Introduction
Reading assessment is extremely significant when one needs to determine the level of understanding and reading abilities of various students. There are several techniques and tools that help teachers in assessing learners; some of the techniques include language comprehension, reading comprehension and decoding (Schumm, 2006). Teachers often use these techniques and tools for various academic reasons or purposes. Some of the reasons being the assessment, understanding and improvement of a child’s reading abilities.
Purposes of reading assessment
Reading assessment is used by educators, to understand the reading abilities of each and every student. Teachers often use assessments to decide on the best solutions and interventions for developing their students’ reading abilities.
Interpretation of these assessments, however, often varies from one instructor to another; therefore, it is imperative for them to, properly, interpret these assessments. Moreover, teacher should also be skillful in assessing their students; since, some assessments may not reflect the students’ abilities, if poorly drafted.
Reading assessment also assists teachers to trace the progress of his or her students i.e. with respect to reading abilities (Afflerbach, 2007). The assessments are often performed time after time; therefore, an instructor can easily note the growth of students’ reading abilities. This enables teachers to single out the underperforming students from the rest of the flock. As a result, he or she will have the capacity to concentrate on the underperforming students, and also design approaches and strategies that aim at improving their abilities.
Reading assessment results are given to guardians and parents of students. This makes them comprehend the abilities of their students, with regard to their reading abilities. Guardians and parents can, therefore, use the results to assist students in building up their children’s reading ability. Moreover, they can also work alongside with teachers, to design and execute the suitable recommendations for their children, with the motive of improving their reading abilities.
Teachers also use assessment to update their understanding of each and every student’s ability (Afflerbach, 2007). This is also the reason why teachers offer frequent periodic tests to their students.
Moreover, these tests also help teachers to establish whether or not their initial approaches and strategies are working. As a result, they will now be able to decide on whether or not to shift from their current strategies.
Tests assessments also assist students to understand their reading abilities. They use assessment results to monitor the progress of their reading and understanding abilities. Moreover, student can also use the results to seek and adopt recommended solutions to their weaknesses i.e. from parents, students or teachers. This eventually improves students understanding and reading abilities.
Purposes of a remediation plan
Remediation plans are used by teacher for various reasons or purposes. They help students develop their learning and reading skills, in various capacities.
Remediation plan consists of several sections that are used by teachers, to record certain crucial learning information of students. Some of the information noted in the sections includes areas of problems, resources needed and solutions to the problems (Stein, 1994).
Remediation plan tremendously assists teachers in identifying specific areas of interest i.e. with regard to students reading abilities. It assists in noting areas of weaknesses and specific problems faced by students, in their learning and reading process. Teachers, therefore, use these weaknesses and problems to develop an effective intervention plan.
Besides identifying students’ problems, a remediation plan also assists teachers, to link the student problems with the best possible interventions. Teacher can use the noted problems to seek and research on the best intervention plan that can, tremendously, assist students advance their reading abilities. Moreover, the intervention plan will target the exact areas of weaknesses, thus limited likelihood for ineffectiveness.
Remediation plan helps teachers to identify the necessary resources required by students (Stein, 1994). Remediation plan helps teachers to link resources with student problems. This limits the chances of teachers selecting and using irrelevant resources that may not promote the students’ reading ability. Consequently, students will learn using appropriate resources and information that targets their areas of weaknesses. This will, then, be followed by a terrific student improvement in students’ abilities in reading, learning and understanding.
Remediation plan further provide educators with a template for recording certain crucial information of learners i.e. their weaknesses and the related recommendations. Teachers use these templates to communicate back to their students, parents and guardians.
Consequently, guardians and parents will, comprehensively, understand the challenges faced by students, and thus assist in designing the best recommendations for their children. Additionally, recommendation plan will also help parents and guardians to push students, to follow the recommended solutions i.e. at the home front. This will, then, be followed by a tremendous improvement in their learning and reading ability.
Conclusion
It is extraordinarily imperative to assess the reading ability of each and every student due to various reasons. Assessing students’ reading ability assists teachers, parents, and guardians to, extensively, understand the reading abilities of students. Consequently, they will have a clear framework to decide on the best approaches that may improve their children’s abilities. This also applies to remediation plan, which also assists parents, teachers and guardians to decide on students’ fate i.e. with regard to learning and reading skills.
References
Afflerbach, P. (2007). Understanding and using reading assessment, K-12. Colorado: International Reading Assoc.
Schumm, J. S. (2006). Reading assessment and instruction for all learners. New York: Guilford Press.
Stein, M. (1994). The Beginning Reading Instruction Study. Darby: DIANE Publishing,