Department of Education

Region X- Northern Mindanao

DIVISION OF VALENCIA CITY
VALENCIA CITY, BUKIDNON

LAC session reflection paper on

ASSESSING THE READING PERFORMANCE OF THE STUDENTS

Name of Teacher: JOSEPH JOSHUA A. PALAPAR

Grade and Section: FOUR-HYACINTH

Learning to read is a big job that starts with making sounds and ends, well, never really; even
adults continue to learn things about reading. However, the bulk of intentional reading instruction
begins in preschool or kindergarten, when students are taught about letter sounds and symbols. After
children understand the basics of sound/symbol relationships they move on to decoding text, or putting
letter sounds together to make words. We start to become fluent readers, or able to read at a good,
steady pace with an engaging voice, only after we're confident sight-readers, usually between third and
fifth grade. From that point on, teachers focus reading instruction on helping readers become more
fluent and, more importantly, understanding what they read, or comprehension.

How do teachers know what to teach and when to teach it? In addition to a reading curriculum,
they actually rely on assessments for this purpose, among other reasons. I think observation as a reading
assessment strategy is beneficial in that it largely promotes increased independence in the reader. The
student is being assessed as he or she is actively engaged in the literary environment - the teacher will
have a clear understanding of exactly where the student is at in that moment. As well, observation
provides opportunity for active student-teacher collaboration in goal-setting. From the point of
assessment, the teacher and student can work together to determine what the next steps should be for
the child's education and lesson planning.

I do not feel that observation provides opportunity for student engagement. In the moment of
assessment, especially if the student is aware of being assessed (such as during an oral reading exercise),
the student may become nervous and will not display his or her true performance capabilities. This may
lead a teacher astray, believing the student at a lower achievement level than is true. Observation must
therefore be supplemented with other forms of assessment.

I think this is an excellent strategy to examine the ongoing progress that a student has made
throughout the school year. Using this collected work, the teacher would be able to accurately
determine where the student's strengths are, and what areas he or she still may need development. This
is beneficial to the student in that the teacher can appropriately plan lessons for the following period
that will most suit the students' individual needs. For example, if I see that a student is struggling to stay
focused during independent reading time, this may suggest to me that that student has chosen a book
outside of their capacity. In the following days, I can work with that student in choosing appropriately
engaging books that still meet student interest.