| A Guide to Using the Read with Understanding Performance Continuum | |
| Tips for Using the Guide | |
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Getting to Know the Dimensions of Performance for Read with Understanding |
Read with Understanding Performance Continuum: |
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Level 1 |
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Level 2 |
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Level 3 |
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Level 4 |
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Level 5 |
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Level 6 |
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Using the Performance Continuum Within the Teaching and Learning Cycle: |
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Before Instruction |
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Planning Activities |
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Planning for the Collection of Evidence |
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Using the Performance Continua After Instruction: Accountability Assessment Tasks |
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Home |
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EFF Portal |
Getting to Know the Dimensions of Performance for Read with Understanding
Take a minute now to look over the performance continuum for Read with Understanding. Each of the six levels is on a separate page.
Section 1 — The Components of Performance
The continuum begins with the definition of the standard, one that remains the same for each level of performance. Including the definition as the starting point for each performance level description reminds us that the definition of the standard as an integrated skill process is consistent across the continuum.
Section 2 — Knowledge, Skills and Strategies
The second section is a list of the key knowledge, skills, and cognitive and metacognitive strategies to be mastered for proficient performance at each level. These are the primary behavioral indicators (or benchmarks) of proficient performance at each level.
Bullet 1 relates to the student's ability to decode and recognize printed letters and words. As students move up the levels, the amount of text and complexity of the words they are expected to be able to recognize and decode increases.
Bullet 2 deals with the student's familiarity with vocabulary. At lower levels, students are expected to be able to be familiar with common vocabulary. As they move up levels, the vocabulary becomes increasingly specialized.
Bullet 3 addresses the use of strategies to monitor accuracy, word recognition, and enhance reading comprehension. As students become more proficient, they are expected to use a wider variety of strategies to monitor and enhance comprehension.
Bullet 4 focuses on the ability of the student to draw on and apply prior knowledge in order to facilitate his or her understanding of the reading text.
Section 3 — Fluency, Independence and Range
This section is a description of the fluency, independence, and ability to perform in a range of settings expected for proficient performance on the standard at each level.
- Fluency of performance refers to the level of speed and ease required for an adult to retrieve and apply what he or she knows in order to read and understand a piece of text. When readers are fluent, they read accurately, without making mistakes in pronunciation, and with appropriate speed and rhythm.
- Independence of performance reflects the extent to which the person needs direction or guidance reading and understanding a piece of text.
- Range of performance refers both to how well a person can use reading skills and whether the person can transfer learning from one context to another. This includes both a range of kinds and complexity of reading tasks, and a range of contexts and audiences for tasks.
Section 4 — Examples of Proficient Performance
This section has examples of the kinds of purposeful applications of the standard that can be accomplished by an adult who is proficient at each level. These examples represent only a few of many reading activities that could be developed by teachers and others.
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