Running Records

What Are Running Records? Written record of reading behaviors Assessment for analyzing students’ strengths and needs Assessment of reading level Guide to choosing appropriate reading material Assessment to determine focus of instruction Assessment for monitoring student progress

Why Do We Take Running Records? To show how students process print Appropriateness of text Grouping Students Monitoring progress Determines lesson focus Provides long-term documentation Focus on strategies used

Steps to Take Reading and Record Taking Calculate error, accuracy, and self-correction rate Analyze the running record for cues used Identify appropriate teaching focus

Step 1 Reading and Record Taking on Seen Text Text -the book introduced/read the previous day Take the running record You can use a blank sheet of paper or form Student reads: Independently and unprompted Record text lines as printed in book **This running record will be used for teaching and planning instruction

Reading and Record Taking on Unseen Text (ex. Dominie) Select Text Short Blurb Take the running record Student reads: Independently and unprompted Record text lines as printed in book ** This running record will be used for assessment purposes

Step 2 Calculate error, accuracy, and self-correction rate. Score the following: Error Rate: Running words = Error rate Errors Self-Correction Ratio: Errors+ Self-corrections = SC Ratio Self-Corrections **Good SC rates are: 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1;5

Step 3 Running Record Analysis: A Search for sources of information used by readers: Why Running records? Marie Clay (1993) developed running records as a useful, daily, and more reliable measure of how well children read printed text. Clay felt teachers could use these records to guide them in their decisions about any of the following: evaluation of text difficulty grouping children acceleration of a child monitoring progress of children allowing different children to move through different books at different speeds while keeping track and records of individual progress observing particular difficulties in particular children

Cont. In order to accomplish the goals listed , the teacher must analyze running records to determine the child’s reading behavior. By analyzing substitutions and self-corrections made while reading, the teacher can determine the sources of information used and the reading strategies the child has under control.

Sources of Information in text Printed text contains three sources of information which the reader used to determine the author’s message. In addition, the reader brings background information and a level of understanding of language to interact with these cues, The sources of information in text are often called the three reading cue systems. The teacher’s analysis of the child’s use of meaning, structure, and visual cues is an important part of the running record analysis. They analyze the running record by asking themselves, ”up to the point of this error or substitution, what cue was the child using?” When a child self-corrects, they also ask themselves, ”what source of information did the child consider to assist him in correcting the substitution?” Go through this page slowly with your teachers- take the time to explain it.

Step 4 Identify Appropriate Teaching Focus- strategies, not skills Plan instruction based on student strengths and needs Select new reading material at instructional/independent level You may want to see if they know the difference between strategies and skills- this is very hard for teachers

Tallying Errors and Self-Corrections 1. Total each line separately going across the line of text. 2. An uncorrected substitution, omission, or insertion counts as one error. 3. Unsuccessful multiple attempts on one word count as only one error house here her home 4. An error on a proper noun is counted only on the first error. Subsequent errors on that proper noun are coded but not tallied. 5. If a word is mispronounced due to a speech problem or dialect, it is coded but is not an error. 6. Repetitions are coded but are not errors. 7. Waits are coded but are not errors. 8. Sounding the first letter is coded but does not count as an error if the word is subsequently read correctly. 9. TTA- Try That Again= 1 error 10. Told= 1 error 11. Contractions count as one error 12. Each insertion counts as one error 13. Skipped line- each word counts as an error 14. If a child invents text, just write inventing at the bottom of the page unless he invented on one line, then count each error 15. The only time the teacher can say anything is when the child says something like, “I don’t know this word.” If that happens, code an A on the top line and say ,”Try it.”

Reading Cue Systems Point out to them that using the 3 cue systems are like a juggler- even a fisherman. It’s often easy for him to catch fish by having his bait on the surface, but sometimes he has to go deeper into the water.

What Are Meaning Cues? Does it make sense? Prior Knowledge Story Sense Illustrations Did the child’s attempt make sense up to the point of error? The teacher might think about the story background, information from the picture, and meaning in the sentence in deciding whether the child was using meaning as a source. Ex. Child: “Stop”, said the mail man, but the truck went on. Text: “Stop,” said the mail carrier, but the truck went on.

What Are Structure Cues Does it sound right? Natural Language Knowledge of English Grammatical patterns and language structures Structure refers to the way language works. It is often referred to as a syntax. It is the unconscious knowledge of the rules of grammar of the language the reader speaks. This helps as he eliminates alternatives. Using this knowledge, the reader checks whether the sentence “sounds right.” Ex. Child: “Stop,” said the girl, and the truck went on. Text: “Stop,” said the girl, but the truck went on.

What Are Visual Cues? Does it look right? Sounds and symbols Analogies Print conventions directionality words/spaces letters beginnings/endings punctuation Visual information refers to the way the letters and words look. IF the letters in the child’s attempt are visually similar to the letters in the word in the text, it is likely that the reader has used visual information. Analyzing the reader’s visual attention to words can be difficult. The child may only be looking at the beginning sound. He may be only looking at the end. Just knowing that the child is using some visual information in reading isn’t enough. The teacher must attend to the types of visual information the child is picking up. Ex. Child: The boat was in the pool. Text: The boat was in the pond.

What Are Self-Corrections? When strategic readers monitor their reading, they often notice that a substitution does not conform to all cues in text. They notice the discrepancy, go back and sample other sources of information (cues), and correct their error. Self-corrections require the readers to search for and use other cue sources, making sure they are interpreting the author’s message. It’s important for a teacher to understand which cues a child used to make an error as well as the cues used to correct the error.

Strategic Behaviors to look for… Rereads to search for information Takes the word apart to figure it out Tries multiple strategies Rereads to make sense Keeps reading after attempting unknown word “Hears” mistakes that don’t sound right or make sense Takes actions to fix errors Cross-checks for beginning visual Puts words together in meaningful phrases Predicts an unknown word using meaning Searches pictures or letters in words to make meaningful guesses This is not a complete list by any means, so ask teachers if they have some to add

Recording Noticings Turn and Talk How will you record what you notice regarding a child’s use of strategic behaviors?

Now… Let’s Practice taking and analyzing a running record Hand out conventions sheet