Five evaluation and assessment tools that target struggling children’s reading issues.
| Assessment Tool | Age Range |
| DIBELS | K-6 |
| QRI | 1-8 |
| TPRI | K-3 |
| DRA | K-8 |
| STAR Reading | K-12 |
Reading is a skill that is critical to a child’s academic success. However, some children may struggle with reading comprehension for various reasons. These can include learning disabilities or lack of reading experience. The good news is that several powerful assessment tools can help identify and address reading issues. In this blog, we will discuss the top five assessments.
DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills)
- DIBELS is a widely used assessment tool that measures a child’s reading fluency and basic literacy skills. The tool assesses letter naming, phoneme segmentation, and oral reading fluency. DIBELS is suitable for children from kindergarten to 6th grade and can help identify children who need additional support in reading.
DIBELS is designed to be administered quickly and efficiently, taking only a few minutes to complete each assessment. This makes it a valuable tool for teachers and other education professionals to regularly monitor student progress and identify areas where students may need additional support.
The specific assessments included in DIBELS vary depending on the grade level of the student being tested. For example, in kindergarten and first grade, DIBELS focuses on letter naming fluency, phonemic segmentation fluency, and nonsense word fluency. In second through sixth grade, DIBELS assesses oral reading fluency, which involves measuring how quickly and accurately a student can read a passage of text.
QRI (Qualitative Reading Inventory)
- The QRI is a comprehensive reading assessment tool that evaluates a child’s reading level, comprehension, and fluency. The tool includes graded passages and comprehension questions to determine the child’s reading level and identify areas for improvement. The QRI is suitable for children in grades 1 to 8.
QRI is based on several measures of reading ability, including word recognition, fluency, and comprehension. It is suitable for children in grades 1 to 8 and can be used to assess individual and group students.
One of the critical features of the QRI is that it includes graded passages that are designed to be challenging but manageable for children at different reading levels. This means that the tool can assess a wide range of reading abilities, from struggling to advanced readers.
The QRI also includes comprehension questions designed to evaluate a child’s understanding of the text. These questions assess a child’s ability to identify main ideas, make inferences, and draw conclusions from the text.
TPRI (Texas Primary Reading Inventory)
- The TPRI diagnostic reading assessment tool evaluates a child’s phonics skills, comprehension, and fluency. The tool includes a variety of assessments, such as word recognition, phonemic awareness, and reading comprehension. The TPRI is suitable for children in kindergarten to 3rd grade.
The TPRI consists of multiple assessments, including a phonemic awareness assessment, a letter naming assessment, a word recognition assessment, a fluency assessment, and a comprehension assessment. The assessments are administered individually to each child and are designed to identify areas where the child may need additional support.
The TPRI is suitable for kindergarten through 3rd-grade children and is designed to be used in conjunction with classroom instruction to help teachers identify areas where individual students need additional support. The TPRI can also be used to monitor student progress over time and to adjust instruction accordingly.
DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment)
- The DRA is a comprehensive reading assessment tool that evaluates a child’s reading level, comprehension, and fluency. The tool includes leveled passages and comprehension questions to determine the child’s reading level and identify areas for improvement. The DRA is suitable for children in grades K-8.
The DRA is suitable for children in grades K-8 and is often used to identify students needing additional reading support. In addition, teachers can use the results of the DRA to develop individualized reading plans for each student based on their specific needs and reading level.
One of the benefits of the DRA is that it provides a comprehensive assessment of a child’s reading abilities, including their decoding skills, comprehension, and fluency. It also allows teachers to track a child’s progress and adjust their reading instruction.
STAR Reading
- STAR Reading is a computer-adaptive reading assessment tool that evaluates a child’s reading level and comprehension. The tool uses a combination of multiple-choice questions and computer-adaptive technology to adjust the difficulty level based on the child’s responses. STAR Reading is suitable for children in grades K-12.
STAR Reading assesses various reading skills, including vocabulary, comprehension, and reading level. The assessment consists of short reading passages followed by multiple-choice questions. The questions are designed to test the student’s understanding of the passage and their ability to use context clues, make inferences, and draw conclusions.
One of the benefits of STAR Reading is its computer-adaptive technology, which allows the assessment to be tailored to each student’s abilities. For example, as the student answers questions correctly, the difficulty level of the questions increases, providing a more accurate measure of their reading level. Conversely, if a student answers questions incorrectly, the difficulty level decreases, allowing them to build confidence and improve their skills.
Educators widely use STAR Reading in K-12 schools to evaluate student reading skills, monitor progress, and provide targeted instruction. The assessment is designed to be easy to administer and score, making it an efficient tool for busy educators. Additionally, the data generated by STAR Reading can be used to identify areas where students may need additional support and to develop personalized reading plans.
Several powerful assessment tools can help struggling children improve their reading skills. DIBELS, QRI, TPRI, DRA, and STAR Reading are all practical tools that assess a child’s reading abilities. By using these assessment tools, teachers and parents can identify areas for improvement and provide targeted support to help children become confident and successful readers.
