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The DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) is an individualized reading assessment that enables teachers to evaluate growth in student reading performance over time. The DRA helps teachers to identify students' independent reading level by assessing students' oral reading fluency and comprehension. A student’s independent reading level is the level at which he or she can read successfully without assistance from the teacher. Reading levels range from A/1 (emergent reader) to 60 (advanced reader) in elementary school.
The DRA is given in the fall, at mid-year, and in the spring to all students in Kindergarten-2nd grade.
The purpose of the DRA is that is provides information that teachers use to group students for guided reading and to plan appropriate reading instruction that is differentiated to meet students’ needs. The DRA level is also used to match students with text that allows them to read for meaning, draw on the reading skills they already control, and expand their reading skills in text with the right mixture of support and challenge.
Teachers listen while students read short passages aloud. Teachers assess students’ oral reading fluency by evaluating their expression, phrasing, reading rate and accuracy. Fluent readers read in long meaningful phrases with appropriate expression; the number of words read per minute is within acceptable parameters (not calculated at levels A/1-12); and word recognition is highly accurate. Teachers assess students’ comprehension by evaluating students’ responses to prompts after reading. For levels A/1-24, students provide oral responses. For levels 28-60, students provide written responses.
Contact the Campus Testing Coordinator for more information about how the DRA is administered at your child's school.
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