Assessment and evaluation of reading should reflect the objectives of the curriculum and should assess both process and product. As well, assessment techniques should consider students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes and should be consistent with the instructional strategies used.
To discover the general reading proficiency of students when they arrive in the classroom, it may be helpful for teachers to conduct a survey using a Reading Inventory or Reading Strategies Questionnaire, such as the examples in the following pages. These tools can help to determine students' attitudes and interests and provide diagnostic information which will guide instructional decision making. As well, it is useful for teachers to keep anecdotal notes to monitor student progress and guide instructional decisions.
In a Middle Level reading program, teachers need to be aware of both the interests and the attitudes of their students. Students' attitudes toward reading can determine their willingness to read and their ability to become part of the community of readers. As well, students' interests, when taken into consideration during planning, can have a positive motivating effect upon the success of their reading and that of the entire reading community.
A short interest/attitude survey can help teachers choose instructional methods and materials that will develop skills and motivate students to read. When students complete an Interest/Attitude Inventory, teachers can then match reading selections to those interests and help students to broaden their reading experiences and abilities.
While this inventory is a valuable tool, teachers need to recognize that Middle Level students have rapidly changing interests. Therefore, it may be necessary to have students complete the survey two or three times during the course of the school year in order to keep informed about their current interests and changing attitudes.
Another useful tool teachers can use to gain insight into their Middle Level students' reading abilities and understanding is a Reading Strategies Questionnaire. Teachers may choose to have students complete the questionnaire individually or they may use it as an interview sheet where students ask each other the questions, with one student recording the responses. The teacher may also interview students individually and record their responses. The interview format provides for dialogue which can enhance the students' understanding of their own reading processes and abilities. As well, if teachers conduct individual interviews, they are able to get an immediate picture of their students' metacognitive knowledge about reading. They can then provide on-the-spot mini-lessons about reading strategies that may assist their students with their future reading experiences. Students should be expected to answer the questions honestly and to the best of their ability.
Interviews with students about their reading can provide teachers with additional assessment information. Interview questions, written or oral, should be open-ended. For example, written sentence stems such as the following encourage students to make individual and personal responses: I like to read when ..., When I go to the library I feel ..., Reading is ..., and When I am asked to read aloud I .... Information gathered during the interview can be kept in the form of anecdotal notes or audio recordings to inform instruction.
Pre-, during, and post-reading activities provide useful formative and summative assessment opportunities. Such tools as semantic maps, Venn diagrams, anticipation guides, character maps, and Reader Response activities demonstrate the nature of students' prior knowledge and their depth of understanding. It is important to gather information about students' literal, inferential, critical, and personal understanding of what they read.
Observation and assessment instruments such as story frames are useful for gathering information that determines students' literal, inferential, critical, and personal understanding about what they read. These can be administered orally or as a written assignment. A sample story frame is shown in the following pages. Additional sample assessment tools are provided on the following pages and throughout the curriculum guide.
Sample Individual Reading Schedule
Reading the Novel
Each of you will read your book according to the reading schedule set by consensus of the entire group; however, the book must be entirely read by (date to be determined by the teacher) . You may read in class or at home. You may read silently or aloud, providing your reading does not disturb other readers, or you may choose a combination of both. Each of you will complete an Individual Reading Schedule to remind you of what to read next and to serve as a record of your reading progress.
Group Discussion and Interaction
During Literature Circle discussions, each group member has the responsibility to:
Group Roles
In each Literature Circle different students will take the roles of Discussion Co-ordinator, Summarizer, Language Master, and Recorder. The roles will rotate on a regular basis. Each group member will have the opportunity to experience each role more than once during the reading of the selection. (Other roles could be chosen depending upon students' abilities and needs.)
Discussion Co-ordinator: The Discussion Co-ordinator leads discussion by identifying three to five questions that could lead to a discussion of this section of the book. These questions may be about such things as key ideas and issues, a character's actions, or an element of the writer's craft. The Discussion Co-ordinator shares these possible discussion questions with the group and asks if others have questions or topics that they think are important to discuss, and adds these to the list. The Discussion Co-ordinator then leads the group as it decides what to discuss first, second, and so on until the time is gone. As well, it is the Discussion Co-ordinator's responsibility to request teacher assistance if members of the group have questions or need assistance that cannot be provided within the group.
Summarizer: In preparation for the discussion, the Summarizer writes a brief summary of the section and reads it or retells it orally to the group members. As well, the Summarizer must identify at least one key quotation in the section and provide a reason for its significance.
Language Master: The Language Master selects and records a short list of new vocabulary and of interesting and powerful uses of language found in the section.
Recorder: The Recorder, in collaboration with the group, completes a Group Summary Sheet at the conclusion of each meeting. This information provides details about how the group is functioning.
Sample Role Sheet for the Discussion Co-ordinator
Sample Role Sheet for the Summarizer
Sample Role Sheet for the Language Master
Sample Role Sheet for the Recorder: Group Assessment
Daily Projects
After reading each agreed upon section of your Literature Circle novel, you will do the following:
Group Presentation Project: Character Get-togethers
This project will help you to see overall patterns, themes, and connections between the Literature Circle novels and the characters in these novels. Each student will role play a character (preferably the main character) from the novel he/she has read and participate in a scenario in which that character is dramatized.
Planning Session One: Literature Circle Groups
Planning Session Two: Literature Circle Groups
Planning Sessions Three and Four: Scenario Groups
Presentations
Each scenario should be about 10 minutes long. You will be evaluated for:
Sample Reading Interest/Attitude Inventory
Sample Reading Strategies Questionnaire
Sample Proficient Reader Protocol: Anecdotal Notes
Sample Character Analysis Chart
Sample Story Frame
Sample Observation Checklist: Metacognitive Strategies