Usage Category:
Baseline
Intention:
Mr. Russ wants to get a baseline idea of his new class’s vocabulary skills. Using context clues to find word meaning is an important grade 4 ELA skill that will receive focus throughout the year and is a part of most reading lessons.
Instructional Mini Test:
He finds Instructional Mini Test items for RL.4.4, which focuses on determining the meaning of words. He selects a variety of levels to help pinpoint skill levels.
Considerations:
After assigning and administrating the same Instructional Mini Test to his whole class, Mr. Russ evaluates the results. He notices that over 85% of the students in his new class show they have sufficient understanding of this standard.
Determinations for instruction:
Mr. Russ realizes that he won’t need to spend as much time introducing and teaching this skill as he has done in years past as the class heads into new reading units. Instead, he can focus on ways to enrich and build on this standard to achieve a higher level of student understanding.
Variations & Next Steps:
Mr. Russ continues to find relevant Instructional Mini Tests at higher levels as the students progress through the units during the year. This provides him with accurate information about students’ knowledge of the standard.