Learn how to take and analyzea running record!
What is a running record? A running recordis a technique for capturing and recording oral reading behaviors (what a reader says and does), using a system for coding the reader’s responses. It is an observation tool ~ not a test ~ to determine what reading processes a child is usingtodetermine instructional needsand for placement purposes. It also includes a comprehension check. The term miscue is defined as an observed response that does not match what the person listening to the reading expects to hear. Miscue Analysis involves both a quantitative and qualitative component. Qualitative Analysis meanslooking at reading behavior for signs ofstrategy use.
The Running Record Form
There are twoparts: the running record and a comprehension check. When you perform a running record,use the symbols and marking conventions explainedbelow to record a child’s reading. When the session is complete, calculate the accuracy rate, error rate, and self-correction rate, and enter them in the boxes at the bottom of the page.
Accuracy Rate # of words in the passage – # of uncorrected miscues X 100 /# of words in the passage
For example: 218 words – 9 errorsX 100 dividedby 218= 96%
Error Rate Error rate is expressed as a ratio and is calculated by using the following formula:
Total words / Total errors = Error rate
For example:
99 / 8 = 12.38, or 12 rounded to nearest whole number
The ratio is expressed as 1:12.
This means that for each error made, the student read approximately 12 words correctly.
Self-Correction Rate Self-correction rate is expressed as a ratio and is calculated by using the following formula:
Number of errors + Number of self corrections / Number of self corrections = Self-correction rate
For example:
8 + 3 / 3 = Self-correction rate
11 / 3 = 3.666, or 4 rounded to the nearest whole number
The self-correction rate is expressed as 1:4. This means that the student corrects approximately 1 out of every 4 errors.
Independent level – 95-100% words correctly identified. No more than 1 in 20 words difficult for the reader. Reader also has 90% recall of information. (14-15 pts on retelling chart below for fiction/11-12 pts on nonfiction)
Instructional level – 90% – 94% words correctly identified. No more than 1 in 10 words difficult for the reader. Student needs teacher support. Reader also has at least 75% recall of information. (11-13 pts on retelling chart below for fiction/9-10 pts for nonfiction)
Frustration level – 89% andless words correctly identified. MORE than 1 in 10 words are difficult. STOP READING THE TEXT.
QUICK RULE OF THUMB
Reading Level / 50 Words / 100 WordsIndependent / 1-2 errors / 5 errors maximum
Instructional / 3-5 errors / 6-10 errors
Frustration / 6+ errors / 11+ errors
Types of Miscues AND What They Mean
**Miscues are words read that are not exactly accurate, butare “cued” by the thought and language of the reader as he attempts to follow what the author is saying.**
Self-Correction:**Not an error, onlyan error ifs/c toa wrong word!**
During the oral reading, the child realizes he/she has made an error (or feels he has made an error) and re-reads the section/word without prompting.Self-correction is good! We want readers to do this if they really are correcting an error.However, is the reader reading too fast? Is the reader “correcting” correct words? If so, the reader is unsure of himself.
Repetition:**Not an error**
A child repeats a word or portion of the text.Lots of repetition may mean that the text level is too difficult. Sometimes readers repeat when they’re uncertain and will repeat the word(s) to make sense of the passage.
Insertion:
As the child is reading, he/she will insert a word or two that isn’t on the page.Does the inserted wordchange themeaning? If not, it may just mean the reader is making sense but also inserts. The reader may also be reading too fast. If the insertion is something like inserting a suffix such as infinished for finish, this should be addressed.
Omission:During the oral reading, the child leaves out a word(s.)When words are omitted, it may mean weaker visual tracking. Determine if the meaning of the passage is affected or not. If not, omissions can also be the result of not focusing or reading too fast. It may also mean the sight vocabulary is weaker.
Reversal: A child will reverse the order of the print or the word.Watch for altered meaning. Many reversals happen with young readers with high frequency words.
Substitution:
Instead of reading a specific word, the child inserts a different word.Sometimes a child will use a substitution because they don’t understand the word being read. Does the substitution make sense in the passage? Is it a logical substitution?
Has To Be ToldA Word:Child can not move on on his/her own.The teacher may prompt, depending on the circumstances, “What good reader strategy could you try here?”
Pauses:**Not an error** Draw // to indicate pauses. You might also want to get into timing the student. If the student is taking an excessive amount of time reading the passage, he/she is sure to lose meaning.
Total Confusion:The child gets totally confused on an entire line of text and cannot get back on track, say “try it again” and that is counted as one error. Each error counts as aseparate miscue on the second attempt.
Words Per Minute By Month/Grade/Level
To calculate WPM:
___words in the book divided by ___SECONDS it took to read X 60 = __WPM
For example, say there were 207 words in a book. The child read it in 3 min. 25 seconds, which is 205 seconds. 207 divided by 205 is approximately 1.0 words per second x 60 = 60 WPM!
Analyzing Miscues ~
Marking M, S, and V on a Running Record
Now, to analyze your running record. . . Miscue Analysisisthe process of diagnosing a child’s oral reading based onanalyzing the errors a child makes. YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ERROR PATTERNS. Miscue Analysis originated from research done by Dr. K. S. Goodman. During the oral reading,a teacher can learn whether the child is making sense of what is being read by looking closely at the types of errors the child makes. By analyzing miscues,a teacher will becapable of assisting thosewho experience difficulty. Reading tests can’t give you this type of information.
Self-correction (SC)
Self-correction occurs when a child realizes his or her error and corrects it. When a child makes a self-correction, the previous substitution is not scored as an error, unless the child “self-corrects” for an incorrect word.
Meaning (M)
Meaning is part of the cueing system in which the child takes his or her cue to make sense of text by thinking about the story background, information from pictures, or the meaning of a sentence. These cues assist in the reading of a word or phrase.
M = Meaning. Did the miscue retain the meaning intended by the author?If “Yes” then circle M. The reader used the meaning or semantics cues. If “No” then don’t circle the M
Structure (S)
Structure refers to the structure of language and is often referred to as syntax. Implicit knowledge of structure helps the reader know if what he or she reads sounds correct.
S = Syntax – language structure. Did the miscue retain grammatical correctness? Does the language pattern used sound right?If “Yes” then circle S.If “No” then don’t. Consider the language pattern only, not whether it retains the intended meaning.
Visual (V)
Visual information is related to the look of the letter in a word and the word itself. A reader uses visual information when he or she studies the beginning sound, word length, familiar word chunks, etc.
V = Grapho-phonics – visual. Does the miscue show that the student has used visual cues?If the miscue is at least 50% visually correct then circle V.
By working out % scores you will get an indication of which cues the student is relying on. For example, the final scores may look like this:Meaning = 85% Visual = 30% Syntax = 75%. Your conclusion will be: Student is using context and language structure well but needs work on visual skills.
SAMPLE ERRORS:
That evening the boy went for a walk. (The child read “night” instead of evening.) Meaning and syntax have been retained, so circle M, S. No visual correlation.
I’m wearing shorts and a bush shirt . (The child read “brush” instead of bush.) Circle V and S.Visually more than 50%. Syntactically OK, but the meaning has changed.
Nobody tries out concoctions on themselves. (The child read “congcontcong” instead of concoctions.) Relying on visual cues. Nonsense word means meaning and syntax not being used, so circle only V.
Not only was it bright purple ………………… (The child inserted an “a” after it.) Meaning and syntax retained, so circle M and S, but not V. Visually it was not correct.
No blade of grass grew in all its concrete playground. (The child read “concentrate” instead of concrete.) Only visual cues used, so just circle V. Meaning lost. Syntactically it doesn’t work.
▪When a child makes an error in a line of text, record the source(s) of information used by the child in the second column from the right on the running record form. Write M, S, and V in to the right of the sentence in that column. Then circle M, S, and/or V, depending on the source(s) of information the child used.
▪If the child self-corrects an error in a line of text, use the far right-hand column to record this information. Write M, S, and V to the right of the sentence in that column. Circle the source(s) of information the child used for the self-correction.
▪You may choose to administer a running record assessment without recording your observations regarding the child’s use of meaning (M), structure (S), and visual (V) cues. Even without recording this information on the form,you can still use the information on error, self-correction, and accuracy rates to place the child at a given reading level.