Fountas and Pinell Assessment- How can we assess student's comprehension of text?

Fountas and Pinell Assessment- 

Essential Question:  
How can we assess student's comprehension of text and plan for next steps of instruction?

F & P Calibration Nov. 12, 2015
We will start in the media center.

1. Classroom teacher will administer the F&P- Teachers will have books. I have copies of test sheets for fiction and nonfiction.
2. All teachers will score accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.
3. Compare scoring of comprehension
4. Questions to discuss:

How did we score comprehension at the 3 levels?  Why?

What would be this students praise and prompt?

What would be goals for this student?

What would be next steps for instruction?  Use F&P Continuum

Please meet in the following groups in the classroom of the teacher in red.  
Groups for Thursday

Immerse
Comprehension Conversation

Can a child look back at the text during the comprehension conversation?
Though you should not instruct the student to do so, it is permissible for the child to initiate looking back in the text. If the student begins to read the text, ask him to tell the response in his own words.

What happens if the child has to refer back to the text to answer a question? Does this affect his comprehension score? If a child initiates looking back in the text, locates the information, and provides a correct response then you should give credit for the answer. Looking back in the text will not affect the comprehension score.

What if the child does not understand the question? Be sure to rephrase the question until the child understands it. Your goal is to determine whether the student understood the information in the story, not whether the student understood the question.

How can I keep up with the note taking? After you have administered the conversation one or two times, you will be able to interpret the student’s comments and connect them to the “key understandings” in the first column. Check the ones the student has covered and take notes only on the additional information provided by the student (if any). Also, you can take a quick moment to make these checks right after the conversation (while the student writing or after she leaves).

What should I do if the student does not come up with the key understandings? You can use the probes or questions to elicit answers. You do not need to score the student lower because you had to probe for answers. Some children are not accustomed to spontaneously talking about their thinking, yet they may understand the text very well and demonstrate it when questioned.

Should I “count” the “right answers” the student makes in order to come up with the comprehension score? No. These texts vary and have different requirements in terms of key understandings (thinking within, beyond, and about the text). Look at the rubric for scoring each category (within, beyond, and about). Make a holistic decision as to the extent to which the student has demonstrated thinking.

Where can I find more information about thinking within, beyond, and about the text? You will find very detailed descriptions in Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency: Thinking, Talking, and Writing About Reading, K- 8 by Fountas and Pinnell (Heinemann, 2006).

                                                From- Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark 1 Assessment Guide
Investigate/ Coalesce
Staff Meeting Collaboratively administering F & P and reflective PLC conversations in teachers classroom.

Go Public
Use understanding to help students build comprehension in reading during guided reading.
Question stems for thinking within, beyond, and about the text
Question stems for levels A-Z
Fountas and Pinell Continuum

Nov. 24- Update Guided Reading Levels

• You need to formally assess all kids May 6.  
• You can formally assess kids 1-2 other times based on your choice.

Questions to consider?
Do I need information to confirm my thinking?
Do I need information for my SLO in January?
When should I assess my students as they grow at different times so it is not a burden on assessment?