Literacy assessment essentials

This chapter characterises literacy assessment as a powerful diagnostic and adaptive process that enhances literacy knowledge and skills. It challenges common attitudes that assessment should be wedded to national tests or that standardised reading scores are used effectively to aid learning by most teachers. It goes on to outline key principles of literacy assessment, such as how it must inform teaching; prove valid, reliable, and manageable; and more. The second half of the chapter outlines a wealth of formative and diagnostic literacy assessment strategies that assess foundational and advanced literacy knowledge and skills. It covers practical topics such as reading fluency, handwriting, spelling, vocabulary knowledge, reading comprehension, argument writing, presentational talk, and more. It poses how-to approaches, alongside the relative strengths and limitations of different teacher-led assessments.