Running Records (Reading Assessment)
Running Records (Reading Assessment)
Running Records are a diagnostic learning tool created specifically to assess a reader's skills through the noticing and the documentation of their reading behaviors. Errors, self-corrections, and fluency are the evidences that teachers collect in addition to running records for them to be able to adjust their teaching accordingly, and which thus makes it an important tool in teaching literacy.
What is the purpose of conducting Running Records in reading assessments?
The foremost goal of running records is to evaluate the student's reading levels, fluency, and comprehension skills. Such a kind of examination enables the educators to have a glance at the higher-order and lower-order skills of the pupils in reading and thus allows them to incorporate appropriate and specific instruction and interventions. For instance, a teacher can employ the Running Records to determine the extent of progress made by a student within a period and as a result, he/she can provide reading materials that fit the student's developmental needs better.
How do you perform a Running Record?
A teacher chooses a text that matches the student's reading level and then observes the child as he/she reads aloud to perform a Running Record. The teacher records the errors and the self-corrections as well as the other reading behaviors on a form provided for that purpose. Following the reading session, the teacher reflects on the gathered data to find the student's accuracy, fluency, and comprehension rate, thus making the decision on instructional intervention all the easier.
What types of errors can be identified through Running Records?
Running Records have the capability of distinguishing a range of error types, such as substitution errors (students replacing a word with a different one), omission errors (the case wherein a word is left out), and mispronunciation errors. For example, the event of a student reading 'dog' in place of 'cat' is an illustration of a substitution error which can be a sign that specific phonics instruction is necessary. This kind of analysis, in turn, aids teachers in identifying particular reading difficulties that students encounter.
How can teachers use the data from Running Records to inform instruction?
By employing data obtained from the Running Records, teachers will be able to influence instruction through the grouping of students with similar reading needs, modification of reading levels, and the selection of the most relevant instructional strategies. For instance, if a student often misreads high-frequency words, then a teacher might concentrate on the recognition of sight words activities. Besides, the continuous running records analysis of the students can reflect their progress and thus the teachers can adapt their strategies.