The Assessment of Reading
Reading is assessed differently depending on the age and phase the children are working in. At an early age we teach and assess the child’s ability to decode words – essentially in the broadest sense, they learn to read. The mechanism of assessment is seamlessly linked with our primary approach to teaching phonics – Read Write Inc Phonics. Reading is continuously tracked and assessed throughout the EYFS to ensure that the children are on track to make the greatest progress possible within their own setting. Teachers continually update EYFS profiles to track the children and set suitable targets. This is done in conjunction with the EYFS leader and the Reading Leader within the school. Once the children move into Y1, they are streamed along with all of the other children in the school into small teaching classes aimed at their level of development. The placement of these children is determined through a screening test carried out by the reading leader once every half term. Children remain as part of the Read Write Inc Phonics groups until they have been assessed as completing the programme by the Reading Leader, which is usually sometime in Year 2.
Once the children have completed the phonics programme they move on to broader english lessons which will encompass guided reading, where the children continue to develop their comprehension skills with less emphasis on the skills of decoding – Essentially moving from learning to read, to reading to learn. Assessment at this stage is undertaken through a range of strategies such as Accelerated Reader tests, guided reading records, and classroom observations, all of which are fed into the formative assessment element of Classroom Monitor.
Guided reading is used to stimulate discussion and also track progress, which again is fed back into the tracking system to create a well rounded picture of each child from a range of evidence. All children receive timetabled guided reading sessions, with some children receiving additional sessions to support their continued reading development.
Where a pupil is not secure in their understanding and use of phonics, small group and 1:1 sessions are put in place to ensure that their phonic knowledge is secure in order to support their reading journey through KS2 and beyond.
In KS2, reading is also assessed through the use of option tests in the summer term. The results from these tests are used both as a diagnostic tool, and also as an indication of progress and ability.
Once the children have completed the phonics programme they move on to broader english lessons which will encompass guided reading, where the children continue to develop their comprehension skills with less emphasis on the skills of decoding – Essentially moving from learning to read, to reading to learn. Assessment at this stage is undertaken through a range of strategies such as Accelerated Reader tests, guided reading records, and classroom observations, all of which are fed into the formative assessment element of Classroom Monitor.
Guided reading is used to stimulate discussion and also track progress, which again is fed back into the tracking system to create a well rounded picture of each child from a range of evidence. All children receive timetabled guided reading sessions, with some children receiving additional sessions to support their continued reading development.
Where a pupil is not secure in their understanding and use of phonics, small group and 1:1 sessions are put in place to ensure that their phonic knowledge is secure in order to support their reading journey through KS2 and beyond.
In KS2, reading is also assessed through the use of option tests in the summer term. The results from these tests are used both as a diagnostic tool, and also as an indication of progress and ability.