The reader must feel as relaxed as possible with the assessor, and the assessment should be done in a situation that does not resemble a test. After the reader has selected the text, the assessor should give an introduction to it so that the context is established for the reader. This is true to life as we rarely have to read anything without knowing something about it first. Errors should be recorded as the learner is reading. The instructor should discuss why the errors were made with the learner after the reading.
Adults are often very insightful about their own strengths and weaknesses in reading.
Sight words Sentence patterns Organization of meaning The Initial Assessment Pack available from the Literacy and Continuing Education Branch provides additional ideas about how to conduct a reading assessment. An effective way to determine how well a learner is writing and spelling is to have the learner write about something that is very familiar to him or her. Appendix B includes examples of other topics that you may want to suggest. All learners have preferred ways of taking in information that they want to understand and learn. Some people prefer to see information, others to hear it, and still others to experience it through muscle movement.