M.C. McKenna & S.A. Stahl, (2003). Assessment for Reading Instruction.
Milton, Marion
* M.C. McKenna & S.A. Stahl, (2003). Assessment for Reading
Instruction. New York: Guildford.
Assessment for Reading Instruction is designed for teachers and
education students who work with children who are experiencing literacy
difficulties, in particular, 'struggling' readers. In the
introduction to the book McKenna and Stahl state that 'all reading
assessment is based on a model'. They indicate that such models may
be explicit or haphazard, but that both teachers and reading specialists
need a model of assessment in order to make sense of observations of
students' reading behaviour and to enable them to interpret and act
on data from a range of sources. Following this premise, a number of
models of reading assessment are described including a
'deficit' model that rests on diagnosis and remediation; a
contextual model that broadens the former perspective to include the
impact of context on students' difficulties; stage models that
describe developmental stages that children pass through on their way to
becoming proficient readers; and finally a cognitive model. The
cognitive model, to which the authors subscribe, suggests that reading
is composed of three elements, automatic word recognition, understanding
of the language in the text, and the use of strategies to achieve the
purpose for reading. The authors contend that asking questions about
student competence at any point in the model will enable a teacher to
isolate areas needing further instruction. For example, 'Is the
child's [lack of] vocabulary knowledge an impediment to
comprehension?'. The authors clearly indicate how a teacher can use
the model to go from test results to planning appropriate action.
Following descriptions of assessment models, the book covers
different types of assessments, formal and informal, including norm
referenced and diagnostic tests. The text also clearly explains
reliability and validity of tests and how to interpret test results and
how to read a student profile. A range of assessments are presented and
thoroughly unpicked to illustrate how they measure particular aspects of
reading. There is also a section on spelling and its assessment.
Along with descriptions of various tests, the authors describe
early reading processes and in particular the different theories about
how a child learns to read. They clearly debunk the popular notion that
good readers predict when they read, citing research evidence to back up
their statements. So although this book is a 'how to' for
assessment, interpretation and planning reading instruction, it also
validates the stance taken, by reference to current research. Notable
exclusions, however, are the work of Tunmer, who did much of the early,
groundbreaking research that indicated the importance of phonological
awareness in reading acquisition, and Goswami's research
demonstrating children's use of analogy and incomplete alphabetic
knowledge to read new words that contain known rimes. Even so, McKenna
and Stahl do discuss phonological awareness and the use of rimes in
reading development.
The authors provide case studies, personal anecdotes from their own
reading clinic and concise definitions of technical terms to illustrate
and elaborate on assessment. They also pose questions throughout the
book to focus readers' attention and guide their thinking about
assessment. Their clear writing style makes the text accessible to both
teachers and university education students.
For a practising teacher the format may have been easier if all of
the tests had been located together at the end, however for students and
those who need to have particular types of tests explained in detail,
the present format will be useful.
Assessment for Reading Instruction is an accessible, easy to read
text whose audience will range from undergraduate, postgraduate
education students to practising teachers, reading specialists and would
also be useful for teachers' professional development.
With the current focus in schools, education departments and
governments on accountability and assessment, along with the push to
improve the literacy of those students at the lower end of the scale,
this book is timely.
Marion Milton
EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY, WA
