|
What is a
Running Record?
Taking a
Running Record
Marking
a Running Record
Scoring
and Analyzing a Running Record
What is a
Running Record?
A running record
allows you to assess a student's reading performance as she/he reads
from a benchmark book. Benchmark books are books selected for
running record assessment purposes. A running record form, with text
from the book printed on the form, accompanies each of the benchmark
books. Only the first 100 -150 words of the longer benchmark books
are used for the upper level running records. A blank
running record form is supplied for teachers who wish to perform
running records on books other than the benchmark books or for
additional text from the upper level benchmark
books.
There are conflicting views on whether students
should be assessed using a book they have never read versus using a
book they are familiar with. We believe using a book that has not
been previously read will give a more accurate measure of a
student's ability to handle text at the assessed level. For this
reason, we provide two benchmark books at each level: one fiction
and one non-fiction. You can always opt to read the book before
doing a running record if you prefer using previously-read text for
your running record.
After completing a running record, you may want
to assess a student's comprehension of the book read. Reading A-Z
provides Retelling
Rubrics for this purpose. Both fiction and non-fiction Retelling
Rubrics are provided.
Taking a
Running Record
Running records are taken
most often at the earlier stages of reading. Students who are not
progressing at the expected rate should be assessed even more
frequently than the schedule suggested below.
- Early Emergent readers (Levels aa – C): every
2 to 4 weeks
- Emergent readers (Levels D – J): every 4 to 6
weeks
- Early fluent readers (Levels K – P): every 6
to 8 weeks
- Fluent readers (Levels Q – Z): every 8 to 10
weeks
Taking a running record takes practice. Before
attempting a running record, read the procedural steps below, then
go to the section on Marking
a Running Record Form.
- Select a book that approximates the student's
reading level. Explain that she/he will read out loud as you
observe and record her/his reading skills.
- With the running record form in hand, sit
next to the student so that you can see the text and the student's
finger and eye movements as she/he reads the text.
- As the student reads, mark each work on the
running record form by using the appropriate Running
Record Symbols and Marking Conventions shown below. Place a
checkmark above each work that is read correctly.
- If the student reads incorrectly, record
above the word what the student reads.
- If the student is reading too fast for you to
record the running record, ask her/him to pause until you catch
up.
- Be sure to pay attention to the reader's
behavior. Is the student using meaning (M), structural (S), and
visual (V) cues to read words and gather meaning?
- Intervene as little as possible while the
student is reading.
- If the student is stuck and unable to
continue, wait 5 to 10 seconds, then tell her/him the word. If the
student seems confused, provide an explanation to clear up the
confusion and say, "Try again."
Marking a
Running Record Form
Several terms are
used when marking a running record form. You should become familiar
with these terms by reviewing the explanations below.
- Errors (E)--Errors are tallied during the
reading whenever a child does any of the following:
--Substitutes another word for a word in the
text
--Omits a word
--Inserts a word
--Has to be told a
word
- Self-correction (SC)--Self-correction occurs
when a child realizes her or his error and corrects it. When a
child makes a self-correction, the previous substitution is not
scored as an error.
- Meaning (M)--Meaning is part of the cueing
system in which the child takes her or his cue to make sense of
text by thinking about the story background, information from
pictures, or the meaning of a sentence. These cues assist in the
reading of a word or phrase.
- Structure (S)--Structure refers to the
structure of language and is often referred to as syntax. Implicit
knowledge of structure helps the reader know if what she or he
reads sounds correct.
- Visual (V)--Visual information is related to
the look of the letters in a word and the word itself. A reader
uses visual information when she or he studies the beginning
sound, word length, familiar word chunks, and so forth.
There are two steps to marking a running record.
Step 1 involves marking the text on the running record form as the
student reads from the benchmark book. Before taking your first
running record, become familiar with the symbols used to mark a
running record form. These symbols are found in Table
1. Also review the Sample
Running Record to see how a completed form looks. It also is a
good idea to take a few practice running records by role-playing
with a fellow teacher as she/he plays the role of a developing
reader, intentionally making errors for you to record.
Once the student has read all the text on the
running record form and you have recorded their reading behavior,
you can complete Step 2. In Step 2 you fill in the boxes to the
right of the lines of text you have marked. Begin by looking at any
error the student has made in the first line. Mark the number of
errors made in the first box to the right of the line. If the
student self corrected any of these errors, mark the number of
self-corrections in the second box to the right of the line. Next
determine whether the errors and self-corrections were made as a
result of meaning, structure, or visual cueing. For a description of
each of these cues, review the explanations provided above. Write
MSV in each box for each error and a self-correction made and circle
the appropriate letter for the cue used by the
student.
After completing step two you should total the
number of errors and self-corrections and write each total in the
box at the bottom of the appropriate column. Next calculate the
student's error
rate, accuracy
rate, and self-correction
rate, found in the next section Scoring
and Analyzing a Running Record.
You do not have to mark the MSV cueing portion
of the running record form. It is simply used to help you further
analyze a student's reading behavior and provide deeper insight into
a student's possible reading deficiencies. You can still use the
information on error, self-correction, and accuracy rates to place
the student at the developmentally appropriate instructional
level.
Sample Running
Record
Scoring
and Analyzing a Running Record
Scoring: The information gathered while doing
a running record is used to determine error, accuracy, and
self-correction rates. Directions for calculating these rates are
given below. The calculated rates, along with qualitative
information and the student's comprehension of the text, are used to
determine the student's reading level.
Qualitative
Analysis: The qualitative analysis is based on observations that
you make during the running record. It involves observing how the
student uses the meaning (M), structural (S), and visual (V) cues to
help her/him read. It also involves paying attention to fluency,
intonation, and phrasing. Think back to the prompts you offered and
how the student responded. These observations help you form a
picture of the student's reading development.
Error
Accuracy
Self-Correction
The formulas below were used with the sample
running record above.
Error
Rate
Error rate is expressed as a ratio and is calculated by
using the following formula:
Total words / Total errors =
Error rate
Example:
99 / 8 = 12.38, or 12 rounded
to nearest whole number
The ratio is expressed as 1:12.
This
means that for each error made, the student read approximately 12
words correctly.
Accuracy
Rate
Accuracy rate is expressed as a percentage. You can
calculate the accuracy rate using the following formula:
(Total
words read – Total errors) / Total words read x 100 = Accuracy
rate
Example:
(99 – 8) / 99 x 100 = Accuracy
rate
91/99 x 100 = Accuracy rate
.919 x 100 = 91.9%, or 92%
rounded to the nearest whole number
You can use accuracy rate to determine whether
the text read is easy enough for independent reading, appropriate to
use without frustration during reading instruction purposes
instruction, or too difficult for the reader. The breakdown of these
three categories is as follows:
Easy enough for independent reading = 95 –
100%
Instructional level for use in guided reading session = 90 –
94%
Too difficult and will frustrate the reader = 89% and
below
Self-Correction
Rate
Self-correction rate is expressed as a ratio and is
calculated by using the following formula:
(Number of errors
+ Number of self corrections) / Number of self corrections =
Self-correction rate
Example:
(8 + 3) / 3 =
Self-correction rate
11 / 3 = 3.666, or 4 rounded to the nearest
whole number
The self-correction rate is expressed as 1:4.
This means that the student corrects approximately 1 out of every 4
errors.
If a student is self-correcting at a rate of 1:4 or
less, this indicates that she/he is self-monitoring her/his
reading.
| 