The Purpose of Administering Informal Assessments
The main reasons for informal evaluation are feedback from the teacher by the students and assessment based on academic performance results. An essential criterion for the assessment environment is a comfortable and unattractive environment where students can safely work on the task (Colorado, 2004). Providing the right environment makes it possible to create a suitable environment for the EIA, giving a complete picture of academic achievement.
The informal type of assessment helps assess a student’s understanding of a particular topic and will allow the teacher to identify possible problems and provide faster feedback. This kind of evaluation is based on results, which is another reason for its use, as the main goal is to determine the degree to which the student understands one or another topic.
For example, by analyzing errors when reading students verbally, a teacher can discern patterns in error types and reading strategies (A Critical Analysis of Eight Informal Reading Inventories, 2013). This method is helpful in helping the student in the early stages improve their results and continue to rely on formal learning.
Reading Skills Assessed by Informal Reading Assessments
The informal assessment evaluates reading skills such as rhyming, printing, and sound identification. The first skill allows the student to determine the criteria by which one word may rhyme for the other, and for this, the teacher can conduct a test in which you will need to choose the appropriate words to rhyme. It is important to note that some teachers need to be sufficiently aware of how to use and interpret informal evaluations (Popham, 2018).
However, the evaluation of reading skills, such as the printing concept, is to identify the student’s ability to distinguish punctuation, words, and other elements of the book, and failure to read means the evaluation results are impaired.
Finally, the ability to identify sounds manifests in the student’s ability to distinguish the use of different word sounds. The types of theoretical shifts can affect how a teacher determines a student’s ability to read, so it is essential to focus on a particular concept of evaluation (Giraldo, 2018). Thus, consolidating an informal assessment strategy allows a specialist to identify students’ learning achievement in reading skills clearly.
The Ways to Administer an Informal Reading Assessment
The basis for informally evaluating reading is to ask students questions and provide a better explanation of the topic for understanding. In general, culturally appropriate evaluation methods are predominant in the learning process, and informal evaluation is included in this concept (Briceño & Klein, 2019). However, the assessment must be correct, which consists of combining the above-mentioned paragraphs. Questions for students reveal creativity and thinking speed, which helps to assess the knowledge level better.
In identifying weaknesses, the teacher’s main task is to provide a deeper explanation of the topic, followed by questions that will reinforce the topic. Presentations, panel discussions, and interviews are also helpful in informally evaluating reading (Rejeki, 2020). All these methods allow the teacher to get a clear idea of students’ knowledge and help them understand the necessary topic.
By asking questions, one can determine the initial level of a person’s knowledge in a specific case, so the teacher checks the student’s progress level and focuses on explaining the desired topic. Thus, students effectively study information and receive constant help from a specialist.
References
A critical analysis of eight informal reading inventories. (2013). Reading Rockets. Web.
Briceño, A., & Klein, A. F. (2019). A second lens on formative reading assessment with multilingual students. The Reading Teacher, 72(5), 611–621. Web.
Colorado, C. (2004). Informal reading assessments: Examples. Colorín Colorado. Web.
Giraldo, F. (2018). Language assessment literacy: Implications for language teachers. PROFILE Issues in Teachers Professional Development, 20(1), 179–195. Web.
Popham, W. J. (2018). Assessment literacy for educators in a hurry. Alexandra, VA: ASCD.
Rejeki, S. (2020). Promoting Assessment for Learning: Students’ Perceptions of Informal Assessment in the English Classroom. International Journal in Applied Linguistics of Parahikma, 2(1), 1–8.