Informal Reading Inventory

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Informal Reading Inventory

• Using the Ekwall/Shanker Reading Inventory
• 4th Edition

2
Discover levels of reading material pupils can
read

• Without assistance (independent)
• With assistance (instructional)
• Levels they should not be asked to read
  (frustration)

3
Emphasis on

• NOT upon comparing performance of someone who is
  taking an IRI with others who have taken it

4
Emphasis on

• BUT on learning about the skills, abilities, and
  needs of the individual in order to plan a
  program of reading instruction that will allow
  for maximum rate of progress

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Emphasis on

• NO time limits
• NOT compared against standardized or normed
  scores
• BUT against pre-established standards which must
  be met if a reader is to become a successful,
  accomplished reader
• No matter how old the reader, must be fluent and
  comprehend at existing instructional level in
  order to continue progressing

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Informal Reading Inventory

• At first, passages from actual materials read in
  class were used, but the passage levels were
  uncertain

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Allows for

• Comparison of silent and oral reading
• Assessment of fluency and word recognition
  proficiency at various levels of difficulty to
  determine the level of materials that a student
  should read under various conditions
• Listening comprehension

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Listening comprehension

• Allows a more definitive conclusion about
  capacity or potential level
• Level at which student probably would be able to
  read if no limiting factors were present
• Comparing students capacity level with his or
  her instructional level can indicate potential
  for improvement

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Listening comprehension

• Why?

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IRI Criteria-p. 9

• LEVEL WORD REC
  COMP
• Independent 99 or more
  90 or more
• Instructional 95 or more
  60 or more
• Frustration 90 or less
  50 or more
• Listening Comprehension
  70-75 or more

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Steps in the IRI

• Give San Diego Quick or graded word lists (GWL)
• Locate a passage at the students placement level
  (p. 37)
• Tell the student what will be expected during the
  assessment process
• Present the copy of the first passage to the
  student and read intro statement (student pages
  have symbols for levels--see p. 19 for key to
  symbols)

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Steps in the IRI

• Ask the student to read the passage orally
• Mark all miscues on the teachers copy
• Remove the passage and ask the comprehension
  questions
• Record incorrect responses for later miscue
  analysis (marking system p. 24)

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Steps in the IRI

• Present student with passage from a different
  form at the same grade level
• Read intro statement
• Ask student to read silently and look up when
  finished
• Remove passage and ask comprehension questions,
  record incorrect responses

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Steps in the IR

• If student met criteria on word recognition and
  comprehension, move on to next higher level and
  administer oral and silent passages from the same
  two forms as before
• If student did not meet independent level, drop
  back to next lower grade passage and administer
  both forms at that level
• Continue to drop back until independent level is
  located

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Steps in the IRI

• If the initial passage presented was not at
  frustration level, go to the next level above
  that passage until frustration level is met
• For listening comprehension level--read passages
  above frustration level aloud
• Ask comprehension questions
• Continue to read progressively higher passages
  until student falls below 75 comprehension

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Analysis of IRI

• See pp. 89 for sample analysis
• See pages p. 122 for analysis forms
• Make copies of forms and teacher documents