Informal Reading Inventory IRI Carol Nichols, Metropolitan State College of Denver, nicholscmscd

1. Informal Reading Inventory (IRI)Carol Nichols, Metropolitan State College of Denver, nicholsc@mscd.edu Purpose: Identify the individual student’s seven functional reading levels

2. IRI A structured observation of a student’s reading Administered one-to-one Informal, not standardized Gives six estimates of the student’s reading performance levels Gives one estimate of the student’s potential (capacity) reading level

3. Identification of Functional Reading Levels - Overview The administration of an Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) will enable the teacher to identify a student’s seven functional reading levels. The teacher will be able to provide appropriate reading materials for the student to read independently and to read with help (guidance) from the teacher. The IRI results also indicate the level which will be frustrating. Finally, a potential level can be identified which roughly estimates the level at which the student should be reading.

4. Six of the seven functional reading levels Oral independent reading level Silent independent reading level Oral instructional reading level Silent instructional reading level Oral frustration reading level Silent frustration reading level

5. Oral and Silent Independent Reading Levels The level of print the student can read with ease without guidance/help from the teacher The level which can be read independently without anxiety or tension The level of free-time reading books Word identification and comprehension are very high, even without help.

6. Oral and Silent Instructional Reading Levels The level of print the student can read successfully IF the teacher is providing instructional assistance/guidance. Can read at this level without anxiety or tension IF the teacher is providing assistance. The level of all printed materials where the teacher is providing guidance. The level where reading skills expand and develop. With guidance, word identification and comprehension are very high.

7. Oral and Silent Frustration Reading Levels The level of print which is too difficult for the student to be reading, even if the teacher is providing instructional assistance/guidance. Even with teacher guidance, word identification and comprehension are poor. Attempting to read at the frustration level frequently results in reluctance to read, discipline problems, the development of poor attitudes, and the development of low self esteem.

8. The 6 functional reading levels described above show what IS. The student IS able to read independently at the particular levels (oral & silent) identified as independent. The student IS able to read, with instructional guidance from the teacher, at the particular levels (oral and silent) identified as instructional. The student IS frustrated and should not be asked to read at the particular levels (oral & silent) identified as frustration levels, even if the teacher provides instructional assistance.

9. Evaluation and Instructional Decisions – Independent Level All students should have access to library books and free-time reading books at their independent levels. These free-time books would be used when the teacher gives students time to read “on their own.”

10. Evaluation and Instructional Decisions – Instructional Level The printed materials the teacher uses for reading instruction should be at the students’ instructional levels. Content area texts should also be at the students’ instructional levels. The teacher provides instructional steps to support the students before they start to read the assignment. Instructional steps are provided for support during the reading. Instructional steps are provided after the reading to enhance comprehension. Providing these instructional steps is called guided reading.

11. Guided reading will be covered later in the course.

12. Evaluation and Instructional Decisions – Frustration Level Even with instructional guidance from the teacher, text written at the students’ frustration levels is too difficult. Students’ should not be asked to read material which is at their frustration reading levels. However, material at their frustration levels could be read aloud to the students by the teacher if the content of the material is important for them to experience.

13. The 7th functional level is the Potential Level. Potential level is sometimes called the capacity level or the listening level. Potential level is the estimate of the level the student should be reading if he/she had all of the literacy skills he/she should have at that point of development.

14. Use of the potential reading level The teacher can compare the level where the student IS reading to the level the student SHOULD BE reading. Compare the student’s instructional level (either oral or silent) with the potential level. If the potential level is higher than the instructional level, there is an indication that the student is not reading up to his/her mental potential.

15. Comparison of instructional level with the potential level If the potential level is higher than the instructional level, you have a gap or discrepancy between the two levels. This discrepancy suggests that something is causing the student to be reading at a lower level than he/she is mentally capable of reading. One cause of a discrepancy may be weak use of cueing systems or strategies.

16. Discrepancy between instructional level and potential level If you suspect the discrepancy is caused by the student’s inability to use word identification skills, then you must do further assessment and evaluation to identify which word identification skills are weak (sight words, use of syntactic and/or semantic context clues, use of graphophonics, etc.) For this, you will need to do MISCUE ANALYSIS which we will cover later in the course.

17. Administration of an IRI – Oral Levels ORAL independent, instructional, and frustration levels are determined when the student orally reads increasingly more difficult graded passages. As the student reads orally, you use a “shorthand” system to record any errors (miscues) made during the oral reading. After the reading of each of the passages, the teacher asks comprehension questions. Go into the scale at the bottom of the page to determine the level of the passage. Continue until the student reaches his/her frustration level and then stop the oral reading.

18. Administration of an IRI – Silent Levels SILENT independent, instructional, and frustration levels are determined by having the student silently read increasingly more difficult passages graded passages. The teacher will NOT be marking miscues because the student is reading silently. After the silent reading of each of the passages, the teacher asks comprehension questions. Go into the scale at the bottom of the page to determine the level of the passage. Continue until the student reaches his/her frustration level and then stop the silent reading.

19. Administration of an IRI – Listening Level After the student reaches his/her oral and silent frustration levels, begin the listening level part of the assessment. Listening level is determined by reading TO the student increasingly more difficult passages graded passages STARTING just after a frustration level passage (either oral or silent frustration level).

20. Determining Listening Level - Continued After you read a passage TO the student, ask the comprehension questions. If the student gets 70% comprehension or higher, go on to the next higher passage. Read the next high passage TO the student, ask the questions, and determine the percent correct. Keep going until comprehension drops below 70%. The highest level with 70% comprehension or higher is the student’s listening level.

21. Learning to administer an IRI First, practice the “shorthand” system you will use to record the errors (miscues) the student makes when he/she is reading the passages orally. Use the handout in the packet which shows and explains the “shorthand” marking system. Have someone orally read and make errors so you can practice the “shorthand” system. The only way to develop the skill needed to rapidly mark errors (miscues) is to practice. A practice tape is available in the reserve section of the library. Use of the tape is optional.

22. Questions on Assessment and on IRI Background You have the background information related to Assessment from the “Assessment” Power Point and from the article. Now you have the background related to functional reading levels and the IRI.