Data Sources in Grade 2
In a structured literacy approach, we rely on different types of assessments to answer different questions about student outcomes. Screeners help us quickly identify risk, diagnostic tools help us dig deep into specific skills, and progress monitoring allows us to track how well instruction is working over time. Each tool serves a unique purpose, but together, they provide a complete picture and guide our instructional decisions.
Screeners
Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) is a brief, direct measure of the alphabetic principle and basic phonics. Nonsense word measures are considered to be a good indicator of the alphabetic principle because “pseudo-words have no lexical entry, [and thus] pseudo-word reading provides a relatively pure assessment of students’ ability to apply grapheme-phoneme knowledge in decoding” (Rathvon, 2004, p. 138).
During the NWF assessment, a student is presented with a list of nonsense words, which are made-up words that follow phonetic rules and are phonetically regular (e.g. “jib,” “vop”). The student is asked to read aloud as many nonsense words as they can within a specific time limit, usually one minute. The assessment focuses on the accuracy and automaticity with which the student can decode and read these pseudo words.
Development of the alphabetic principle and basic phonics is essential for decoding unknown words (Adams, 1990; Ehri, 2002) and for developing the sight-word vocabulary necessary for fluent reading (Share, 1995; Share & Stanovich, 1995). While nonsense word fluency provides a very quick way to assess a student’s decoding ability, it is not necessary to teach nonsense word decoding in your daily instruction. When screening data shows risk in this area, dig deeper and assess phonemic awareness and phonics to guide instruction (Acadience Reading K-6 Assessment Manual, 2011).
Acadience Reading K-6
Length: 1 minute
When: Middle of Year 2 Kindergarten to Grade 2
easyCBM
Not assessed
aimswebPlus
Length: 1 minute
When: Middle of Year 2 Kindergarten to end of Grade 1
Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) is a measure of advanced phonics and word attack skills, accurate and fluent reading of connected text, and reading comprehension.
During the ORF assessment, a student is asked to read aloud a grade-level passage or a series of passages for a specific duration, usually one minute. The student reads as accurately and fluently as possible, with an emphasis on accuracy, and automaticity. The assessment may also include comprehension questions to gauge the student’s understanding of the text.
Oral reading fluency in connected text is more than the accurate reading of words in lists and is not speed-reading. Oral reading fluency can be described as the bridge between accurate, automatic, word-level decoding and reading comprehension. (Acadience Reading K-6 Assessment Manual, 2011)
While the passages may seem difficult, it’s important to remember that these are research-based tools that have been carefully created and researched. It is important to use them as they have been researched (using grade-level materials with the standardized directions provided). Research shows that these tools are more reliable and accurate than previously used tools like the Benchmark Assessment System or the DRA: we can trust these data more, and use them to make better decisions about students, schools, and boards.
Acadience Reading K-6
Length: 1 minute/text + 1 minute retell, x 3 texts
When: Middle of Grade 1 to end of Grade 6
easyCBM
When: Middle of Grade 1 to end of Grade 8
aimswebPlus
Length: 1 minute/text x 2 texts
When: Middle of Grade 1 to end of Grade 8
Optional Assessments
Both easyCBM and aimswebPlus offer additional optional assessments that are not required for screening, but educators may be able to access them. Please check with your school or board for more information.
easyCBM
- Vocabulary (Grade 2 – Grade 8)
- Proficient Reading (Grade 2 – Grade 8)
aimswebPlus
- Listening Comprehension (Grade 1 – Grade 8)
- Spelling (Year 2 Kindergarten – Grade 8)
- Reading Comprehension (Grade 2 – Grade 8)
- Vocabulary (Grade 2 – Grade 8)
Diagnostics
Depending on the skills of your students and their results on your universal screener, further investigation into the depth of their skills may be required. Diagnostic assessments vary from school board to school board, but could include assessments in:
- oral language skills
- phonemic awareness
- phonics
- decoding
- spelling
- morphology
- fluency
- reading comprehension
- writing
Many school boards have a list of approved diagnostics. Connect with your school leadership team and/or board curriculum contact for more information.
Progress Monitoring
Progress monitoring allows educators to assess and track students’ growth over time, supporting quick decision-making about the effectiveness of instruction
Acadience Reading K-6, easyCBM, and aimswebPlus all have progress monitoring materials that can be used to monitor student’s response to intervention. Progress monitoring should focus on no more than two related skills at a time and should be primarily focused on the skill receiving the most intensive intervention.
Depending on your board’s screener choice, you may have access to a digital system that tracks student progress over time, or you may need to create a paper graph to visualize progress.
