Artifact

The artifact I chose to include is the Running Record Analysis Activity. This activity consisted of utilizing the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System 1 to conduct a complete set of running records with miscue analysis and comprehension checks to discover the independent, instructional, and hard reading levels for three different students. I also completed the Guide to Noting and Observing Behaviors and Assessment Summary Forms for each student to identify strengths and opportunities for growth. I worked with three students at various grade levels: one English Language Learner kindergartener, one first grader, and one second grader. All three of these students attend the school I teach at; however, I did not work with any of these students prior to completing this activity.

Before I met with each student individually, I consulted with their classroom teacher to find out what the student's independent reading level was at the Fountas & Pinnell winter benchmark assessment. I continued moving up one level at a time until I found each student's highest instructional level before the texts became too hard. Each reading level has a fiction and nonfiction text that students can read from. I allowed the student to choose which book they read at each level based on the title of the book and front cover illustration. Each student switched between choosing the fiction and nonfiction options. None of the students chose all fiction books or all nonfiction books.

Running Record Analysis

Student 1 is a first grader reading independently at a level F. This student read a level F nonfiction book called From Nest to Bird and found that this student continued to read independently at level F. We moved on to level G and read a nonfiction book called Bubbles. Lastly, the student read a fiction book called The Sleepover Party at a level H. The level H proved to be too hard for the student.

• Student 1 read From Nest to Bird with 96% accuracy and an excellent comprehension scoring of 6/7. This student demonstrated that they can read a level F at an independent level.
• Student 1 read Bubbles with a 93% accuracy and a satisfactory comprehension understanding with a score of 5/7. This student demonstrated that a level G is an instructional level for them due to the accuracy percentage. While looking at the miscue analysis, I was able to determine that this student relies strongly on visual cues while reading. While the student initially relied on visual cues for figuring out unknown words, the student consistently self-corrected himself right away without going back and rereading. A strength of this student is their ability to use sound analysis (sounding-out). When the student encounters a word that is unfamiliar to him, he breaks the word down into its onset and rime. However, the sounds the student makes do not always match the spelling patterns shown. This student would benefit from word study and reviewing the sounds different spelling patterns create.

Student 2 is a kindergartener who reads at a level A independently and is receiving English Language Learner services. This student read a level A nonfiction book called At the Park at an independent reading level. We moved on to a level B nonfiction book called Playing. Lastly, the student read a level C fiction book called Socks. The level C book proved to be too hard for the student.

• Student 2 read At the Park with 100% accuracy and a satisfactory comprehension score of 5/7. The student demonstrated that they can read independently at a level A.
• Student 2 read Playing with 98% accuracy with a limited comprehension understanding score of 4/7. The student demonstrated that a level B is an instructional level due to limited comprehension understanding. The student demonstrated a strong understanding of how text and illustrations relate to each other. This student relied on the pictures in the stories to help figure out unknown words and answer comprehension prompt questions. This student has a high level of accuracy when reading aloud at this level. This student would benefit from a lot of comprehension instruction. The student had a difficult time answering questions that required thinking about the text and beyond the text. The student was only able to answer comprehension questions within the text by looking at the text. Additionally, this student would benefit from further exposure to everyday items and their names. The student refers to female characters as "he/him" and is unable to differentiate between objects such as trucks and cars. The student also needs further practice with inflected endings. When reading the title of the book, the student continually left of the inflected ending.
• When Student 2 read the level C book called Socks, I was able to notice the lack of sight word recognition the student has and further evaluate the lack of inflected endings knowledge. Inflected endings are not used in this student's primary language so it is not a surprise that this is an area where the student faces limited accuracy. Also while the student is reading, he incorrectly identifies non-sight words as sight words. This shows me that the student does not truly know his sight words. The student relies on visual cues and uses the first letter of a word to connect it to a sight word.

Student 3 is a second grader who reads independently at a level I. This student read a level I nonfiction book called All About Koalas and proved to continue to read independently at a level I. We moved on to a level J by reading a fiction book called Our New Neighbors. We continued moving up by reading a level K fiction book called Edwin's Haircut. Lastly, the student read a level L book called Dog Stories. The level L book proved to be too hard for the student.

• Student 3 read All About Koalas with 96% accuracy and a satisfactory comprehension understanding with a score of 5/7. The student demonstrated that they can read independently at a level I.
• Student 3 read Our New Neighbors with 93% accuracy and a satisfactory comprehension understanding with a score of 5/7. The student demonstrated that a level J is one of their instructional levels. It is evident while reviewing the running record that this student relies strongly on visual cues. All of the accuracy errors (besides omissions) this student made have very similar visual characteristics to the correct word. Since this student depended very heavily on visual cues, she rarely went back and self-corrected (1:17 self-correction ratio). This student would benefit from more work on self-monitoring when reading in order to go back and self-correct more of the miscues.
• Student 3 read Edwin's Haircut with 94% accuracy and a satisfactory comprehension understanding with a score of 5/7. The student demonstrated that a level K is also an instructional level for them. This student showed very different reading behaviors while reading at a level K instructional level opposed to a level J instructional level. This student still relied heavily on visual cues while reading, but she self-corrected much more often (1:3 self-correction ratio). There were only two word analysis miscues that the student did not go back and self-correct. The student self-monitored through repetitive reading to go back and self-correct and gain understanding. Repetitions and omissions occurred very often while the student was reading at a level K. The student needs additional practice in tracking print to help reduce the amount of omissions. All of the repetitions occurred when the student was self-correcting herself which shows she does know how to self-monitor her reading, but does not always demonstrate it as seen while reading at instructional level J.

Standards

I chose to include this artifact as it demonstrates the following:

• an understanding and awareness of language development includes phonemes, morphemes, semantics, and syntax as it relates to typical and atypical reading development. (InTASC Standard #1-Learner Development, InTASC Standard #4-Content Knowledge & Wisconsin Teaching Standard #2-Know how children grow)
• an understanding of the acquisition of reading skills and the variations related to cultural and linguistic diversity to provide effective instruction in reading. (InTASC Standard #4-Content Knowledge & Wisconsin Teaching Standard #1-Know subjects they are teaching)
• utilization of assessment strategies (running record, miscue analysis, summary of reading behaviors) to monitor student progress in reading fluency, accuracy and comprehension. (InTASC Standard #6-Assessment & Wisconsin Teaching Standard #8-Know how to test for student progress)