Teachers need to understand the individual students in their classroom, and determine their strengths and needs in order to effectively differentiate the content, product, process and environment to meet the varying literacy needs of the learners in their classroom. Hempenstall (2016) notes that comprehension is difficult to observe and assess as there are many processes at work simultaneously. Woolley (2008) supports this notion, asserting that teachers may need a range of assessment strategies and instruments that ‘robustly reflect the dynamic, developmental nature of comprehension within the reader and their interaction with external dimensions such as activity, text and context.
Assessment is fundamental to the effective teaching of reading and the strategic design of individualised reading intervention programs, however it is important to note that no direct assessment tool is perfect and it is essential to be aware of the strengths and limitations of each (Woolley, 2008). Salvia et al (2013) note that the best way to assess comprehension is to give the student access to the text and have them restate or rephrase what they have read. Woolley (2008) highlights the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability as an example of an assessment tool designed to measure reading accuracy, comprehension and reading rate. He also notes that teacher designed informal reading inventories can supplement standardised tests and provide more relevant information to inform teaching and learning practices (Woolley, 2008). Through this assessment process the teacher needs to determine whether the student has difficulty comprehending because they lack knowledge of key words or concepts in the text, or whether they lack the knowledge of the process of knowing when or how to access that knowledge (Almasi & Hart, 2014).
Assessment is fundamental to the effective teaching of reading and the strategic design of individualised reading intervention programs, however it is important to note that no direct assessment tool is perfect and it is essential to be aware of the strengths and limitations of each (Woolley, 2008). Salvia et al (2013) note that the best way to assess comprehension is to give the student access to the text and have them restate or rephrase what they have read. Woolley (2008) highlights the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability as an example of an assessment tool designed to measure reading accuracy, comprehension and reading rate. He also notes that teacher designed informal reading inventories can supplement standardised tests and provide more relevant information to inform teaching and learning practices (Woolley, 2008). Through this assessment process the teacher needs to determine whether the student has difficulty comprehending because they lack knowledge of key words or concepts in the text, or whether they lack the knowledge of the process of knowing when or how to access that knowledge (Almasi & Hart, 2014).