Importance Of Informal Reading Inventories

Informal Reading Inventories (IRIs) are a commercial test that teachers use to evaluate students’ reading performance. QRI-5’s are just one type of IRI that are available to teachers. These informal tests are often used as a screening instrument to determine whether or not a student is reading on or below grade level. Some of the other uses of IRIs are seeing where students are struggling in their reading; for example fluency versus comprehension, to help them recognize where students are showing signs of frustration, to help teachers set up reading groups or even help with picking out appropriate reading material for their students. While the information gained in these informal tests are vital sometimes the additional information gained

A student at Instructional Level will require the teacher’s assistance. A student’s Word Recognition at this level is 92%-96% and Comprehension is 70%-85%. For a student to make continuous progress direct and systematic work is needed. Last is Frustration Level, at this level the reading material is much too difficult for the student. The student is frustrated by either word recognition or comprehension or even both. The students Word Recognition at this level is below 92% and Comprehension is below 70%. Material at this reading level should be avoided. Giving a Full QRI-5 would take longer than the abbreviated version that we give. But it require a lot of materials, all you need is a quite space, an appropriate passage for student to read and a scoring sheet for yourself. The steps for administering a QRI-5 are as follows:

1. Assess the student’s prior knowledge by asking concept questions before the student reads aloud to you.

2. Give the student the passage to read orally while you follow along and mark miscues. The miscues you are to look for are substitution, omission, insertion, self-correction and reversal.

3. Have the student answer implicit and explicit questions orally while you record what they have