a host of people from across Canada – Read Forward: A series of easy-to-use adult reading tests referenced to the International Adult Literacy Survey.
As part of the launch, the resource is now available for purchase here on our website; please see the Order Form page for details.
Read Forward comes as a two-part package. First there is the User Guide. The User Guide has 100 pages of information on how to use all aspects of the resource, question and text examples from the tests with explanations about the reading skills, as well as details about the development of the project. The segment specific instructions and examples are organized by easy-to-use tabs, so that you can quickly locate the information you need on the specific segment or segments you plan to use.
Inside the front cover of the User Guide is a USB flash drive that holds all the other components of the resource:
- TESTS There are a total of 30 different tests. This is 5 unique tests for each segment. This provides instructors lots of options and learners lots of opportunity to practice and eventually master the skill set they are working on.
- ANSWER KEYS The answer keys that explain both the optimal answer and alternate acceptable answers. The role of the answer keys is to help make marking easier for the instructor or the tutors or educational assistants who may also be using this resource.
- RESULTS FEEDBACK FORMS These are here to help provide ongoing, formative feedback for the learner.
- LOCATOR TESTS These are accompanied by answer keys and score sheets. Their role is to help determine whether a learner should be using the tests from segment B or C or something else.
Everything on the USB flash drive can be printed from a regular office printer in either colour or black and white.
Check out the video of the launch event held at Bow Valley College:
bowvalleycollege on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free
Training Sessions – Full
Mar 28th
We have had a fabulous response to our offer of free online training for the new adult reading assessment resource Read Forward. As of today, all of our sessions are full. We look forward to meeting with all the registered participants in the next two weeks. Here is an overview of what will be covered:
- A short background on the project’s framework
- How to prepare the tests
- How to administer the tests
- How to mark the tests
- How to provide feedback to learners
- How to use the locator tests and score sheets
- The User Guide
Missed out on the opportunity? Stayed tuned as we will be posting an online training presentation that will cover the same material by May 15th. You will be able to order your own copy of the resource by this time also; please see the Order Form page.
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Read Forward Training
Mar 25th
We have received a great response to our offer of free online training for the Read Forward resource. After releasing our training dates less than 5 days ago, one of the sessions is already completely booked. The following sessions still have spaces available:
Tuesday March 29, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Tuesday April 5, 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Wednesday April 6, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Please note that all times are listed in Mountain Standard Time (MST).
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For more information, or to register for a session, please see the training page.
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Training
Mar 17th
During March and April 2011 we will be offering free online training workshops for people interested in how to use the Read Forward resource. Everyone who attends will receive a complimentary copy of the resource.
Sessions currently accepting registration:
Tuesday March 29, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Thursday March 31, 10:00am – 12:00pm
Tuesday April 5, 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Wednesday April 6, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Please note that all times are listed in Mountain Standard Time (MST).
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To register for a session, please email readforward@bowvalleycollege.ca with your contact information and preferred date.
For more information please see the Training page.