Chapter 7

“The student’s mediated reading level determines the level at which the student can efficiently be taught…the diagnostic teacher establishes the highest difficulty level at which the student profits from instruction.” Pg. 121

I think that this is what we would consider the student’s instructional reading level. This level is important for all teachers to know because that is the level at which we teach at. Instructional levels allow us to help students build the proper reading skills and strategies with a text that is just hard enough to promote instruction but not so hard that the student is overly frustrated and wants to give up. Although the process of finding students reading levels might be time consuming, as we are finding out with our QRI’s it is definitely an important process.

“A third consideration is the amount of teacher investment necessary to engage the student in an active interpretation of text. As she teaches, the diagnostic teacher adjusts her instruction to the needs of the student.” Pg. 123

It is important to build a positive and supporting relationship with each individual student, because this relationship will give you the tools to help the student succeed. For instance, Walker suggests “What does the student already know that will help him understand the story?” If the teacher does not understand the ins and outs of this child’s life and their personal reading skills, it might be difficult to help the student understand. I believe that in order for a child to succeed you must invest your time into them.

“Reading progress is indicated by a decrease in miscues and an increase in the number of questions answered correctly.” Pg.126

I like this statement because it shows that a student’s reading progress is not just reading aloud or answering comprehension questions, it is both. If a student is only progressing in one area, there really is not much overall reading progress, instead more instruction is necessary. I have noticed this with many students, often times I see that a student can read aloud fluently but will then have no idea what they just read. They clearly need further instruction to bring up their reading level.

“The teacher assesses reading change during the lesson as well as the amount of task modification and teacher investment needed to produce that change. These measures not only determine placement but also establish optimal instructional conditions.” Pg. 126

The diagnostic teacher is always assessing and changing instruction to best fit the needs of her students. I think that this is very important in any classroom. There is no point in continuing a lesson if the student(s) are not understanding something. Many lessons scaffold on top of one another and the student will be lost in the future. It is important to stop re-assess the situation and move forward. As we all have found out not all lessons begin and end the way we thought they would.

“She focuses on teaching rather than testing to reveal those instructional adjustments that produce reading change for a particular student.” Pg. 132
I find that students who are struggling with reading often do not like to be tested because they feel that they are tested so often. For example, I had to give a DRA to one student this year and before we even started, he saw the testing materials and said “Not another one!” This put him in a bad mood before we even started the assessment. I think that diagnostic teaching, which includes assessment during regular instruction, will benefit students more often than standardized tests will.