Department of Early Childhood & Elementary Education

COURSE SYLLABUS

I. REA 628 Assessment of Reading/Literacy Development Credit Hours 3

II. Catalog Description: Designed to enable classroom teacher and reading specialists to implement a variety of assessment strategies, to facilitate learning, provide appropriate instruction, make language learners aware of their own strengths and needs as readers and writers, and enhance teacher and curriculum development. Assessment strategies include: authentic assessment techniques, miscue analysis, and KIRIS testing.

III. Purpose: The purpose of REA 628 is to provide practicing teachers and/or reading specialists with an opportunity to acquire and integrate knowledge about current trends in assessment, authentic assessment techniques, materials, and methods; to refine and apply this knowledge in their own classrooms; and to reflect upon and evaluate their own learning.

IV. Course Objectives: The behaviors indicated below are understood to be reflective of, but not limited to those behaviors advocated by the Kentucky Education Reform Act guidelines. Following each objective, and enclosed in parentheses, are numbers which reference the Kentucky Experienced Teacher St andards and the International Reading Association's Standards for Reading Professionals. As a result of participation in this course, student will:

A. Compare and contrast traditional methods of testing and evaluation with authentic assessment (KY ETS: 2, 6; IRA 10.1, 10.2 )

B. Analyze the philosophical base for authentic assessment from the perspective of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KY ETS: 2, 6)

C. Describe authentic assessment as called for by the Interim regulation (703 KAR 4:040) and as described in the Critical Attributes of Kentucky’s Primary program (KY ETS: 2, 6).

D. Explain the primary classroom teacher’s responsibilities in the area of assessment as specified by the Kentucky Experienced Teacher Standards, the Critical Attributes of the Primary Program, and the Interim Regulation (703 KAR 4:040) (KY ETS 2, 6).

E. Use a variety of forms of authentic assessment of literacy development including interviews, observations, anecdotal records, student products/performances, portfolios, student self- reflection, observational checklists, and miscue analysis (KY ETS: 6; IRA 10.1, 10.2). F. Explain the purposes of reading and writing assessment as described by the International Reading Association’s Resolutions on Literacy Assessment (KY ETS: 2, 6).

G. Explain guiding principles of literacy assessment (KY ETS: 2, 6).

H. Explain the standards for the assessment of reading and writing as described by the IRA/NCTE Joint Task Force on Assessment (1994) (KY ETS: 2, 6).

I. Keep systematic and appropriate records to document observations and assessments of children’s literacy development (KY ETS: 6).

J. Write instructional recommendations based on information obtained from various forms of literacy assessment (KY ETS: 6).

K. Use effective interpersonal communication skills in order to contribute to group work during cooperative learning tasks (KY ETS : 1).

L. Use the steps of the author’s cycle to produce a piece of professional writing (KY ETS: 1).

V. Content Outline:

A. Traditional vs. Non-traditional approaches to assessment; the definition of and rational for authentic assessment; assessment of diverse learners. B. KERA and assessment: the Critical Attributes of Primary Program, the Interim Regulation and the Experienced Teacher Standards. C. Current thinking about assessment: the IRA/NCTE Standards; principles and purposes of literacy assessment. D. Change of views of learning and assessment. E. Why do we assess? Creating the context and goals for assessing reading and writing. F. The portfolio system – The big picture. G. Observing for reading strategies, Independence, Metacognitive Awareness, Level of Reading Acquisition. H. Observing reading: The Reading Miscue Analysis, The Running Record and Comprehension.

VI. Instructional Activities:

Instructional methods will be mixture of instructor presentation, field experiences, group discussion, problem solving, collaborative group work, independent readings and both group and independent assignments. The model of the reflective decision-maker as the foundation of teacher development, including learning techniques for reflection and self improvement will be emphasized in all aspects of the course and assignments.

Students will reflect on their situations primarily based on intuitive knowledge and rational thinking regarding their definitions, feelings, and assumptions about using effective literacy assessment . That is, they participate in reflection-in-action as they define problems, converse with themselves concerning those problems, and experiment with possible solutions to the problems.

Students will be responsible for reading material contained in the text. Students will think consciously and deliberately about their own thinking. A variety of activities will be used to enhance the students’ metacognition. Using students’ own reflections, students learning will be enhanced by the integration of higher- order thinking.

Students will complete daily assignments and participate in large and small group discussions and activities. Participation includes active listening, contributing to group discussions, and working on in-class activities.

Student-initiated activities include preparation for and participation in class lectures, discussions, and cooperative activities related to course goals and objectives, including: (a) reading assigned materials and identifying pertinent questions and concerns; (b) participating in large and small group discussions, cooperative activities, and presentations; (c ) performing successfully on exams and written assignments; (d) contributing to cooperative team activities; (e) conducting research to learn more about the context for assessing reading and writing.

Acquisition, integration, extension, refinement of knowledge: a. Large and small group instruction b. Cooperative/collaborative group activities c. Create and maintain Blackboard site d. Cooperative learning group tasks e. Continuous assessment through observations, graded assignments, examinations and on-demand tasks.

Application, reflection, professionalism: The student will

1. Implement assessment activities using an appropriately chosen subject; 2. Respond to and reflect on assigned readings in a reading response journal; 3. Administer a miscue analysis; 4. Write instructional recommendations; and, 5. Participate in Professional Leadership Activity.

VII. Field and Clinical Experiences:

Student will be expected to apply various assessment methods in classroom or other educational settings

VIII. Resources: Texts on reading assessment on reserve in Waterfield Library; texts available on loan at Waterfield; professional journals, such as The Reading Teacher and Language Arts. IX. Grading:

A. Course requirements:

1. Two exams 2. Reading response journal 3. Class attendance and participation, including contribution to group learning during cooperative learning tasks, in-class writings, and coming to class prepared to discuss assigned readings or topics 4. A formal analysis of reading miscues 5. Completion of a reading interview and writing interview 6. Professional Leadership Activity.

B. Evaluation:

Attendance and participation 20 points Exams 50 points Professional Leadership Activity 50 points Assessment Project: Reading Process Description 10 points Reading Response Journal 10 points Miscue Analysis 30 points Reading Interview 5 points Writing Interview 5 points

Total 180 points Percentage Scale: A = 93-100; B = 85-92; C = 77-84; D = 69-76; E = <68

Point Scale: A = 167-180 B = 153-166 C = 138-152 D = 124-137 E = <123

Technical Writing: All written assignments will be assessed on the basis of three major areas:

MECHANICS: This includes appropriate subject/verb agreement, verb usage, sentence structure, quotes, use of APA style, and appropriate use of punctuation.

CONTENT: Such examples include accuracy in the written assignment, addressing the problem correctly, use of correct terminology and theory, and correct documentation. STYLE: This involves clarity of the material, the format for the writing piece, and the appropriate introductions/summary information.

X. Attendance Policy: This course adheres to the policy published in the Murray State University Undergraduate Bulletin.

XI. Academic Honesty: (adopted by Board of Regents, February 14, 1975) Cheating, plagiarism (submitting another person’s material as one’s own), or doing work for another person which will receive academic credit are all impermissible. This includes the use of unauthorized books, notebooks, or other sources in order to secure or give help during an examination, the unauthorized copying of examinations, assignments, reports, term papers or the presentation of unacknowledged material as if it were the student’s own work. Disciplinary action may be taken beyond the academic discipline administered by the faculty member who teaches the course in which the cheating took place.

Note: Faculty reserve the right to invalidate any examination or other evaluative measures if substantial evidence exists that the integrity of the examination has been compromised.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious offense in any graduate reading course. Plagiarism, as defined in the American Psychological Association Publication Manual, 4th ed. (1994), The ethical principles of scientific publication are designed to ensure the integrity of scientific knowledge and to protect the intellectual property rights of others. As the Publication Manual explains, authors are expected to correct the record if they discover errors in their publications (research and term papers); they are also expected to give credit to others for their prior work when it is quoted or paraphrased. The key element of this principle is that an author does not present the work of another as if it were his or her own work. This can extend to ideas as well as written words (p. 294). In the event that plagiarism is evident, no points will be awarded for the written assignment.

XII. Required Texts: Simpson, M. J., & Leslie, L . (1997). Authentic Literacy Assessment: An Ecological Approach. Longman. New York.

XIII. Prerequisite: REA 612 REA 628: Assessment of Reading/Literacy Development

Course Assignments 1. Reading Interview: Choose a student at the age/grade level in which you are interested; conduct the reading interview. The reading interview is intended to give you an idea of the child’s views of reading and the strategies he or she is aware of. Write a summary of your interpretations of the information gained. What do you hypothesize about the child’s view of reading? What are the implications for instruction? What strategies does the child seem to be aware of? What are the implications for instruction? [ KY ETS 2, 6]

2. Reading Process: The actual process of reading takes place in each student’s head. It is only through careful observation and collection of student work that teachers can make inferences about students’ reading process. Observe a student of your choice and write a summary of the information gained. What is the student’s pattern of reading acquisition? How can we describe the student’s depth of understanding for texts? How do the student feel about reading? How do the student make personal connection with texts? How effectively can the student use reading strategies? How independent is the student in managing his reading? What types of material can the student read successfully at what levels of difficulty for what purposes? [KY ETS 2, 6].

3. Writing Interview: Conduct a writing interview with a student of your choice. Write a summary of the information gained. What are the implications for instruction? [KY ETS 2, 6].

4. Reading Response Journal: The purpose of the reading response journal is to increase your understanding of the text. Writing responses to your assigned reading allows you to: (a) increase and deepen your thinking about the text (b) relate your own experiences, ideas and opinions to the text You should use the journal as a way of thinking on paper, or talking to yourself about what you have read. Remember that you are being asked to respond to the text, not to copy it. Your responses might include but are not limited to: (a) relating the text to your own experiences; (b) writing about how you might apply the text in your teaching; (c) agreeing or disagreeing with the text and telling why; (d) raising questions about the ideas in the text; (e) translating the information in the reading into another form, such as a poem, a letter, an article, a story. Your journal must be entirely in your own words and represent your own thinking; it should not include phrases, sentences or paragraphs copied from the text. The journal entries are not evaluated for spelling, grammar or punctuation. Many people find the more they write, the more they learn; therefore you are strongly encouraged to write as much as you can. [ KY ETS 2, 6]

5. Professional Leadership Activity: Choose one of the following:

Design and give a workshop presentation on assessment of reading and writing. You may give this workshop to your colleagues at your school or at a local meeting of a professional organization (such as the local council of the IRA). You will turn in documentation of your presentation (notes, handouts, etc.)

Write an article on the assessment of reading or writing suitable for submission to a local, state, or national journal. You are encouraged to review recent issues of The Reading Teacher and to consider submitting an article in the “Teaching Reading” or “Our Own Stories” format. Class time will be used for prewriting, drafting, and other activities to help students with their paper or presentation. [KY ETS 2, 6].