Literacy Assessments and Flexible Grouping
Jaleesa Robinson
Walden University
Dr. Althea Jordan
Literacy in Academically Diverse Classrooms – READ 6609
May 7, 2020
Literacy Assessments
Part 1: Literacy Assessment Tools
My school’s student population is quite unique. We house over 1,000 students. The student
population is compromised of students from six out of seven continents. Representing over 40
countries and speaking 45 various languages and dialects, our school is very diverse. Despite the
language barriers, cultural differences and low socioeconomic status of our students, the
expectations for their academic success is no different from their American born and English-
speaking peers. As the nation continues to push reading initiatives and programs to increase the
reading literacy proficiency of students; it is critical for educators to understand the specific
needs of the learners they teach. In order to determine what learners know and where their
deficits lay, teachers must assess students throughout the school year. Meaningful assessment
data reveal what students know and are able to do, and provide teachers with the information
they need to track student progress and to identify and support students who are struggling (Star
& Spellings, 2014). Assessments are the foundation of academic success. They provide teachers
with instructional guidance for optimal student support.
At the beginning of the school year, my students have limited English proficiency. Their English
progresses throughout the year; however, test language can be complex and tricky for learners to
process and understand. Because of this, district mandated test such as the MAP test, which
assesses the students’ foundation skills, language and writing skills, reading literary and
informational skills, as well as student vocabulary acquisition and usage, does not provide a true
measure of my students’ academic capabilities. These assessments are also administered using
computers, which works against the students who lack computer proficiency. By administering
informal, oral reading literacy assessments such as the Middle of the Year (M.O.Y.) reading
comprehensive reading assessment, I can evaluate what all students learned and what content
needs to be revisited.
The literacy tool I used for this assessment is the M.O.Y. Comprehensive Reading Assessment.
This assessment assesses the following skills: upper and lowercase alphabet recognition, letter
sound recognition, and sight word recognition. It also assesses students’ knowledge of rhyming
words, syllables, as well cvc/cvcc word blending. This is a strength of this assessment. Because it
assesses numerous skills, it allows me to identify if students possess any underlying phonemic
awareness or other phonics development issues that the student may require remediation.
