What are Practical Steps for Conducting Diagnostic Reading Assessments?

Conducting diagnostic reading assessments with individual students takes extra staff, time, space, paper, and organization. Even with the best of EBRI intentions, it may not be reasonable to conduct additional assessments for:

1. word recognition
2. phonics skills - as needed
3. oral fluency
4. vocabulary knowledge

However, we are not actually implementing EBRI without conducting at least one diagnostic reading assessment in addition to TABE and CASAS reading tests.

In the box below are four practical steps to consider while developing a manageable diagnostic reading assessment plan. They are modifications of McShane’s five-step “start-up plan for component assessment” (p. 31 and p.105-108).

Four Practical Steps DRA-1.PNG

In MN Adult Education, after several years of implementing DRA, the recommendation is to assess learners who score at or below an 8 GLE (on the TABE or CASAS reading tests) in alphabetics and fluency first. We can assume that students between a 4-8 GLE on intake testing need vocabulary instruction with Tier-2 (academic vocabulary). Lower-level learners will need Tier 1 (common, everyday words). Therefore, a vocabulary assessment does not have to be given if time is limited. If a learner has a weakness in at least one of these three essential reading components, hold off on assessing comprehension.

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Click "Next" to read more details about each of the steps above.