Observation Survey

What: This is an assessment that uses observation tasks related to reading and writing in order to inform the teacher of a student’s progress or lack thereof. The purpose of this assessment is to determine if a student has difficulties in reading and writing.

Who: This assessment is geared to children who are in grades K-2.

When: You would use this assessment when you notice a student is not on grade level or having difficulty, when you want to learn how children read and write, or when you want to monitor progress.

Instructions:

1. Running Record

- use passage or small story from regular education setting (100-200 words)

- test on three levels (easy, instructional, hard)

- record words read correctly, all errors, and self-corrections

- fill out running record sheet also using the conversion table

2. Letter Identification

- use large print alphabet page from book (upper and lower case)

- Introduce: What do you call these? Can you find some that you know?

- Pointing to each letter in horizontal lines: What is this one?

- Prompting: Do you know its name? What sound does it make? or Do you know a word that starts like that?

3. Concepts about Print

- use one of the four books and follow the script provided

4. Word Test

- use Ohio Word Test Lists A, B, C (Dolch words)

- ask student to identify words

5. Writing

Vocabulary

- have student write words they know for 10 minutes; you may prompt by asking if they can write any children’s names, things they do, things at home, or things they eat.

Sample

- Gather 3 writing samples of the student’s stories (consecutive days or successive weeks)

- Rate on language level, message quality, and directional principles

6. Hearing

- select one of five alternative sentences (Form A-E)

- tell student you will read story and then reread it slowly so they can write it down

- read story then reread slowly so student can write sentences down

- if student finds a problem word; ask student to say it slowly, ask how to start writing it, ask what can they hear; if

student cannot complete word, move on to the next one

Summarizing

- Compile all results and additional information on the summary sheet