About Running Records

The Running Records that accompany the Benchmark Passages and Benchmark Books (Levels aa-J) are one of three parts in the process designed to accurately assess students' reading behavior and comprehension.

How to Use Running Records

Digital Running Records

• Assign a Benchmark Passage, Benchmark Book (Levels aa-J), or Spanish Benchmark Passage (Pasajes estándar) that best approximates a student's reading level. A recorded retelling and Comprehension Quick Check Quiz are automatically assigned for the passage or book you select.
• The next time a student logs into Kids A-Z, they will see the assessment they have been assigned.
• Listen and score the running record and retelling after a student submits the recordings to your Kids A-Z In Basket. The quiz is automatically scored.

Printed Running Records

• Each Benchmark Passage, Benchmark Book (Levels aa-J), and Spanish Benchmark Passage (Pasajes estándar) comes with a customized printable Running Record.
• Use a or a to perform
  running records on text other than those provided.

Note Students can be assigned only one assessment at a time.

Assessment Schedule

Note Students who are not progressing at the expected rate should be assessed more frequently than the Assessment Schedule suggests.

How to Score Running Records

Administering a running record takes practice. To learn more about how to administer, mark, and score printed running records, click on the links below.

When scoring an online running record, the information is used to determine error, accuracy, and self-correction rates.

• Listen to the student's recording. To mark an error, click on the word where the mistake occurred and select the type of error from the menu that appears.
•             Omission
•             Insertion
•             Mispronunciation
•             Substitution
•             Repetition
•             Self-Correction
•             No Errors
• If there is more than one error, simply click on the word again and selct the additional mistake.

While you are indicating the type of error, the recording will pause. After a selection is made, the recording will resume at a point slightly before the error.

The Running Record Scorecard

The online tool uses the length of the recording and the selected errors to automatically calculate the scorecard.

• Error Rate

  Expressed as a ratio using the following formula:
  total words / total errors
  
  For example, 1:12 means that for every error made, the student reads approximately 12 words correctly.

• Self-Correction Rate

  Expressed as a ratio using the following formula:
  (total errors + total self-corrections) / total self-corrections

  For example, 1:4 means that the student corrects approximately 1 out of every 4 errors. A rate of 1:4 or less indicates that the student is self-monitoring his or her reading.

• Accuracy Rate

  Expressed as a percentage using the following formula:
  (total words - total errors) / total words * 100

• Words Per Minute

  60 / (recording time) * (total words)

• Words Correct Per Minute

  60 / (recording time) * (total words correct)

Place and Move Up Students

Using the information gathered from the online Running Record and the Assessment Report, you can measure students' progress and decide their appropriate level. The chart below provides guidelines on when to move a student up or down a level. You can easily change a student's level in the Kids A-Z student profile page, which will automatically move them into the Level Up! self-paced assignment for that level.

Scores

* Some teachers may choose to instruct students at a level in which they have scored lower than 90 percent, but generally will not instruct using texts in which students score below 85 percent.

How to Choose an Assessment Text

While we suggest that students should be assessed using cold reads (texts they have never seen before) to provide a more accurate measure of ability, some may prefer to use familiar texts. If you do prefer familiar texts, you can use another book or passage on a similar topic.

How Do I Reward Students' Reading Progress?

Kids A-Z has robust incentives to encourage students to read. By finishing assessments, completing books and quizzes, and doing other tasks, students earn stars that they can spend to personalize their avatar in the Avatar Builder and their Raz Rocket. You can also award bonus stars after scoring assessments or any time you feel it is merited.