Copies will be included with the Early Reading Support Kit and the kit updates that will be provided for elementary principals, kindergarten and first-grade teachers. ISEL is a new reading assessment test or inventory designed to assist kindergarten and first-grade classroom teachers in knowing the skill level of each student. This information is important in identifying students at the onset of their school career who may need more intense reading instruction. The results of the inventory provide teachers with a picture of individual students and the entire class so they can plan reading instruction. Currently, the spring 2001 field test is underway at various sites across the state to validate test components.
Teachers can give the test several times during the school year to check a student s progress.
ISEL was designed by National-Louis University in connection with the Illinois State Board of Education. It is available in English and Spanish versions. A manual and website will support teachers with suggestions for administering the test, provide follow-up assessments for further diagnosis and provide instructional strategies for use by classroom teachers. Plans are underway to distribute 2001 kits and updates through the ROEs, ISCs and Chicago Public School District 299. Its components include the ACT assessment, two workplace skills tests called WorkKeys and sections developed by the State Board.