1.  Different literacy instruction practices have been studied to address academic achievement gap among students who are deaf or hard of hearing.  Grounded in Vygotsky's concept of zone of proximal development, formative assessment is a potential strategy for improving student learning outcome (Heritage, 2007). Figure 1. Conceptual Framework  The use of formative assessment within literacy instruction practices was investigated in the study. Questions that guide the study: a.Do literacy instruction practices for students who are deaf and hard of hearing integrate formative assessment strategies? b.What formative assessment strategies are integrated in literacy instruction practices? c.How is formative assessment integrated within literacy instruction practices?  A critical review of twenty articles meeting the criteria: peer reviewed studies of literacy instruction practices in reading with students who are deaf or hard of hearing in school settings  Keywords: deaf, hard of hearing, literacy, reading, instruction  Coding referenced literacy instruction practice to categories identified in the studies of Easterbrooks and Stephenson (2006), and Luckner and Handley (2005) matched literacy instruction practice to definitions of categories. Eight categories of literacy instruction practices were identified tabulated formative assessment strategies described in each literacy instruction practice by category Future Study: The use of formative assessment strategies in literacy instruction practices in actual classrooms of students who are deaf or hard of hearing might be investigated to add context to this study.. Introduction Formative Assessment and Literacy Instruction for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Mariche Llanto Department of Special Education. University of Kansas Methods Discussion/Conclusion Results  Learning gaps are identified in planning phase. Planning informs what formative assessment strategy could be used and how. Evaluation is equally crucial as it describes student learning progression.  The significance of the whole process is grounded in Vygotsky's zone of proximal development- learning outcomes is likely to improve when scaffolds of support are informed by assessment planning, implementation and evaluation (Gioia, 2001; Boston, 2002) Figure 2. How formative assessment is used. Results  Thirteen out of twenty literacy instruction practices for students who are deaf or hard of hearing integrate formative assessment strategies  Formative assessment strategies integrated in literacy instruction practices include- providing verbal and nonverbal (e.g., cues, pictures) prompts asking questions, guiding instruction modelling assisting providing feedback Table 1 Sample Coded Data of Formative Assessment in One of the Literacy Instruction Practices  The use of formative assessment in literacy instruction practices is highly concentrated at implementation phase of the assessment loop Reading Instruction Practice Study No. Description of Studies' Objective Formative Assessment Strategy Coded to Study Use of Multimedia Technology 18 19 effectiveness of multimedia and available presentation options effects of caption modification and instructor intervention 19 teacher provide prompts 19 teacher supplements explanation with writing and diagram