Model assessments include one traditional assessment, one that assesses student work over time and administers and scores assessment pieces under standardized conditions, and one that integrates reading and writing and involves collecting work in a portfolio that is evaluated by teachers with input from students and parents. Performance-based assessments require students to demonstrate knowledge and skills in reading and writing by engaging in authentic reading and writing tasks. This is one form of assessment for identifying specific reading and writing problems and observing each student's progress over time. For students in the early grades, performance-based assessments can include reading aloud and discussing texts, as well as writing. They can be integrated with games, music, drawing, role-playing, and other fun activities.
Portfolios are collections of student work that are used to assess their knowledge and skill.
Teachers can profile each child's literacy development over time by assembling students' writing assignments and their own recorded observations of oral reading in portfolios. Teachers are encouraged to include student selections of their best work and of work showing growth. Pinpoint problems by looking for patterns in the words students are unable to recognize or decode and in the mistakes students make in pronouncing and spelling words. Observe which strategies students use successfully when they encounter unfamiliar words and which strategies may be presenting barriers. Observe what selections students make in their independent reading and gain insights about comprehension by conversing with them about what they have read.