Activity Objective

The goal of Running Records: Assessing and Improving Students' Reading Fluency is to use a method promoted by Marie Clay to assess reading fluency and accuracy to help students improve their reading.

What You Need

Prep Time:

20 minutes
- Select levelled texts
- Prepare the recording forms

Task Time:

20-30 minutes
- Teacher introduces text
- Student reads aloud selected text and answers comprehension questions
- Teacher records information on recording form

Materials Required:

Teacher:
- Levelled texts
- Recording form
- Pencil

What You Do

Teacher Role:

Direct instruction:
- while introducing text

Supporter:
- while student reads aloud and teacher records information

Student Grouping:

Individual:
- during introduction of text, read aloud and recording of information

Assessment Ideas:

- Record errors while student reads aloud text on the recording form

- Record each students strengths and next steps on the recording form

Quick Tips

Activity Extensions:

- Meet with each student 2-3 times throughout the year and track their growth in fluency and comprehension

Additional Comments:

- Running records are a formative assessment and should guide small group instruction and help you plan for whole group instruction. They allow you to assess a student's reading fluency and comprehension, and are objective and reliable. They can help by:
      a. Giving you information about a student's reading level so you can choose texts at an appropriate level
      b. Showing you where the student is having difficulty through an analysis of their errors and other observations (for example, are they reading extremely slowly? Are they having difficulty recognizing common high frequency words? Are they having trouble sounding out words? Are they guessing at words? Do they keep reading even when sentences dont make sense?) This can allow you to target instruction.

- Select a text you believe is at the student's reading level and that they have not seen before. You may need to complete more than one running record to get an accurate assessment of the students reading performance.

- Try to select texts that are between 100-150 words and that are accompanied with forms that include the text already printed on the form. This will allow you to pay close attention to the student's reading performance. If this kind of form is not available write the words that the student says while he/she reads the selected text.

- Assess the student's comprehension after he/she has read the text by asking meaningful questions. Questions may include retelling events from the story and making inferences and connections.

- Allow the student to read without interruptions. This will provide you with an accurate assessment of his/her reading ability.

- Use the Running Records Symbols and Marking Conventions form as a guide:http://k-5literacyconnections.weebly.com/uploads/4/4/7/9/4479989/running_record_symbols_and_marking_conventions.pdf

Other Adaptations/Modifications:

- Find a quiet space to assess reading performance so that students are not disturbed by sound