Title: Informal Reading Inventory IRI Carol Nichols, Metropolitan State College of Denver, nicholscmscd'edu
1Informal Reading Inventory (IRI)Carol Nichols,
Metropolitan State College of Denver,
nicholsc_at_mscd.edu
- Purpose Identify the individual students seven
functional reading levels
2 IRI
- A structured observation of a students reading
- Administered one-to-one
- Informal, not standardized
- Gives six estimates of the students reading
performance levels - Gives one estimate of the students potential
(capacity) reading level
3 Identification of Functional Reading Levels -
Overview
- The administration of an Informal Reading
Inventory (IRI) will enable the teacher to
identify a students seven functional reading
levels. - The teacher will be able to provide appropriate
reading materials for the student to read
independently and to read with help (guidance)
from the teacher. The IRI results also indicate
the level which will be frustrating. Finally, a
potential level can be identified which roughly
estimates the level at which the student should
be reading.
4Six of the seven functional reading levels
- Oral independent reading level
- Silent independent reading level
- Oral instructional reading level
- Silent instructional reading level
- Oral frustration reading level
- Silent frustration reading level
5Oral and Silent Independent Reading Levels
- The level of print the student can read with ease
without guidance/help from the teacher - The level which can be read independently without
anxiety or tension - The level of free-time reading books
- Word identification and comprehension are very
high, even without help.
6Oral and Silent Instructional Reading Levels
- The level of print the student can read
successfully IF the teacher is providing
instructional assistance/guidance. - Can read at this level without anxiety or tension
IF the teacher is providing assistance. - The level of all printed materials where the
teacher is providing guidance. - The level where reading skills expand and
develop. - With guidance, word identification and
comprehension are very high.
7Oral and Silent Frustration Reading Levels
- The level of print which is too difficult for the
student to be reading, even if the teacher is
providing instructional assistance/guidance. - Even with teacher guidance, word identification
and comprehension are poor. - Attempting to read at the frustration level
frequently results in reluctance to read,
discipline problems, the development of poor
attitudes, and the development of low self
esteem.
8The 6 functional reading levels described above
show what IS.
- The student IS able to read independently at the
particular levels (oral silent) identified as
independent. - The student IS able to read, with instructional
guidance from the teacher, at the particular
levels (oral and silent) identified as
instructional. - The student IS frustrated and should not be asked
to read at the particular levels (oral silent)
identified as frustration levels, even if the
teacher provides instructional assistance.
9Evaluation and Instructional Decisions
Independent Level
- All students should have access to library books
and free-time reading books at their independent
levels. These free-time books would be used when
the teacher gives students time to read on their
own.
10Evaluation and Instructional Decisions
Instructional Level
- The printed materials the teacher uses for
reading instruction should be at the students
instructional levels. Content area texts should
also be at the students instructional levels. - The teacher provides instructional steps to
support the students before they start to read
the assignment. - Instructional steps are provided for support
during the reading. - Instructional steps are provided after the
reading to enhance comprehension. Providing these
instructional steps is called guided reading.
11Guided reading will be covered later in the
course.
12Evaluation and Instructional Decisions
Frustration Level
- Even with instructional guidance from the
teacher, text written at the students
frustration levels is too difficult. - Students should not be asked to read material
which is at their frustration reading levels. - However, material at their frustration levels
could be read aloud to the students by the
teacher if the content of the material is
important for them to experience.
13The 7th functional level is the Potential Level.
- Potential level is sometimes called the capacity
level or the listening level. - Potential level is the estimate of the level the
student should be reading if he/she had all of
the literacy skills he/she should have at that
point of development.
14Use of the potential reading level
- The teacher can compare the level where the
student IS reading to the level the student
SHOULD BE reading. Compare the students
instructional level (either oral or silent) with
the potential level. If the potential level is
higher than the instructional level, there is an
indication that the student is not reading up to
his/her mental potential.
15Comparison of instructional level with the
potential level
- If the potential level is higher than the
instructional level, you have a gap or
discrepancy between the two levels. This
discrepancy suggests that something is causing
the student to be reading at a lower level than
he/she is mentally capable of reading. One cause
of a discrepancy may be weak use of cueing
systems or strategies.
16Discrepancy between instructional level and
potential level
- If you suspect the discrepancy is caused by the
students inability to use word identification
skills, then you must do further assessment and
evaluation to identify which word identification
skills are weak (sight words, use of syntactic
and/or semantic context clues, use of
graphophonics, etc.) For this, you will need to
do MISCUE ANALYSIS which we will cover later in
the course.
17Administration of an IRI Oral Levels
- ORAL independent, instructional, and frustration
levels are determined when the student orally
reads increasingly more difficult graded
passages. - As the student reads orally, you use a
shorthand system to record any errors (miscues)
made during the oral reading. - After the reading of each of the passages, the
teacher asks comprehension questions. - Go into the scale at the bottom of the page to
determine the level of the passage. - Continue until the student reaches his/her
frustration level and then stop the oral reading.
18Administration of an IRI Silent Levels
- SILENT independent, instructional, and
frustration levels are determined by having the
student silently read increasingly more difficult
passages graded passages. - The teacher will NOT be marking miscues because
the student is reading silently. - After the silent reading of each of the passages,
the teacher asks comprehension questions. - Go into the scale at the bottom of the page to
determine the level of the passage. - Continue until the student reaches his/her
frustration level and then stop the silent
reading.
19Administration of an IRI Listening Level
- After the student reaches his/her oral and silent
frustration levels, begin the listening level
part of the assessment. - Listening level is determined by reading TO the
student increasingly more difficult passages
graded passages STARTING just after a frustration
level passage (either oral or silent frustration
level).
20Determining Listening Level - Continued
- After you read a passage TO the student, ask the
comprehension questions. - If the student gets 70 comprehension or higher,
go on to the next higher passage. - Read the next high passage TO the student, ask
the questions, and determine the percent correct.
- Keep going until comprehension drops below 70.
- The highest level with 70 comprehension or
higher is the students listening level.
21Learning to administer an IRI
- First, practice the shorthand system you will
use to record the errors (miscues) the student
makes when he/she is reading the passages orally. - Use the handout in the packet which shows and
explains the shorthand marking system. - Have someone orally read and make errors so you
can practice the shorthand system. The only
way to develop the skill needed to rapidly mark
errors (miscues) is to practice. - A practice tape is available in the reserve
section of the library. Use of the tape is
optional.
22Questions on Assessment and on IRI Background
- You have the background information related to
Assessment from the Assessment Power Point
and from the article. - Now you have the background related to functional
reading levels and the IRI.