T.O.C. by NCDPI & NCATE Standards
Book Clubs in a Third Grade Classroom Research Project
Inquiry Project on Reading and ESL Students
Oregon Trail Language Arts Unit
Professional Development Certificates
Artifact Nine
IRI Evaluation. This artifact was completed as a requirement for RE 5715, Reading Assessment and Correction. It includes my evaluation that I wrote after examining the results of an IRI that I completed for one of my students.
Context
This artifact demonstrates the knowledge that I have gained during the Reading Assessment and Correction course. Completing an IRI allows the teacher to better understand a student’s ability to automatically and accurately recognize words, read and comprehend passages orally and silently, and spell words using grade appropriate spelling patterns.
Based upon the results of the IRI, teachers can determine a student’s independent, instructional, and frustration level with reading and spelling. This can be used to guide instruction in order to allow students’ to make large amounts of progress. Identifying these levels can help teachers better design their lessons and activities to benefit all students. Knowing the reading and spelling levels of all students can help teachers group students according to their levels and better plan which activities would best suit their needs. This is especially important with struggling readers because using instructional materials that are too challenging for students will just increase their frustration. When frustration levels increase, students will lose motivation to learn and will be less likely to succeed.
This class has taught provided me with a large amount of information about how to complete an IRI with students of all levels and how to recognize the progress that they are making throughout the course of the year. At the beginning of next year, I plan to complete an IRI for each of my students and I would also like to recommend this assessment tool to the rest of my colleagues in my school. I think it is very important that all the faculty members at a school assess reading, writing, and spelling in similar ways. If there is not a set standard for measuring student achievement and progress, it will be more difficult to compare growth from year to year.
Alignment
In completing this research project, the following International Reading Association (IRA) Standards were met:
Standard 1: Foundational Knowledge. Candidates have knowledge of the foundations of reading and writing processes and instruction.
This artifact demonstrates my knowledge of the foundations of reading and the instructional methods and techniques that need to be used with beginning readers. Using word sorts, read alouds, guided reading, writing instruction, and spelling instruction are all methods used to advance children’s reading levels. Understanding the purpose of the various methods and techniques has allowed me to better understand the problems that my struggling readers face when learning how to read.
Standard 3. Assessment, Diagnosis, and Evaluation. Candidates use a variety of assessment tools and practices to plan and evaluate effective reading instruction.
This artifact demonstrates my ability to use a specific assessment tool in order to plan and evaluate effective reading instruction. Completing an IRI with a student allows me to identify his/her weaknesses in reading and helps me to better plan for his or her instruction. After identifying the instructional reading level that a student should be reading at, the teacher can decide which activities and lesson plans would best suit the child’s needs. After several weeks or months of instruction, teachers can use the IRI to note the progress of the student in order to decide which changes, if any, need to be made to his or her lesson plan.