Using Diagnostic Reading Assessments in the ELA Classroom

Using Diagnostic Reading Assessments in the ELA Classroom

By Tracee Orman

I spent over 20 years in the ELA classroom and I have a confession to make...I did not start using diagnostic reading tests until I was forced to after teaching for 15+ years. 😳 

To be honest, I never really saw the need to use them. Usually the teacher from the previous year provided me with information about the students and test scores, so I didn’t even think of a pre-test or diagnostic exam to start the year. But once I started using them, I found so many benefits and wondered why it took me so long. Diagnostic tests are great for:

✅ establishing a baseline of strengths and weaknesses for each student

✅ identifying learning gaps

✅ lesson planning and targeting instruction to the areas your students need it the most

✅ placing students with appropriate groups/partners

✅ collecting data to show student growth (which is the reason I was forced to use them for my teacher evaluation)

and most importantly,

✅ improving your students’ reading skills.

One problem I did have with the district-provided (aka textbook publisher) tests is that they were incredibly long and did not completely align with our standards. I honestly hated taking an entire class period (or more) for the exam. In addition, their scores weren’t entered into the grade book, so after awhile I truly wondered if my students were even trying on them.

I developed these shorter, more succinct exams in which each question is clearly aligned with a reading standard (and identified on the answer sheet). The tests are each 20 questions and the reading passages are short. You won’t have to give up an entire class period and you will get targeted results upon grading.

So when and how should you use them?

If you’ve already started school, no worries--it’s never too late to give a diagnostic exam! While ideally you’d give it before any instruction, you can administer it in between units or anytime. 

1️⃣ Give your first test early in the year (not the first day and maybe not even the first week--try to establish a rapport with your students first). This will establish your benchmark for students. You will be able to tell for which skills (whether it’s determining a theme, inferring, evaluating the impact of word choice, distinguishing fact/opinion, etc.) your students may need additional instruction. If your students all scored extremely well on the first test, you may need to level up a grade. Give them a second test at the higher grade level and use that for your benchmark.

Do NOT count this as a grade. If you must enter something in the grade book, give your students a completion grade (meaning, 100% if they completed it). However, you should keep track of their score for your records so you know when you give the next one if they have improved or not. I love using my student data trackers (you can get them in either Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel formats). You input the score and it will track whether students are improving or not on the next assessment.

2️⃣ Once you establish a baseline, you can use the information you collected from the diagnostic test to cater to your students’ needs. If you noticed several students missed the same question that assessed a certain standard, you should plan to reteach or cover that skill in your instruction. Being able to target your instruction more precisely is one of the reasons I wish I had started using diagnostic tests much sooner.

3️⃣ Throughout the school year (midterms, end of the quarter, etc.), have students take additional reading exams. They should be the same level as the diagnostic tests because you want to try to show improvement from the beginning of the year. Remember, these are benchmarks for data purposes and should NOT be graded exams. To incentivize it for students, you can give a completion grade.

If you are using the data tracker, it will automatically tell you if your students showed improvement, stayed the same, or declined. All of this information is helpful in targeting your instruction or identifying any students who may need more one-on-one help or services. Having this data was especially helpful for my students with IEPs (individual educational program). Our special education teachers were able to use the data to assist in writing their IEPs for each student. 

4️⃣ Use the data you collect at parent/teacher conferences. It helps to show parents where their child started the year and where they currently are. It can help reassure them that their child is learning.

5️⃣ Use the data for your own feedback: in which areas might you be lacking? Which skills have your students mastered and therefore no longer need to keep teaching it? You can customize your instruction accordingly based on your students’ results.

6️⃣ Use the reading assessments leading up to standardized tests to pinpoint areas your students may be struggling.

I could go on about the benefits of the assessments but I also want to state that they should be used in moderation. I firmly believe in allowing creativity and critical-thinking to thrive in your classroom but there are times when it is necessary to use these types of assessments.

My friend Bonnie from Presto Plans also offers some great reading passages for practice here:

Reading Comprehension Passages

Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a great school year!

-Tracee