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Davin is a bright and energetic 9-year-old who enjoys reading -- especially when it is about topics that interest him! He is currently in 4th grade and loves books about Dragon Ball Z and Yu-Gi-Oh!. While he sometimes struggles with focus, he was eager to help me with these assessments once I explained he would be helping Miss. Lauren practice being a teacher.

Our sessions were casual and low-pressure to keep him engaged. He responded well to a playful approach and enjoyed seeing how he measured up in different reading skills. Overall, Davin is performing at a solid 4th-grade level, and we focused on reinforcing his strengths while keeping reading fun and meaningful for him.

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To better understand Davin's reading strengths and areas for growth, I conducted a series of literacy assignments over three sessions. These assessments measured skills like word recognition and decoding, phonemic awareness, and fluency and reading comprehension.

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What We Did:

On this day, Davin and I sat down for about 30 minutes after school. I told him he was helping me practice being a teacher, and he was excited to jump in! We started with work recognition and fluency assessments, keeping it fun low-stakes. Davin read through word lists and passages, enjoying the challenge!

Assessments Completed:

CORE Vocabulary Screening Test (Word Recognition)

Purpose: To assess Davin's ability to recognize and read high-frequency words from different grade levels.

Example Words Given:

2nd Grade List: our, please, myself, town, early

3rd Grade List: city, middle, moment, exclaimed

4th Grade List: decided, served, amazed, silent

Results: Davin quickly read through the second and third grade words with no errors. He hesitated on "wrecked" and "improved" from the 4th grade list but self-corrected after a second attempt.

MASI-R Oral Reading Frequency (Timed Passage Reading)

Purpose: To assess how fluently and accurately Davin reads a passage within a set time.

Scoring Method: Davin read for one minute while I tracked errors and words per minute.

Results:

In Passage 4A, Davin stopped around the sentence "Chess is played on a chess board which is made up of squares of two colors."

Passage 4A: 85 WCPM; 95% Accuracy

Passage 4B: 88 WCPM; 97% Accuracy

Passage 4C: 82 WCPM; 96% Accuracy

Davin's median 85 WCPM and 96% accuracy indicate he is reading fluently at an appropriate 4th-grade level.

Session Highlights:

Davin enjoyed the vocabulary test, especially when he recognized tricky words.

Reading the passages was also fun for Davin because he liked using expression or "flair," as he put it.

His results showed he's reading at a 4th-grade level, meaning he can read passages and recognizes high-frequency words with ease!

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What We Did:

Davin and I met again after school for about 30 minutes. After reminding him how he helped me last time, he was excited to jump back in. I kept it fun and low-pressure, making sure he felt comfortable. In this session, I focused on sight word recognition, phonics patterns, and phonemic awareness to get a deeper understanding of his decoding skills.

Assessments Completed:

CORE Graded High-Frequency Word Survey

Purpose: To assess Davin's ability to quickly recognize and read high-frequency words at a 4th-grade level.

Example Words:

which, after, much, thought, each, years

Results: Davin got a score of 22/24 which would place him at the Benchmark level, meaning he is able to recognize and read the vast majority of the 4th-grade high-frequency words accurately.

CORE Reading Maze Comprehension Test

Purpose: Assess Davin's ability to comprehend text while reading independently. This test requires him to read a passage silently and select the correct missing words from multiple-choice options, measuring his ability to make meaning from the text.

Results: Davin correctly answered 22 items, placing him at the 4th-grade level benchmark level. His performance indicates that he is able to read and understand grade-level texts with appropriate comprehension skills.

CORE Phonics Survey

Purpose: To see how well Davin reads different phonics patterns, including blend words and vowel teams.

Results: Davin did well overall but struggled with one or two words in each category.

Phoneme Deletion Test

Purpose: To assess phonemic awareness by asking Davin to say a word and then remove a sound to create a new word.

Example:

Say play. Now say it without /p/ (lane).

Results: Davin performed well and scored a 12/14, placing him solidly in the Benchmark range.

Session Highlights:

Davin stayed engaged, especially when I let him "quiz" me back on a few words.

His results confirmed he is performing at a 4th-grade level.

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What We Did:

For our last session, Davin and I met after school for about 25 minutes to wrap up the assessments. By now, he was comfortable with the process and even seemed excited to see what we would do next. Since Davin had done well in previous assessments, I focused on segmentation and a final check of fluency and sight words to confirm he was reading at grade level.

Assessments Completed:

Phoneme Segmentation Test

Purpose: To assess Davin's ability to break words into individual sounds

Results: Davin correctly segmented 42/50 phonemes, placing him in the Benchmark range.

CORE Grade High-Frequency Word Survey - Final Review

Davin read the list again, this time with fewer errors, correcting previous mistakes.

Session Highlight:

Davin was excited to see what we would be doing next and seemed confident as he completed the final assessments.

He enjoyed the Phoneme Segmentation Test, especially when he could break words apart quickly.

Davin maintained strong fluency and accuracy, reinforcing that he is reading at a 4th-grade benchmark level.

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Over the course of our sessions, Davin demonstrated strong reading skills across all assessments. His fluency, phonics, and phonemic awareness all fell within the Benchmark range for a 4th grader, confirming that he is reading at grade level. He recognized high-frequency words with ease, segmented and manipulated sounds effectively, and read with appropriate speed and accuracy. While he had minor hesitations with a few phonics patterns and multisyllabic words, he was able to self-correct and improve when given another opportunity.

Because Davin does not need intervention, the focus moving forward should be on fostering his love for reading and continue to challenge him in ways that keep him engaged. He enjoys word searches, so incorporating increasingly challenging word puzzles-- including ones that feature new vocabulary and more complex spelling patterns-- would be a great way to reinforce his skills in a fun way. Additionally, introducing a variety of texts, including informations books about his interests, like baseball, could help expand his vocabulary and comprehension skills while keeping him motivated.

Overall, Davin is a confident and capable reader. Encouraging him to explore new and more challenging books while continuing to support his natural curiosity and enthusiasm for reading will help him continue to grow.

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Bridging the Gaps: Lessons to Strengthen Reading Skills

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Bridging the Gaps: Lessons to Strengthen Reading Skills

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If Davin were struggling with specific reading skills, I would implement targeted lessons to help bridge the gaps. For fluency, I would use repeated reading with high-interest passages, having him read the same text multiple times to build speed and accuracy. Paired reading with a teacher or peer could also help model proper pacing and expression. To strengthen comprehension, I would incorporate think-aloud strategies, where we pause during reading to discuss predictions, key details, and main ideas. Graphic organizers, like story maps or cause-and-effect charts, would help him visually organize information. If vocabulary was a challenge, I would use word mapping activities, where he connects new words to synonyms, antonyms, and real-world examples. Additionally, interactive word sorts and context clue exercises would reinforce meaning. For phonics, I would focus on world-building games, breaking words into syllables for manipulating sounds to strengthen decoding skills. These lessons would be engaging, hands-on, and tailored to his needs, ensuring he gains confidence and proficiency in reading.

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Final Reflection: Lessons Learned and Future Application

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Final Reflection: Lessons Learned and Future Application

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Working with Davin on these reading assessments was a valuable and insightful experience that reinforced the importance of creating a low-pressure, engaging learning environment for students. Because Davin is already reading at grade level, this experience allowed me to see how assessments can be used not only to identify areas for improvement but also to confirm strengths and inform future learning opportunities.

One of the biggest takeaways for me was how much student engagement impacts assessment results. Davin was more motivated and eager to participate when I framed our sessions as him "helping me practice being a teacher." This experience showed me the value of making assessments feel collaborative rather than intimidating, a strategy I will carry into my future classroom.

Additionally, I saw firsthand how important it is to consider student interests when fostering a love for reading. Davin thrives in when reading topics that excite him, which reminds me that allowing student choice in books and activities can make a big difference in motivation. Moving forward, I will prioritize incorporating student interests into literacy instruction to help make reading feel meaningful and enjoyable for all learners.

This experience also reinforced that even students who are performing well still benefit from continued challenges and enrichment activities. In my future classroom, I will make sure to provide opportunities for students at all levels to stretch their skills, explore new vocabulary, and build confidence in their reading abilities.

Overall, working with Davin gave me a deeper understanding of how to assess reading skills, interpret results, and use that information to support and encourage young readers. I am excited to apply what I have learned as I continue my journey toward becoming a teacher!