Building a Performance-Based Assessment System To Diagnose Strengths and Weaknesses in Reading Achievement

• Main Authors: Hennings, Sara S, Hughes, Kay E
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 01.04.1992
• Subjects: Diagnostic Assess Reading Trial Teach Strategies; Diagnostic Tests; Elementary School Students; Elementary Secondary Education; Evaluation Methods; Field Studies; Language Arts; Oral Reading; Performance Based Assessment; Reading Achievement; Reading Comprehension; Reading Diagnosis; Reading Tests; Secondary School Students; Semantics; Silent Reading; Spelling; Student Evaluation; Test Construction; Test Validity; Word Recognition

This paper provides a brief description of the development of the Diagnostic Assessments of Reading with Trial Teaching Strategies (DARTTS) program by F. G. Roswell and J. S. Chall. It also describes the editorial and statistical procedures that were used to validate the program for determining students' strengths and weaknesses in important areas of reading and language. The DARTTS program is a unique performance-based assessment that serves as a testing/teaching diagnostic tool. The Diagnostic Assessments of Reading are short formal tests that assess strengths and weaknesses in six areas of reading and language: (1) word recognition; (2) word analysis; (3) oral reading; (4) silent reading comprehension; (5) spelling; and (6) word meaning. The informal assessment lessons of the Trial Teaching Strategies are organized by developmental levels from beginning through advanced. The tests were developed and given an initial item try-out in 1989 with 1,664 students in grades 2 through 8. A 1990-91 validation study involved 1,216 students in grades 1 through 12. The process of item development is illustrated by referring to a specific test section. The procedures that validated the DARTTS program may have applications in developing other similar instruments. There are 12 tables of study data and an 10-item list of references. (SLD)