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The importance of using diagnostic assessment- Renaissance

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The importance of using diagnostic assessment- Renaissance

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Diagnostic, or drill-down, assessment plays an important role in how teachers identify and understand learning strengths and needs in specific skill areas. Understanding how to utilize diagnostic assessments in education and use them to align tools with learner needs is essential for students to stay on track for grade-level expectations.

If a diagnostic assessment process is not part of your current education system, it's not too late to implement one. In this blog, you will learn:

Tips for utilizing diagnostic assessments most effectively

The difference between diagnostic assessment and diagnosis

Specific assessments that are often used in the diagnostic assessment process

And more

What is a diagnostic assessment in education?

In education, diagnostic assessment is the use of multiple measures and reports to identify student strengths and needs in specific skill areas. With this information, teachers can provide instruction to properly address learning needs.

It's also a key element of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). Within the context of an MTSS framework, diagnostic assessment is used to better understand students' academic or social-emotional behavior needs that were broadly detected by a universal screener.

There are five types of assessments often used in the diagnostic assessment process:

Why is alignment so important?

Skipping the diagnostic assessment process can unnecessarily lead to intervention alignment issues-i.e., do the student's needs, the selected intervention, and the chosen progress monitoring tool all agree?

Without diagnostic assessment, interventions might be selected based on:

Familiarity

Guesswork

Doing what has always been done

Taking the time to get to the specific skill gap or root cause significantly increases the likelihood that a selected intervention will be effective.

Diagnostic assessment vs. diagnosis

Diagnostic assessment is the process of identifying the reason for a problem, while diagnosis is the product of a comprehensive evaluation to match a student's symptoms with the criteria for a specific disorder.

While they serve very different purposes, both play an important role in identifying student learning challenges and needs. Remember, the presence of a diagnosis does not automatically mean a student is eligible for special education.

Sometimes, a student who has been diagnosed with a certain disorder might not qualify for special education because overall achievement is strong. This can only be determined when requested evaluation data is considered to see if it indicates a need for special education services.

4 tips for successfully utilizing diagnostic assessments in education

Implementing diagnostic assessments in the classroom can be hard work. Use these four tips for a successful transition into utilizing diagnostic assessments in education.

#1: Use data to guide diagnostic assessments

By using whole child data, you ensure that a learner's success is being supported through many interconnected, data-informed lenses. To do this, be sure your team is using data to guide assessments:

Use high-quality data that is valid, reliable, and accurate. If teams are using assessments that aren't measuring what they've set out to measure, the data produced by the assessment won't be of high enough quality to drive important decisions, like intervention methods.

Use multiple measures and data points. For individual learners, this helps you to understand patterns rather than using a single measure.

Invest in tools that make this process possible. Using the right tools gives educators the instant ability to get to the bottom of a problem, explore a student's needs, and efficiently determine the best next step.

#2: Ensure progress monitoring alignment

To measure student improvement, a progress measure that matches the instructional focus should be used at regular intervals. Using a progress monitoring assessment shows whether the intervention is working and if it's working fast enough.

These two progress monitoring tools are typically used by alternating between the two assessments every other week:

1. General outcome measures help you to determine whether the student is on track to meet grade-level expectations. Examples of general outcome measures for progress monitoring include FastBridge and Star Assessments from Renaissance.

2. Skill-based measures help you to better understand performance on a specific skill. Renaissance's unique Star Phonics assessment allows you to diagnose 12 critical phonics categories and 102 skills that are essential to success in reading.

As a team, educators check the alignment between the student's needs, intervention, and the progress monitoring tool to ensure effectiveness. If progress is not being made, intervention is necessary, or additional diagnostic assessments could be used to identify specific learning gaps.

However, for many students, a process of diagnostic assessment and targeted instruction and intervention will result in learning improvements.

#3: Connect diagnostic assessment to a specific plan

Once the diagnostic assessment process is complete, and intervention and progress monitoring tools have been selected, it's time to document a concrete plan.

Creating a specific plan connected to a diagnostic assessment involves articulating the identified goals of a student and the actions the education team will take together to help reach them. When writing student goals, make sure they are...

...to easily determine whether or not they're achieved. Also, be sure to include:

Intervention strategy

Duration

Frequency

Setting location

#4: Create a plan for tracking fidelity

Finally, ensure your team has a process and document or tool for tracking fidelity metrics, because the data gathered here is key to evaluating intervention effectiveness down the road.

When tracking, be sure to ask yourself these two questions and to include all necessary information in your report:

1. "Did we do what we said we would?" Note whether students are participating in the intervention, what their engagement looks like, and how often/how long you provided the intervention. You can also include what the setting is like when you're implementing interventions and who is acting as the interventionist. Identifying all of these points will help with evaluating progress monitoring information.

2. "Did we do it the way it was designed?" Think of this like cooking food using a recipe. Did you follow all of the instructions exactly, or did you add extra steps or leave something out? If you improvised at any point, note this during tracking. If results turn out poorly, you have this to look back on and can reevaluate and try it again.

Identify learner needs through diagnostic assessment with Renaissance's comprehensive tools

If you don't have a diagnostic assessment process in place throughout your school system, you could be doing more harm than good for your students. With Renaissance's comprehensive assessment and management tools, educators use data to serve the whole child, equipping them with the best interventions possible for long-lasting results.

With these tools, educators can:

Monitor learning and growth

Identify academic and social-emotional behavioral needs

Align targeted supports

As a result of diagnostic assessments and following established processes, learning is accelerated for each student.

If diagnostic assessment processes are not implemented in your schools to help successfully identify learners' needs, they should be. Connect with an expert to learn how Renaissance can help.

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The importance of using diagnostic assessment: 4 tips for identifying learner needs

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Interested in learning about diagnostic assessments? Get four tips for implementing diagnostic assessments to identify learner needs.

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Arizona Department of Education Balanced Assessment Framework

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Arizona Department of Education Balanced Assessment Framework

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Michele Rutin

Literacy Coach Coordinator

michele.rutin@azed.gov

602-364-2053

ADE ELA Webpages: Standards: English Language Arts | Arizona Department of Education (azed.gov)

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National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL) MTSS Guide

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National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL) MTSS Guide

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Goal Establish or refine a MTSS-R Leadership Team to oversee planning and implementing MTSS–R in your school.

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Sample Phonics & Word Reading Diagnostic with Analysis, page 1

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Sample Phonics & Word Reading Diagnostic with Analysis, page 1

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What is the Science of Reading?

The Science of Reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world, and it is derived from thousands of studies conducted in multiple languages. (The Reading League)

The Science of Reading is built on two fundamental truths:

1. We were never born to read. Our brains are hardwired for speech, not print.

2. The alphabetic principle is the foundation of our alphabetic writing system. It is fundamentally different from pictograph and logograph systems.

What the Science of Reading is not:

an ideology or philosophy

a fad, trend, new idea, or pendulum swing

a political agenda

a one-size-fits-all approach

a program of instruction

a single, specific component of instruction, such as phonics

Click here for The Science of Reading: Defining Guide from The Reading League!
Download the Science of Reading infographic here.
Watch a 3-minute "elevator speech" about the Science of Reading, as explained by Dr. Stephanie Stollar.

Want to learn more?

Take one of our courses to learn more about the science of reading, especially the Evidence-Based Decision Making Course, which directly aligns and supports learning in the science of reading and the shifts to structured literacy.
Literacy Professional Learning
AZ State Literacy Instruction Plans

We are so happy you are here to learn more about the Science of Reading!
We would love to hear your feedback on this page so that we know what you need and how we can support you in your understanding of how the brain learns to read.

Please take a moment to complete a simple survey by clicking the Feedback button.

**The views and opinions expressed in any third-party resource do not necessarily reflect those of the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and do not imply an endorsement by ADE.

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What is the Science of Reading? AS_ELA_Science-of-Reading-Logo-2023.png_(20230421) The Science of Reading is a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing. This research has been conducted over the last five decades across the world, and it is derived from thousands of studies conducted in multiple languages.

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Free OnDemand Reading Fundamentals Courses (5 hours self-paced)

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Free OnDemand Reading Fundamentals Courses (5 hours self-paced)

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Professional Learning | Arizona Department of Education (azed.gov)

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This is a more general MTSS overview without specific strategies for intervention.

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2025 Mohave Valley - MTSS Tiers are not for cakes

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Credit: Reading Science Academy, Stephanie Stollar Consulting

Blog | Stephanie Stollar Consulting

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Credit: Stephanie Stollar Consulting | Facebook

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Sample Phonics & Word Reading Diagnostic with Analysis, page 2

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Sample Phonics & Word Reading Diagnostic with Analysis, page 2

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Universal Literacy and Dyslexia Screener Guide

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Universal Literacy and Dyslexia Screener Guide

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Source: the Michigan Department of Education's MTSS Technical Assistance Center, Homepage | TA Center (mimtsstac.org)

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From Reading Science Academy

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Source: AZ Dyslexia Handbook

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Source: National Center on Intensive Intervention Academic Intervention Tools Chart (intensiveintervention.org)

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Source: National Center on Intensive Intervention Strategies for Scheduling: How to Find Time to Intensify and Individualize Intervention | NCII (intensiveintervention.org)

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ESSA Rating Sites:

Evidence for ESSA

What Works Clearinghouse

ESSA- What, Why, How: video series and supporting documents are available on the MOWR Administrators webpage

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Source: National Center on Intensive Intervention Academic Intervention Briefs: Implementation Tools| NCII (intensiveintervention.org)

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Source: The Reading League - The Science of Reading

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National Center for Intensive Intervention (NCII) website

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National Center for Intensive Intervention (NCII) website

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Explore all

Educators

Find tools and resources to support general and special education teachers, interventionists, school psychologists, school counselors, and other school-based personnel working with students with intensive academic and behavioral needs.

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Explore all Find tools and resources to support general and special education teachers, interventionists, school psychologists, school counselors, and other school-based personnel working with students with intensive academic and behavioral needs.

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Source: Reading Science Academy

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Blog post addressing "my triangle is upside down"

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Blog post addressing "my triangle is upside down"

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Uncategorized

Every couple of months I hear this phrase ...my triangle is upside down... and I am reminded of the need to clarify the tiered systems of support represented by the triangle graphic used in MTSS.

When people say their triangle is upside down, they mean they have more students who are at risk than who are on track. But the three-tiered model is about instruction, not students. There are no Tier 1 students, Tier 2 students and Tier 3 students, only Tier 1 instruction, Tier 2 instruction, and Tier 3 instruction. Understanding the three-tiered model and the purposes of universal screening can provide the mechanisms for turning things around.

The Three-Tiered Model

The three-tiered model is about prevention of reading failure. The tiers describe a system of increasingly intensive instructional supports that cause all students to reach grade-level reading expectations. The tiered model provides a framework for efficiently using data to match student needs to the least intensive instruction necessary to get the maximum benefit in student outcomes.

Depicted as the largest section at the base of the triangle graphic, the Tier 1 system of support represents primary prevention of reading failure. This system involves the differentiated supports provided to all students in the general education classroom. The Tier 2 system of support is conceptualized as secondary prevention of reading failure. Tier 2 supports are provided in addition to, not instead of, Tier 1 instruction, for the purpose of accelerating learning for the students who are at risk after receiving effective Tier 1 instruction. The Tier 3 system of support is described as tertiary prevention of reading failure, and includes the most individualized and intensive supports needed by the few students who are at risk for or are experiencing reading difficulties.

Students who are at risk for reading failure, or who are already struggling readers, typically need more time spent on reading instruction that is more explicit, supportive and delivered in a smaller group. Intensive intervention supports at Tiers 2 and 3 require resources such as people, materials, and time. Intervention systems represented by the sections at the top of the triangle rest on the solid foundation of effective classroom reading instruction. By meeting the needs of the majority of students through effective Tier 1 instruction, resources can be reserved for the students who need additional and more intensive supports.

The Purpose of Universal Screening

In the MTSS model, universal screening of foundational reading skills is done three times a year for two reasons:

1. early identification of students who are at risk

2. evaluating the effectiveness of the Tier 1 instructional system

Universal screening assessments include benchmark goals representing the lowest acceptable score that predicts adequate reading in the future. All students should reach these minimum expectations, but what it takes to get them there will vary in intensity. The vast majority of students (around 80%) should reach the benchmark goals with effective Tier 1 instruction alone - no additional intervention. Some students will need Tier 1 plus Tier 2 intervention to reach the goals. And a few students will need Tier 1 plus very individualized and intensive Tier 3 intervention to reach the goals. These are the concepts represented by the triangle graphic.

The goal is not to have 80% of students score at benchmark, 15% below benchmark and 5% well below benchmark. The goal of early reading instruction is to get 100% of students to the minimum expectations of the benchmark goals. The first step toward that goal is to make sure regular classroom reading instruction is used as an opportunity to maximize reading outcomes and reduce risk. When at least 80% of students score at benchmark through Tier 1 instruction alone, intervention resources can be devoted to getting the remaining 20% of students to the goals.

If less than 80% of the students score at benchmark, the grade level team can analyze the fit between the needs of the students and the instruction provided in Tier 1, rather than assigning students to interventions. Intervention systems can become overwhelmed and ineffective when they are used to attempt to support 40%, 50% or 60% of the students in a grade level. Using screening data to reflect the health of the Tier 1 reading instructional system is a powerful, but often overlooked, step toward improving reading outcomes.

Universal screening data provide rich information on the skills students have and don't yet have, how much time to spend on teaching those skills, and how to group students for classroom reading instruction. Students spend most of their instructional minutes allocated to reading in the regular classroom; therefore, classroom reading instruction in Tier 1 offers the best opportunity to meet student needs. No intervention, no matter how powerful, can make up for classroom reading instruction that is not matched to the needs of students that were identified during universal screening.

Maximizing the opportunity to prevent reading failure by aligning the needs of your students to instruction in the general education classroom will keep your triangle right side up.

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Uncategorized Every couple of months I hear this phrase ...my triangle is upside down... and I am reminded of the need to clarify the tiered systems of support represented by the triangle graphic used in MTSS. When people say their triangle is upside down, they mean they have more students who are at risk than who are on track.

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All Content Areas - Professional Learning

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All Content Areas - Professional Learning

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Get an overview of how schools can organize their Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions within an MTSS/RTI framework. Tier 2 provides small-group targeted support and Tier 3 provides intensive individualized intervention.

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Rate and Accuracy Oral Reading Fluency Decision Tree- Next Steps

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Rate and Accuracy Oral Reading Fluency Decision Tree- Next Steps

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Padlet: IES Practice Guide grades 4-9 book study 

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Padlet: IES Practice Guide grades 4-9 book study 

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Improving Foundational Reading Skills K-3

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Improving Foundational Reading Skills K-3

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Collecting Assessment Data in Schoolwide Systems- NCIL

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Collecting Assessment Data in Schoolwide Systems- NCIL

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Assessment, Instruction, and Intervention to Accelerate Learning for Students

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Intensifying Instruction for Students who are not Making Desired Progress- NCIL

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Intensifying Instruction for Students who are not Making Desired Progress- NCIL

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IDA: Structured Literacy: An Approach Grounded in the Science of Reading

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IDA: Structured Literacy: An Approach Grounded in the Science of Reading