Running Records

From WikEd

Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of

Running records are an assessment teachers use to code, score, and analyze a child's oral reading behaviors. They provide evidence of what a student knows about letter, sound, and word recognition to help them understand the text. In addition, running records helps teachers assess a student's reading level and development of independent reading strategies as the student reads increasingly difficult texts. The running record provides teachers with information pinpointing the strengths and weaknesses of the reader so that future lessons can be developed to best assist the student. It is used to ensure the teacher chooses books at an appropriate level of difficulty for guided reading groups. Long term records can be used to chart the progress students have made over a period of time when given running records.

Application in classrooms and similar settings

Giving a Running Record

When taking a running record, the teacher sits next to the student as he/she reads a text that may have been read one or two times before. The text the teacher chooses for the student to read should be slightly challenging, but not so difficult that the child's understanding and ability to process the text breaks down. The teacher's role is to observe the child's reading and coding behaviors while keeping track of accuracy and errors on a separate sheet of paper. The child's role is to independently read a chosen text with minimal to no support.

Before beginning, the teacher provides a brief introduction followed by the student drawing from their prior knowledge by responding to the teacher's questions. This stems from the belief that "the more you know about a text, the easier it is to read" (Griffeths, 2001). Then the student is instructed to preview the text and pictures and to begin reading aloud when they are ready. The student is also warned beforehand that the teacher will be taking notes while they read. Thereby informing the student that the teacher will not be teaching at this time.

Once the child begins reading, "the teacher records all the accurate reading with a check for each word read accurately. Mismatches are recorded with a line, children's behavior above the line, and text information and all teacher actions below the line" (Fountas and Pinnell, 1996).

Upon finishing the oral reading, the teacher might ask the student to retell the story or to answer comprehension questions to further analyze the student's reading ability.

Coding and Scoring the Running Record

It is important to follow a standard procedure when recording the child's reading behaviors, describing what was observed, and calculating scores in order to ensure teachers can make accurate comparisons and gain meaning from running records. The following conventions and scoring, as recommended by Marie Clay, should be followed to ensure consistency. Obviously, the conventions are marked as the student reads the text and scoring and analyzing of the errors are done after the running record is taken.

1) Accurate reading and Self Corrections

Accurate reading: a checkmark is given for each word.
Self Corrections: a line is drawn with the correct text beneath the line and the child's response above the line. Upon getting the correct response, SC is written next to the child's response. For example,

Child: home l SC

----------

Text: house l

Credit is given for accurate reading or self-corrected words.

2) Wrong responses or substitions

Wrong response or substitution: a line is drawn with the correct text beneath the line and the child's response above the line. For example,

Child: home

-----

Text: house

An error is counted for each wrong response or substitution, even if the substituted word is used repeatedly (proper names only count the first time).

3) Multiple Attempts

Multiple attempts: all are recorded. For example,

Child: hat l h- l home

---------------

Text: house l l

One error is counted for multiple attempts. If eventually the multiple attempts leads to a self correction, credit is given for that word.

4) Omissions and Insertions

Omissions: a line is drawn with the correct text beneath the line and a dash drawn over the line. For example,

Child: -

-----

Text: house

Insertions: a line is drawn with a dash beneath the line and the inserted word written above the line. For example,

Child: here

----

Text: -

An error is counted for each word omitted or inserted.

5) Told and Appeal

Told: a line is drawn with the correct text and a capital T written beneath the line and a dash drawn over the line.
Appeal: a line is drawn with the correct text beneath the line and a dash drawn and capital A written over the line. For example,

Child: - l A l here

----------------

Text: house l l T

One error is counted when the teacher has told the student the word. This occurs when a student cannot proceed or cannot correct the word. At times the student might appeal for help. The teacher first suggests the student tries it before telling them the word.

6) Try That Again

Try That Again: square brackets are drawn around the words and TTA is written inside the bracket. For example,

Child: [Sally l look l at l - ]

------------------------

Text: [Susan l went l with l the]

[ TTA ]

One error is counted when the child becomes so confused that the teacher must state, "Try that again," and indicate where to begin again. A second attempt is recorded and scored.

7) Repetitions

Repetition: a capital R is used to indicate repetition and a number 2 or 3 is written next to the R depending on the amount of times the word is repeated. If a group of words are repeated, an arrow is drawn to the point where he/she returns to in the text.
No error are recorded for repetitions. It confirms a student's previous attempt.

Analyzing the Running Record

The running record can be analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.

Quantitative Analysis

When scoring quantitatively, the accuracy rate is determined by following an algebraic formula. The accuracy rate is figured by subtracting the number of errors from running words, dividing the number of running words, and multiplying by 100. To determine if a text the level of difficulty, the following chart is used:

Below 90% = hard

90% - 94% = instructional

95% -100% = easy

(older elementary students should follow this chart:)

Below 94% = hard

95% - 97% = instructional

98% -100% = easy

This accuracy rate helps teachers determine what reading level the child should be reading at during guided reading lessons. Students who have the same reading level can be grouped together for guided reading. If the child's accuracy rate is below 90%, a lower leveled text should be chosen and the child should be retested. On the other hand, if the child's accuracy rate is over 94%, a higher leveled text should be chosen and the child should once again be retested. The teacher's goal is to find the instructional level text. This text will not only provide the appropriate amount of challenge, but will also allow the child to "sustain effective behavior over long stretches of meaningful text" (Fountas and Pinnell, 1996).

Qualitative Analysis

When scoring qualitatively, the teacher looks at the errors in the record. "The teacher looks for evidence of cue use and of the use of strategies such as cross-checking information and searching for cues. The examines each incorrect attempt and self-correction and hypothesizes about the cues or information sources the child might have been using" (Fountas and Pinnell, 1996). The three major items the teacher considers are:

Meaning (semantic) - whether the student's attempt makes sense up to the point of the error,

Structure (syntax) - whether the student's attempt sounds right by following the rules of grammar, and

Visual (graphonphonic) - whether the student's attempt looks right according to the letter clusters.

When considering the errors, the teacher should write an MSV in the error column and self-correct (SC) column of the paper. The teacher then analyzes each error and self correction to look for patterns in the student's responses. Further analysis will inform the teacher of the strategies the student is or is not using to guide subsequent teaching. The teacher can determine if the child is cross-checking (using meaning, structure, and/or visual) to ensure word accuracy, self-monitoring for meaning, searching for information to assist problem solving, and self-correcting upon noticing errors.

Other items the teacher should consider upon finishing the child's running record is the repetition of words, fluency and phrasing, retelling of the story, and ability to answer comprehension questions.

Evidence of effectiveness

Critics and their rationale

I have noticed some problems in using just running records to determine a student's reading level. Some teachers will only look at the accuracy rate rather than also looking at the child's comprehension of the text. This can lead the teacher to elevate the child's reading level up way higher than the child should actually be. I feel this is sometimes done for the sake of making school or district records look good. Unfortunately, it is only a detrimant to the child since he/she might not receive services that they otherwise might be entitled to receive.

Signed "life experiences", testimonies and stories

Running records are helpful and provide lots of data regarding student progress in reading. For me, the main drawback of the method is the amount of time it takes. I can run a guided reading group and get a feel for all students mastery of the book as well as their comprehension all at one time whereas a running record requires about the same amount of time for just one student. I found that I did about two running record assessments for each student per quarter when I was teaching kindergarten. It was recommended that we did one weekly which did not seem feasible. -R. Foley

I have used running records while teaching first grade in conjunction with our Reading Recovery program. I found running records to be very helpful in determining student reading level and monitoring growth. I did not receive any formal training in conducting running records, which made it very difficult in the beginning. - M. Flessner

Running records can give a teacher a wealth of information. We used to do running records each quarter and track the reading level of each student to assess if they should be moved to a different reading group or if they were not making adequate progress. Recently, we have cut our running records down to the beginning of the year and the end. We also give a one minute timed "Oral Reading Fluency" test every five weeks to each students. This gives us a word per minute score. I think the running record gave more information because it contains the comprehension part, whereas the oral fluency test is more of a snapshot. Both are good tools toward helping a child become a better reader. D. LePla