Word ID: Assessment Across the Content Areas

Description

While many assessments exist for content-area vocabulary and comprehension, content-area word identification is often overlooked. Many times it is assumed that students select incorrect answers because of their insufficient content-area knowledge when the failure is actually due to their difficulty in reading multisyllabic words.

Word ID’s reliable and valid Three-Step Formative Assessment System helps content-area teachers identify students in grades 6-12 who need instruction in multisyllabic word identification so they can independently read and comprehend their English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies texts.

Use Word ID with secondary students to:

• Quickly and easily identify students who struggle with or cannot read multisyllabic words in their content-area texts
• Support instruction in reading and comprehending complex texts
• Determine where additional assessment, instruction, or intervention is needed in word identification
• Identify students who need specific instruction in developing their college and career readiness skills

The whole-class screeners and individual diagnostic assessments are tailored to each specific content area to measure students’ ability to use knowledge of syllable types, syllable division patterns, and common morphemes (e.g., prefixes, suffixes, Greek roots) to decode multisyllabic words. Based on results, teachers can implement an individual or targeted group intervention in a Response to Instruction (RtI) or another instructional improvement framework.

Determined by ground-breaking research analyzing approximately 4,500 content-area words, Word ID features targeted prefixes, suffixes, and Greek roots that were selected for their frequency of occurrence in each specific content area.

Why Assess Word Identification in Secondary School?

Prevalence of Multisyllabic Words in Secondary Content Area Texts

One chief characteristic of content area texts is the prevalence of multisyllabic words. Since the academic content areas are the heart of the secondary school curriculum, students must master multisyllabic word reading if they are to be prepared for college and career.

Some Secondary Students Require Instruction in Word Identification

Proficient readers possess skill in three distinct yet interrelated areas: word identification, vocabulary, and comprehension. When a student is struggling to read, it is often difficult for teachers to discern which of these areas may be causing the greatest difficulty. While there are many assessments for secondary teachers to choose from if they wish to measure student proficiency in vocabulary or comprehension, word identification skills are generally overlooked at the secondary level.

Word ID Assessments Are …

Word ID Assessments Can Be Used in …

Word ID Assessments Can Be Used by …