Now, I might be in the minority, but I LOVE assessments and data! :) Well......let me clarify my thinking.....I LOVE assessments that are quick and enlightening, and I LOVE data that informs my instruction. So I guess I don't have a fondness for all assessments and data....just the ones that are useful.
One assessment that I have found particularly helpful is the Diagnostic Decoding Survey (DDS) from Really Great Reading. The DDS is a free resource to help teachers diagnose word level reading difficulties for students in grades 2-12. The entire assessment takes less than 10 minutes and pinpoints specific decoding weaknesses. The DDS is basically a MUCH quicker version of the Quick Phonics Screener (QPS). You can download the free resource by clicking here.
The beginning decoding survey assesses how well students are reading words they should have mastered by the end of first grade. This includes:
- high frequency words
- single syllable words with short vowels
- digraphs
- two sound blends.
The advanced decoding survey assesses decoding skills students should have mastered at the end of third grade. This includes:
- single syllable words with short vowels
- advanced phonics patterns (trigraphs, three sound blends, etc)
- single syllable words with advanced vowel patterns (ai, oi, au, etc.)
- Multi-syllable words (real and nonsense)
At my building we use the DDS as a diagnostic following the AimsWeb Plus screener. Any student who completes an oral reading fluency (ORF) assessment with less than 95% accuracy is given the DDS to determine specific word reading deficits. Results are then used to group students and instruction is provided.
My building loves how easy, quick and informative the DDS is! I hope you all will find some use in it too!
No comments:
Post a Comment