Acadience Reading 7-8: Oral Reading
What is Oral Reading?
Oral Reading (OR) is an individually administered measure that assesses accurate and fluent reading of text and reading comprehension. The student is presented a 350- to 400-word reading passage and is given 90 seconds to orally read the passage. Errors such as substitutions, omissions, and hesitations for more than 3 seconds are marked while listening to the student read aloud. At the end of 90 seconds, students are asked to provide a brief recall of everything they can remember about the passage. Following the Recall, students are asked up to four follow-up questions based on the level of detail they provided, to define four vocabulary words from within the passage, and to answer two inference questions about the passage. Each OR form is composed of a triad of one science, one social studies, and one prose passage. The total time needed to administer an OR passage is about 3 minutes. An OR triad takes approximately 15–20 minutes to complete.
Overview
| Literacy Skill |
Advanced Phonics and Word Attack Skills Accurate and Fluent Reading of Connected Text Reading Comprehension |
| Administration Time | Approximately 15–20 minutes total (90 seconds to read each passage + 60 seconds maximum for each Recall + untimed Oral Comprehension questions) |
| Administration Schedule | Beginning of seventh grade through end of eighth grade |
| Scores |
• Number of words read correctly (Correct Words Read) • Number of words read incorrectly (Errors) • Percent of words read accurately (Accuracy) • Total points from Recall and Oral Comprehension questions |
| Wait Rule | While reading, 3 seconds; During Recall, first hesitation of 3 seconds |
| Discontinue Rule |
• If no words are read correctly in the first line, say Stop, record a score of 0, and do not administer Recall. • If fewer than 10 words are read correctly on Passage 1, do not administer Recall or Passages 2 and 3. • If fewer than 40 words are read correctly on any passage, use professional judgment whether to administer Recall for that passage. |
Scoring Rules for Passage Reading
For each passage, the student receives 1 point for each word read correctly in 90 seconds.
- Leave blank any words the student reads correctly. Inserted words are not counted. To be counted as correct, words must be read as whole words and pronounced correctly for the context of the sentence. If the student reads a proper noun with any reasonable phonetic pronunciation, it is counted as correct.
- Mark a slash through any errors. Errors include:
- Words read incorrectly,
- Substitutions,
- Skipped words,
- Hesitations of more than 3 seconds,
- Words read out of order, and
- Words that are sounded out but not read as a whole word.
Scoring Rules for Recall + Oral Comprehension Questions
For each item, the student receives 2 points for answers that are correct and complete and 1 point for answers that are correct but incomplete.
Recall + Passage-Specific Knowledge Questions
- Students receive 2 points for providing both the key concept and the listed detail.
- Students receive 1 point for providing either the key concept or the listed detail.
- In response to the follow-up question(s), students receive 0 points if they provide no response, provide an incorrect response, or say “I don’t know.”
Vocabulary Questions
- Students receive 2 points for providing a correct definition that is appropriate for the context of the passage.
- Students receive 1 point if they provide (a) a correct definition that is not appropriate for the context of the passage or (b) some information about the word but not a sufficient definition.
- Students receive 0 points if they provide an incorrect response. If the student initially provides no response or says, “I don’t know,” use the wait rule and reminder procedures. After the wait rule/reminder, students receive 0 points if they provide an incorrect response, provide no response, or say, “I don’t know.”
Inference Questions
- Students receive 2 points for correctly answering the question within the context of the passage and providing a justification.
- Students receive 1 point if they provide the key concept without a justification or a partially correct response.
- Students receive 0 points if they provide an incorrect response. If the student initially provides no response or says, “I don’t know,” use the wait rule and reminder procedures. After the wait rule/reminder, students receive 0 points if they provide an incorrect response, provide no response, or say, “I don’t know.”
For more information please see the Assessment Manual located on the Acadience Resource Hub.
