5.2 Module Task

College of Education and Behavioral Science
Department of Educational Leadership, Curriculum, and Special Education

ELSE 5633: Literacy Assessment and Diagnosis of Exceptional Learners

Refine Assessment Strategies Through Reflection
Overview

Science of Reading (SoR): The five pillars of reading instruction are a set of key components
developed by the National Reading Panel essential for reading proficiency. They include
phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Each component plays a
crucial role in developing strong reading skills, and educators who understand and effectively

5.2 Module Task

teach these components/pillars are increasing the chances their students learn how to read
proficiently.

Research in cognitive psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience has provided a wealth of
evidence-based strategies and practices for developing each of the five pillars/components of
reading. Understanding the science behind these pillars can help educators design effective
instruction that supports students in becoming strong readers. In the following sections, we’ll
dive deeper into each of the pillar components and explore how the science of reading informs
our understanding of each one.

1. Phonemic Awareness is the ability to identify, manipulate, and distinguish individual
sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. It involves understanding that words are made up of
separate sounds and being able to hear, blend, segment, and manipulate those
sounds. Research has shown phonemic awareness instruction is most effective when
students are taught to manipulate phonemes with letters, when it explicitly focuses on one
or two types of phoneme manipulations (rather than multiple), and when students are
taught in small groups.

2. Phonics refers to the relationship between letters and sounds in language. It involves
understanding how letters represent sounds and using that knowledge to decode written
words during reading and encode words during writing. Many people have the
misconception the science of reading is solely based on phonics, but phonics is just one
piece of a very large and complex puzzle. Research shows systematic phonics instruction
“provides beginning readers, at-risk readers, disabled readers, and low-achieving readers”
with a higher chance of learning how to read proficiently in comparison to other forms of
instruction.

3. Fluency refers to the ability to read text accurately, quickly, and with proper expression.
It involves automaticity in word recognition, comprehension, and prosody. This study
shows students with strong oral fluency skills are more likely to succeed in other areas of
the literacy acquisition process. This is because fluency serves as a bridge between being
able to read or decode words and being able to comprehend what is being read.

4. Vocabulary refers to the words students must know to communicate effectively through
reading and writing. It includes understanding the meaning of words, as well as how
words are used in different contexts.

5. Comprehension refers to reading comprehension and the ability to understand and make
meaning from what has been read. It involves using background knowledge, decoding
skills, vocabulary, and critical thinking strategies to construct meaning from text. Reading
comprehension itself is the application of multiple skill components, and can be seen as
the main goal of reading. The skills needed for reading comprehension can be broken
down with the Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope.

5.2 Module Task

Scarborough’s Reading Rope is significant for the Science of Reading (SoR) because it stresses
the importance of a comprehensive and intentional approach to reading instruction. It
acknowledges that reading is not a single skill but a complex set of interwoven processes. The
Reading Rope identifies these processes as strands, and by understanding and addressing each
strand, candidates can provide targeted instruction that helps students become successful readers.

The Reading Rope divides Word Recognition into three strands.
● Phonological Awareness (Syllables, Phonemes, etc.)
● Decoding (Alphabetic Principal, Spelling-Sound Correspondences)
● Sight Recognition (Of Familiar Words)

Language Comprehension into five strands.
● Background Knowledge (Facts, Concepts, etc.)
● Vocabulary Knowledge (Breadth, Precision, Links, etc.)
● Language Structures (Syntax, Semantics, etc.)
● Verbal Reasoning (Inference, Metaphor, etc.)
● Literacy Knowledge (Print Concepts, Genres, etc.)

While the Reading Rope does not mention the Science of Reading’s five components (SoR) as
a set, the Reading Rope strands do align with the SoR Five components:

1. Phonological awareness (and phonemic awareness) is represented in the Reading Rope’s
word recognition strand.

2. Phonics is also a critical aspect of the word recognition strand.

5.2 Module Task

3. Fluency is often considered a combination of accuracy, rate, and prosody and is not
represented as its own strand, but it’s closely related to the word recognition strand. As
students develop automaticity in word recognition, their reading fluency improves.

4. Vocabulary aligns with the language comprehension strand. The development of a
robust vocabulary enhances reading comprehension by allowing students to understand
and infer the meaning of words encountered in the text.

5. Comprehension is built into the language comprehension strand. It includes skills
such as understanding sentence structure, making inferences, drawing conclusions, and
connecting prior knowledge. These skills help the reader get meaning from the text and
connect to higher-level thinking. The Reading Rope is a game-changing tool, clarifying a
complex process and helping teachers target instruction. When the strands come together,
they weave the strongest possible foundation for student reading success.

Directions:
Candidates will refine assessment strategies through reflection on experience, evidence, and data.
Using the outline below and your previous three Assessment Analysis Papers, create a plan for
your targeted student and compose a reflection paper that identifies the Reading Rope strands
and the Science of Reading five components.

In the reflective process, articulate the links between engaging in the process of administering
the assessment to your student with exceptionalities or struggling in reading and the student’s
learning outcomes. After completing a draft in this Directions document, use the 4.2 Template
to write your Reflection.

I. What is the background of your identified student with exceptionalities or struggling?

A. Age of your student.

B. Student’s academic development in the area of reading.

C. Identify the difficulties the student experiences.

II. Design a research-based instructional plan (SoR and the Reading Rope).

A. State the AR Standard(s) for the student with exceptionalities or struggling in

reading.

B. State student assessments outcomes from the assessment administered (Data from

Module Assessment Analysis Papers):

1. Fluency Assessment

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2. Narrative or Informative Text Assessment

3. Cloze Procedure Assessment

C. Resources and Textbook(s).

D. Observable Evidence to show student outcomes from the assessments

administered.

III. Academic difficulties.

A. Low reading ability concerns

B. Motivational concerns

IV. Outstanding circumstances the student with exceptionalities or struggling is facing.

A. What is the purpose of the three assessments for your student?

V. What information did your assessment outcomes provide for the student’s plan?

A. Assessment results?

B. What additional areas of content need to be addressed?

VI. While administering the three assessments, what difficulties and/or positive experiences

did you encounter?

VII. When you administer these assessments again, what will you do differently?

VIII. What did you learn from this assignment that you can apply to teaching future students

with exceptionalities or struggling using the Science of Reading and Scarborough’s

Reading Rope?