Diagnostic AssessmentDigging Deeper

~Joan Price ~Emily Sportsman

~Mary Jo Wegenke

February 4, 2011

Agenda1. Universal Screener Review 2. Sorting Activity3. Diagnostic Assessment4. Examples of Diagnostic Tools5. Practice administration of

diagnostic testing6.Interventions based on sorting and

diagnostic testing

Exit OutcomesBy the end of today, you will walk away

with:● An understanding about the purpose, the

selection and the administration of diagnostic testing.

● The ability to analyze results of diagnostic testing.

● The knowledge to make appropriate instructional decisions based on the data.

● An Assessing Reading Multiple Measures from CORE Literacy Library will be given to each building represented.

Universal ScreenersUniversal Screening:A process of reviewing student performance through standardized assessment measures (i.e. DIBELS &/or AIMSweb) to determine progress in relation to student benchmarks and learning standards; also the practice of assessing all students in a school with valid measures in the major curricular areas, so that no student at risk “falls through the cracks.” Buffum, Austin, Mike Mattos, and Chris Weber. Pyramid

Response to Intervention: RtI, Professional Learning Communities, and How to Respond When Kids Don’t Learn. N.p.: Solution Tree, 2009. Print.

Universal Screening Cont.Purpose: To identify which students are not performing above a certain criterion and are in need of additional instruction

Important qualities: quick and easy to administer and score, prompt feedback on results, reliable and accurate predictor of the skill being measuredShould be administered to all students in a class/grade/school/district at several points during the year.Instruments used

AIMSwebDIBELS -6th EditionDIBELS Next

Terminology used to label tiers varies, but meaning is the same

Universal ScreenerLevel AIMSweb DIBELS 6th

Ed.DIBELS Next

Tier 3 At Risk Intensive Intensive

Tier 2 Some Risk

Strategic Strategic

Tier 1 Low Risk Benchmark Core

An extremely effective student identification and placement procedure is absolutely essential to a tier system of response to intervention.

Buffum, Austin, Mike Mattos, and Chris Weber. Pyramid Response to Intervention: RtI, Professional Learning Communities, and How to Respond When Kids Don’t Learn. N.p.: Solution Tree, 2009. Print.

Instructional SortWhy sort?

An efficient way to use data that has already been collected.It is useful in developing an instructional match .It is an intermediate step to determine which students need further diagnostic testing.

Instructional Sort Quadrant 1Accurate and Fluent Reader

Quadrant 2Accurate and Slow Reader (lack of automaticity)

Quadrant 3Inaccurate and Slow Reader

Quadrant 4Inaccurate and Fluent Reader

Accurate: Student reads 95% or higherInaccurate: Student reads below 95%

Instructional SortQuadrant 1-Accurate and Fluent ReaderAre student’s comprehension and vocabulary skills on grade level? If yes, continue to provide strong initial instruction (Tier 1). Accurate student reads at 95% or higher and is fluent on benchmark

Instructional SortQuadrant 2 - Accurate and Slow Reader (lack of automaticity)

Is the student reading the words accurately but without automaticity?

Accuracy above 95% and below benchmark

Instructional SortQuadrant 3 - Inaccurate and Slow Reader

Is the student reading slowly and with many errors?What are the missing decoding skills and sight words?Accuracy is below 95% and below benchmark for number of words read correctly.

Instructional SortQuadrant 4 - Inaccurate and Fluent

If cued to do best reading, does the student’s accuracy improve?Accuracy is less than 95% but correct words read is at benchmark.

Sorting DemonstrationOral Reading Fluency, 2nd Grade Benchmark Target =40

Student Score Status Accuracy

A 20 At-Risk 75%

B 37 Some Risk 95%

C 58 Low Risk 80%

D 73 Low Risk 96%

Sorting Activity-You Do

Based on your profile of scores, in which quadrant would you place your students?

Explain the “Why” to the group.

Diagnostic AssessmentIf a school does not accurately identify every student in need of intervention, determine why each student is struggling, and place each student in the proper intervention, then all the school’s efforts to design effective interventions will be rendered virtually useless.

Buffum, Austin, Mike Mattos, and Chris Weber. Pyramid Response to Intervention: RtI, Professional Learning Communities, and How to Respond When Kids Don’t Learn. N.p.: Solution Tree, 2009. Print.

Diagnostic Assessment: What is it?Assessment that provides an in-depth, reliable assessment of targeted skills.

– Measures an important research-based reading skill

– Quick to administer and score

– Reliable and easy to use

The Colorado Department of Education

Diagnostic Assessment: What is its purpose?

Digging DeeperTo offer more reliable information about a student’s academic needs that can be used to help plan more powerful instruction or interventions.Validate student performance

MIBLSI: Intensive Reading Support The Colorado Department of Education

“When a student fails to learn, it is a signal that the interaction of curriculum, instruction, and student has somehow broken down.”Dr. Ken Howell

Howell, Fox & Morehead (2003) Curriculum-Based Evaluation: Teaching and Decision Making, 2nd edition

Think Pair Table-ShareWhat diagnostic assessments are you currently using?

Examples of Diagnostic ToolsEmergent Literacy Survey from Houghton Mifflin Assesses:

Rhyme Recognition Beginning Sound Recognition Blending Onset & Rimes Concepts of Print Letter Naming Word recognition Sentence Dictation

Examples of Diagnostic Tools Cont. Diagnostic Decoding Surveys from Really Great Reading (Free)

Really Great Reading (www.rgrco.com)For students with decoding weakness, the surveys can be used to identify which skills have been mastered and which are weak.Beginning

Assess students’ ability to read high frequency words and single-syllable decodable words with short vowels, digraphs and blends

AdvancedAssesses how well students read unfamiliar single-syllable decodable words with more advanced vowel patterns, and student’s ability to read familiar and unfamiliar multi-syllable words.

On-line Grouping Matrix Tool is availableSorts students into 7 groups for intervention

Diagnostic Tools Cont.Quick Phonics Screener (Hasbrouck & Parker) from MiBLSi

Grades 1-3Simple CodeAdvanced Code

Grades 2-6Pre fix – SuffixMulti syllable words

Diagnostic Tools, cont.CORE – Assessing Reading: Multiple Measures (www.corelearn.org)

Overview of bookPhonological AwarenessDecoding and Word AttackSpellingFluencyVocabularyComprehension

SpanishScope and Sequence for TestingDiagnostic Plan is included

Let’s Practice

CORE Phonics Surveys K-12Mark score sheetReview errors at table

“Teach along the continuum”

Connected Text

Phrase Level

Word Level

Letter & Letter-Sound Correspondence

What’s next???Quadrant 1 - Accurate and Fluent Reader

•Continue with Core reading program or Tier 1 instruction•Advanced materials during guided reading

groups•PALS 2-6•Benchmark 3 times a year

Quadrant 2 - Accurate and Slow Reader (lack of automaticity)

•Six Minute Solution•Read Naturally•Great Leaps•Sight Word Practice (Matt Burns, University of

Minnesota)•PALS 2-6•FCRR

Quadrant 3 - Inaccurate and Slow Reader Quadrant 4 - Inaccurate and Fluent Reader •Phonics for Reading•REWARDS•REWARDS Plus•Educational Benchmark Phonics bags•Pencil Tap Technique•FCRR

•Check Phonics•Phonics for

Reading •REWARDS•REWARDS Plus• Educational

Benchmark Phonics bag

• PALS K-1, Teacher Directed•Road to the Code• Phonemic

Awareness in Young Children

•FCRR (Florida Center for Reading Research)•Progress monitor

weekly•Corrective Reading• SRA Reading

Mastery•My Sidewalks•Read 180

Definition of Terms:•Accurate: Student reads 95% or higher•Inaccurate: Student reads below 95%

Brainstorm additional interventions and programs that you use for each of the quadrants.

“It matters little what else they learn in elementary school if they do not learn to read at grade level.”

Fielding, L., Kerr, N., & Rosier, P. (2007). Annual growth for all students, catch-up growth for those who are behind. Kennewick, WA: The New Foundation Press, Inc.