QRI

I was able to complete my QRI at my school with an above level reader. He was actually found to be above level. I found it pretty easy to use, but however, At Beale Elementary where I completed my Reading block, they did not do QRI. Instead, they used a method of assessment called Quick Phonics Screening (QPS). They said that they found this method more appealing to the students and found it easier to assess. The method of this assessment starts out a different section each time according to grade and level of phonics. For example, if a child is in Kindergarten, they will be working with names and sounds. They must first be able to recognize the letters and be able to say them correctly. Once they have mastered this, they will continue on with the correct sounds of each of those letters. Once a Kindergartener has achieved this first level, they will continue on to a first grade category. This involves using short vowels with the VC and CVC pattern. The phonics screening first just lists nonsense words, but that child must recognize the short vowel patterns. Once they have this completed, they with find the vowel patterns in written text. Some of the other tests that are involved with the QPS are cons digraphs, consonant blends, long vowel silent E, r-control vowels, advanced cons, vowel teams, multi-syllable, prefixes, and suffixes. Each of these categories start at a Kindergarten level and continue on up into the sixth grade. The Reading teacher thought that the category that gave the children the most trouble was the vowel patterns. Also, just because a child is in a certain grade does not mean that they will automatically start on that level. They will be tested in that category first and then it will be determined whether they should move up or down. I found that the Quick Phonics Screening was user friendly and the children really seemed to connect with it. I found it as a very useful assessment tool.
 * QRI **