Aus: Lyn Stone conducts a survey on teachers' use of 'Running Records' - see her findings

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Debbie_Hepplewhite
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Aus: Lyn Stone conducts a survey on teachers' use of 'Running Records' - see her findings

Post by Debbie_Hepplewhite »

Author, blogger and literacy specialist, Lyn Stone, writes a post featuring her findings of teachers' use and responses to the infamous reading assessment 'Running Records' associated with the 'Reading Recovery' multi-cueing word-guessing intervention programme:
Running Records: Results of a brief survey (spoiler: they’re unpopular if you haven’t drunk the balanced literacy Kool Aid)
https://lifelongliteracy.com/running-re ... ef-survey/

Of course other teachers might have been trained fully in how to use and analyse 'Running Records' and similar assessments - and they may well be in favour of them.

There are a number of worries raised by the findings of the survey, including:

- that the teachers described in Lyn's post appear knowledgeable about the science of reading and yet feel forced to persist in using 'Running Records' or similar asssessments

- that these multi-cueing assessments are in danger of endorsing multi-cueing word-guessing practices in the minds of some teachers

- the idea that it is acceptable to ask children to read texts they cannot read without resorting to guessing, or apply guessing strategies that they have been taught, can be a cruel and unacceptable experience for some children

- that teachers feel coerced to do a form of assessment that is very time-consuming and are not of worth if no-one looks at the results or responds to the results

- that teachers persist in doing this without formally and vigorously challenging: 1) the need to do them; and 2) the very basis of the assessments as they are not in line with the science on reading

Although not everyone in life has pioneering inclinations to challenge current practices for reading instruction and assessment that teachers know are not in line with the reading science, I do find it worrying that teachers continue with practices that go against their professional knowledge and understanding - and judgement.

Nowadays, there is such a wealth of information accessible via the internet through academic sites, websites such as the IFERI site, and various blogs and organisations, that teachers have that wealth of information to back up any protests they make against wrongful practices.

Come on teachers, use your voice when you know better.
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