diagnostic checklist reading fluency

Reading Decoding Fluency Checklist (Hudson et al., 2004; Rasinski, 1994)

Directions: Use this checklist to inventory the skills that make up or are a natural outgrowth of 'reading decoding fluency'. Any sub-skill that is marked ‘N[o]’ is a likely target for intervention.

References: Hudson, R. F., Torgesen, J. K., Lane, H. B., & Turner, S. J. (2012). Relations among reading skills and sub-skills and text-level reading proficiency in developing readers. Reading and Writing, 25, 483-507. Rasinski, T. V. (1994). Developing syntactic sensitivity in reading through phrase-cued texts. Intervention in School and Clinic, 29, 165-168.

Decoding Fluency (Hudson et al., 2004) __Y| __N| __More data needed Fluid Use of Decoding Strategies. The student decodes text fluently by

(1) translating graphemes (letters) into their phonemes (sounds) and then blending graphemes into a word; (2) using recognition of phonograms (familiar letter combinations appearing within words) to aid in decoding; and (3) having a large collection of sight words memorized for instantaneous word recognition.

Phonemic Awareness (Hudson et al., 2004) __Y| __N| __More data needed Letter-Sound Correspondence. The student is able to identify the

sounds corresponding to specific letters and letter combinations. __Y| __N| __More data needed Letter-Sound Blending. The student can blend the letter sounds that

make up a word to correctly pronounce that word.

Alphabetic Principle (Hudson et al., 2004) __Y| __N| __More data needed Letter-Sound Correspondence. The student is able to identify the

sounds corresponding to specific letters and letter combinations. __Y| __N| __More data needed Grapheme-to-Phoneme Decoding . The student can fluently decode

all graphemes (letters and letter combinations) that correspond to a particular phoneme (basic unit of speech sound). For example, the student can correctly identify words in which f, ph, and gh represent the phoneme /f/.

__Y| __N| __More data needed Phonogram Recognition. The student is fluent in recognizing within-word phonograms (collections of letters common across groups of words such as -ake or -ick) that help to speed word decoding.

Vocabulary (Hudson et al., 2004) __Y| __N| __More data needed Sight-Word Vocabulary. The student has a sufficient sight-word

vocabulary available to boost reading fluency.

Comprehension (Rasinski, 1994) __Y| __N| __More data needed Reading With Expression. When reading text aloud, the student reads

with expression and inserts pauses as appropriate for within-sentence and between-sentence 'phrase breaks'.

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Reading Comprehension Checklist (National Reading Panel, 2000; Pressley & McDonald, 1997)

Directions: Use this checklist to inventory students’ reading comprehension skills. Any comprehension sub-skill that is marked ‘N[o]’ is a likely target for intervention.

References: National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. (NIH Publication No. 00-4754). Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Pressley, M., & Wharton-McDonald, R. (1997). Skilled comprehension and its development through instruction. School Psychology Review, 26(3), 448-467.

Before reading the text, the student: __Y| __N| __More data needed Articulates his or her general purpose or reason for reading the text __Y| __N| __More data needed Sets specific goals, expectations, or outcomes to be attained by

reading the selection __Y| __N| __More data needed Previews the text (e.g., looking over chapter and section headings,

examining illustrations, tables, and figures) to build a preliminary mental map of the content

__Y| __N| __More data needed Identifies sections of the text that are more relevant or less relevant to the reader’s goals

__Y| __N| __More data needed Adopts a ‘reading plan’ to most efficiently accomplish the pre-set goals

While reading the text, the student: __Y| __N| __More data needed Accesses his or her ‘prior knowledge’ of the topic to more fully

understand the meaning of the text __Y| __N| __More data needed Continually monitors his or her understanding of the reading __Y| __N| __More data needed Uses strategies as needed to define the meanings of unknown words,

to memorize content, and to overcome other difficulties encountered during reading.

__Y| __N| __More data needed Engages in closer, more careful reading in those sections of the text that relate specifically to the student’s reading goals

__Y| __N| __More data needed Dialogs with the writer by recording information (e.g., in notes written in the page margin or in a reader’s diary) about points of uncertainty, confusion, agreement, or disagreement, further elaborations of an idea presented in the text, etc

__Y| __N| __More data needed Jumps back and forth in the text as needed to check facts, clear up confusion, or answer questions

When finished reading the text, the student: __Y| __N| __More data needed Makes use of ‘text lookback’, rereading sections of the text if needed

to clarify understanding, clear up confusion, or more fully comprehend content

__Y| __N| __More data needed Reviews notes from his or her reading to summarize the ‘gist’ (key ideas) of the text

__Y| __N| __More data needed Continues to think about the text and the relation of its ideas or content to previous readings or the student’s own knowledge and experiences

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Writing Skills Checklist (Robinson & Howell, 2008)

Directions: Use this checklist to inventory students’ writing skills. Any sub-skill that is marked ‘N[o]’ is a likely target for intervention.

Grammar, Syntax & ‘Syntactic Maturity’ __Y| __N| __More data needed Syntactic Maturity. The student is able to produce sentences that are

appropriate to the student’s age, course placement, and writing assignment, to include:

__Y| __N| __More data needed Complete Sentences. The student can judge accurately whether a word string represents a complete sentence.

__Y| __N| __More data needed Sentence Complexity. Student writing samples shows an acceptable range of simple, compound, and complex sentences for the age- or grade level.

Fluency __Y| __N| __More data needed Writing Fluency. The student produces written content at an age-,

grade-, or course-appropriate rate. Writing Process __Y| __N| __More data needed STEP 1: PLANNING. The student carries out necessary pre-writing

planning activities, including content, format, and outline. Specific planning tasks can include these skills:

__Y| __N| __More data needed Note-Taking. The student researches topics by writing notes that capture key ideas from source material

__Y| __N| __More data needed Audience. The student identifies targeted audience for writing

assignments and alters written content to match needs of projected audience

__Y| __N| __More data needed Topic Selection. The student independently selects appropriate topics for writing assignments

__Y| __N| __More data needed Writing Plan. The student creates writing plan by breaking larger writing assignments into sub-tasks (e.g., select topic, collect source documents, take notes from source documents, write outline, etc.)

Conventions of Writing __Y| __N| __More data needed Spelling. The student’s spelling skills are appropriate for age and/or

grade placement. __Y| __N| __More data needed Punctuation, capitalization. The student is able to apply punctuation,

capitalization rules correctly in writing assignments.

Legibility/Physical Production of Writing __Y| __N| __More data needed Writing Speed. The student writes words on the page at a rate equal

or nearly equal to that of classmates. __Y| __N| __More data needed Handwriting. The student’s handwriting is legible to most readers.

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Writing Process (Cont.) __Y| __N| __More data needed STEP 2: DRAFTING. The student writes or types the composition. __Y| __N| __More data needed STEP 3: REVISION. The student reviews the content of the

composition-in-progress and makes changes as needed. After producing an initial written draft, the student considers revisions to content before turning in for a grade or evaluation

__Y| __N| __More data needed STEP 4: EDITING. The student looks over the composition and corrects any mechanical mistakes (capitalization, punctuation, etc.).

__Y| __N| __More data needed STEP 5: 'PUBLICATION'. The student submits the composition in finished form.

Other Writing-Related Elements __Y| __N| __More data needed Adequate ‘Seat Time’. The student allocates realistic amount of time to

the act of writing to ensure a quality final product . __Y| __N| __More data needed Plagiarism. The student accurately identifies when to credit authors for

use of excerpts quoted verbatim or unique ideas taken from other written works

__Y| __N| __More data needed Timely Submission. The student turns in written assignments (class work, homework) on time

References: Robinson, L. K., & Howell, K. W. (2008). Best practices in curriculum-based evaluation & written expression. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp. 439-452). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

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diagnostic checklist reading fluency

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