Reading Comprehension Assessment
group-administered - written responses
The INDICATOR uses the unique elements of the PROBE Reading Comprehension Assessment to indicate whether a student comprehends at, above, or below specific reading ages (levels).
While student reading behaviours cannot be observed during the assessment, analysis of the written answers can indicate students' knowledge and ability to read closely and intelligently and so help determine what needs to be taught.
SUITABLE FOR
1. Groups of readers from junior high school (NZ School Years 7-13) up to adult.
where an individual assessment is not an option.
2. Groups of English language learners.
Click on the bar below for details.
NOT SUITABLE FOR
1. Primary (elementary) school students.
2. Students who cannot express themselves sufficiently in writing.
3. Students who become anxious when asked to write their answers.
SUGGESTED USE
1. To provide sound evidence of reading comprehension levels when requesting funding.
2. To assess newly enrolled students whenever they arrive.
3. To determine individual levels before implementing a teaching program.
4. To test for improvement following a teaching program.
PROCEDURE
1. View students' guide.
2. Students access texts and questions online.
3. Students write their answers on printable sheets.
4. Assessment takes up to 40 minutes (depending on how many levels used).
5. Assessors access comprehensive answers online.
CONTENTS
Assessors have access to all five components.
Students have access to TEXTS [COMPONENT FIVE]
COMPONENT ONE
ASSESSOR'S GUIDE
The Purpose, Determining levels, Relationship to the ELLP Stages,
The Question Taxonomy, Options for Use, Testing Procedure, Marking Procedure,
Post-assessment suggestions
COMPONENT TWO
PRINTOUTS
Printable PDF Sheets, Recording Sheets (for students’ answers),
Results Sheet (for students’ results)
COMPONENT THREE
STUDENTS' GUIDE
[Six-minute video]
Six-minute video.
Includes: purpose, preparation & tips on reading and answering questions
COMPONENT FOUR
ANSWERS
[Access controlled by assessor]
Marking Procedure (as in the Guide), Student Responses (examples),
Conventions (signs, symbols & terms used), Answers (one page per question)
COMPONENT FIVE
TEXTS
Four sets of five texts (two fiction sets + two non-fiction sets).
Each text is presented twice (for close reading). There are six questions per text:
four specific question types per text (see taxonomy). A separate page for each question.
MORE THAN A NUMERICAL RESULT
If used correctly, the INDICATOR can not only provide raw numerical results,
it can indicate whether a student successfully comprehends at, above, or below
a specific level. Results can indicate how well a student:
• interprets different question types
• locates and reorganises information
• forms mental images that are close to the author’s intent
• makes simple & complex inferences
• uses context to determine the meaning of specific words
QUESTION TYPES
To read effectively, students must be able to reorganise information, comprehend the underlying inferences, infer the meaning of unfamiliar or unknown words from context, evaluate the text by extending beyond what is given.
The INDICATOR has four specific question types that address these areas.
reorganisation
inference
vocabulary
evaluation
Reconstructing two or more literal pieces of information.
Deducing information not given directly in the text.
Determining the meaning of unknown words from context.
Gathering information and drawing inferences.
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READ ARTICLES ON:
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INDICATOR'S ORIGIN
The INDICATOR'S texts and questions are taken from the PROBE Reading Comprehension Assessments. The assessment's veracity is well established.
PROBE has been successfully used for twenty-five years by thousands of teachers to assess students from seven years old through to adults in scores of countries around the world.
INDICATOR TRIALS
PROBE was designed for students to give a verbal response. We needed to design an answer sheet for the INDICATOR’s written responses.
Because an assessor was unable to ask the supplementary questions:
Can you tell me more?
Show me where it says that,
we had to find relatively easy, and consistent ways of guiding a student without leading them to the answers. These changes had to be tested, as did the effectiveness of the five levels we had selected from PROBE.
In the first set of trials, over ninety EAL students in three secondary schools were used to test the effectiveness of the content, but more importantly, test the recording sheet designs. After analysing student
responses, some questions were modified and specific terms that could act to some degree like supplementary questions were created.
The later trials, lead by Rosemary Gillies - of the Ministry of Education (NZ), assessed 198 students in five schools (intermediate and high schools).
The results of these trials verified the INDICATOR's reliability as a written reading comprehension assessment.
FIVE LEVELS
As per PROBE reading ages
Level One: 6 - 7 years
Level Two: 8 - 9 years
Level Three 10 - 11 years
Level Four: 12 - 13 years
Level Five: 14 - 15 years
In relation to NZ ELLP Stages
Level One: Stage One
Level Two: Stage Two
Level Three: Stage low Three
Level Four: Stage high Three
Level Five: Stage Four
LINK
PURPOSE-WRITTEN TEXTS
All Triune's comprehension resources have purpose-written texts. This allows for control of readability levels and the ability to design specific questions.
LANGUAGE FEATURES
The wealth of genre reflects
modern themes and styles,
while at the same time
avoiding geographical
& cultural bias.
KEY Comprehension Series
at comprehenz.com
click the box above to view