Strategies - Record keeping and assessment
Record keeping
An essential element of the LMA process is the evidencing and tracking of the learner's literacy attainments over time. Effective record keeping is the key to informing decisions about the learner's learning medium/media and can help identify current and future needs.
Records can be collected in various formats eg:
- checklists
- diaries
- portfolios of work
- formal assessments that may measure a range of skills including reading accuracy, speed and comprehension
Most mainstream primary schools will have well established systems for collecting data on literacy performance for all children. Children with VI may need supplementary records , particularly if they are developing their literacy skills through braille.
Basic record keeping
Mainstream schools are likely to have quick reference records that will provide an up to date snapshot of the progress and broad levels of attainment in reading and writing of each child. At the simplest level this might consist of checklists of phonic skills or lists of books the child has read in a specific reading scheme.
Basic records such as these will require regular (daily or at least weekly) updating but can provide evidence of general progress that is clear and easy to understand for all those concerned with monitoring the child's reading attainment.
Advanced record keeping
Advanced record keeping will include measurements of individual performance across a range of skills such as reading, writing, spelling, and (for braille readers) mechanical and tactual skills.
Reading Skills
Reading skills will include information about
- reading speed
- reading accuracy
- reading comprehension.
Reading speed or reading rate is usually measured in words per minute. You need to be aware that there is a big difference between silent reading rates and verbal reading rates (reading out loud), and when making comparisons in reading rates make sure you are comparing like for like. Reading Accuracy
Accuracy measurements will normally include some form of miscue analysis, a technique that records the child's performance when reading aloud and allows the teacher to identify both the nature and frequency of specific errors so that patterns of error can be identified. This information helps to understand the child's reading strategies and can be used diagnostically to help identify and address areas of reading difficulty. Comprehension
Comprehension assessments usually take the form of asking children to read a passage of text appropriate to their ability and then asking the fixed questions (written or asked orally) designed to test their understanding of what they have read.
There are assessment procedures such as the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability - NARA (for further information about the NARA and other assessment tools see the strategy relating to Assessment) that QTVIs can use to compare the child's reading performance with both fully sighted children and with other children with visual impairment.
Both comparisons are important because it quite possible that a braille user, for example, may appear to be underperforming in reading comparison to his/her sighted classmates, but at the same time may actually be performing well above the norm for braille users of his/her age.
This kind of kind of advanced record keeping can be used to supplement and contextualise information gained through formal mainstream assessment procedures such as SATs.
Formats for advanced record keeping
Once you have decided what information is important to record, you then have to consider the form you will keep it in.
There are a range of possibilities. You can use online record keeping, hard copy, or a combination of both.
If you are working with a braille user and you want to go down the online route, you may want to look at the comprehensive Excel checklists developed by Andy Spong a QTVI in North Lincolnshire.
Sample checklists covering the mechanics of braille reading and tactual skills can be found here.
Other options include:
- Anecdotal records (a teacher's diary of dated notes based on observations that document progress across a range of aspects of literacy development over time)
- Workfolders/portfolios (selections of a child's work over an extended period organised chronologically to illustrate progress eg samples of creative writing, recordings of oral reading etc. Each sample might be annotated by the teacher with an explanation of why it was included)
- Home /school braille diary (with a braille user, this could show what braille signs have just been introduced and you could use it to identify knowledge or skills that could be reinforced at home. Diaries can also be useful for facilitating communication and information sharing and it gives parents an opportunity to provide you with feedback.
Expert view...
Listen to Jo Hogg talking about how the Service in Sheffield collects data on the progress of braille users.
Select this link for a transcript of the video clip.
Further study
If you would like to develop a more in-depth understanding of keeping records and other aspects of teaching literacy through braille, you may wish to consider applying for a place on the VIEW course; 'Effective Teaching of Literacy through Braille'.