Introduction

Focus on questions about reading comprehension:

Whatisreadingcomprehension?

Whyisitnotpossibletoaccuratelypredicthowstudentswillperformonreadingcomprehensionstandardizedassessments,evenwhenaschoolcampushasoutstandingteachersandschoolleadership,positiveandproductiveschoolclimate,excellentstudentattendance,activeparentinvolvement,andunlimitededucationalresources?

Whyisthepercentageofstudentsonaschoolcampusreadingongradelevelaccordingtoevaluationstudiesthroughinformalreadinginventoriesnotapredictorofreadingcomprehensionstandardizedassessmentperformance?

WhydoAmericanstudents rank17thintheworldonliteracy assessments?1

Howisreadingcomprehension testedonstandardizedassessments atstate,national,andinternational levels?

Whatarethecriticalcomponentsofareadingcomprehensionlesson?

Forthepast16yearsIhavetriedtoanswertheseandotherquestionsaboutreadingcomprehension.SincefoundingKilgoConsulting,Inc.,in1996,Ihavespentover40,000hoursresearchingandstudyingreadingcomprehension.Now,asweenteraneweraforliteracyin21stcenturyAmericawiththeCommonCoreStateStandards(CCSS),Iwouldliketosharemyresearchmodelandfindingsinsupportofstrong,effectiveimplementationoftheCCSSacrossthenation.

Author Monographs

Achieving Exemplary Performance in Reading Comprehension for Students, Regardless

of a Student’s Background and Experiences, Parents’ Income, or Ethnic Group

Developing an Evidence-Based Reading Comprehension Instruction and Assessment Program through Effective Implementation of the

2010 Common Core State Standards (CCSS) By

Margaret KilgoFounder/President, Kilgo Consulting, Inc.

1 “OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment,”(2010).PISA2009ScoresandRankingsbyCountry.PISA2009Database.RetrievedJune4,2011.http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/12/46643496.pdf

“Federal ID Copyright Protected: All Rights Reserved; Margaret Kilgo, June 2012 www.margaretkilgo.com”

Kilgo Research Model, Process, and FindingsPurpose and Focus: Toresearchandstudystateandnationalcurriculumstandardsinreadingcomprehensionfromtheviewpointofreadingstandardizedassessmentswithoutreviewingmultiple-choiceoptionsortest-takingstrategies,andtoanswerthefollowingquestionsfromthestandardizedassessmentviewpoint:

Howisreadingcomprehensiontestedonstandardizedassessments?

Whatarethecognitive connectionsbetweenthereadingselection,thecomprehensionquestion/testitem,andthecorrectanswer(constructiveresponse,notselectiveresponse,multiple-choiceoptions)?

Whatisthesourceofthequestion/testitem?

Isthecorrectanswerstatedorimpliedinthereadingselection?

Whatarethestepsinthinkingwhenthecorrectanswerisstated?

Whatarethestepsinthinkingwhenthecorrectanswerisimpliedinthereadingselection?

Whatistheroleofprior knowledgeinansweringthequestioncorrectly?

Usingtheconstructive,open-endedresponse(OER)assessmentprocessexclusivelybyidentifyingthecognitiveconnectionsbetweenthequestionandcorrectanswerremovesonlythefalseassumptionsoftest-takingstrategies,includingtheeliminationstrategy,andfocusesonhigher-levelthinking,reasoning,andreadingcomprehensionskillsrequiredinreadingcomprehensionwhilereadingandinteractingwithatextselection.

Initial Findings from Studying Assessment Viewpoint: Duringmyfirsttwoyears(1996–1998)ofstudyingthereadingcomprehensionstateandnationalstandardsfromtheviewpointofstandardizedtests(assessmentviewpoint),Idocumentedthefollowingresearchfindings:

Thestandardizedtestsaretestingthereadingcomprehensionstandards.

Eachreadingcomprehensionquestionona

standardizedtestisalignedwiththeaccurateinterpretationofaspecificreadingcomprehensionstandard.

Intheeraofindividualstatereadingstandardizedassessments,onlythereadingstandardsonthestatereadingstandardslistaretested.Ifareadingcomprehensionskillisnotonthestatereadingstandardslist,thatspecificskillisnottestedonthestatestandardizedassessment.

Thereadingcomprehensionstandardslistdeterminesthequalityofthereadingcomprehensionstandardizedtest.Astateornationalreadingstandardizedtestisonlyasstrongandeffective

inevaluatingstudentperformanceinreadingcomprehensionasthereadingstandardslist.Forexample,ononestatestandardizedtestforGrade4Iresearched,therewerenomainideaquestions.AcarefulreviewofthestatereadingcomprehensionstandardsrevealedthattheGrade4listofstandardsdidnothaveamainideastandard.However,thereweremainideastandardsinGrades3and5withalignedmainideaquestions

onthereadingstatestandardizedassessments.

Allinferredcorrectanswersarebasedonaccurate, relevant, explicittextevidenceinthereadingselection,notonthereader’spriorknowledgeunrelatedtothereadingselection.

Research Process Based on Initial Findings:

1.Readcarefullythereadingselection.

2.Identifythereadingcomprehensionstandardtestedwiththecomprehensionquestion.Whichstandarddidthequestiontest?

3.Studythequestionandthecorrectanswerfromtheanswerkey.Whatarethestepsinthinkingrequiredtoanswerthequestioncorrectly?

4.Whenthecorrectanswerisimpliedintheselection,findthetextevidenceinthereadingselectionthatprovesthecorrectanswer.

5.Studythecognitivealignmentbetweenthecorrectanswerandtheevidenceinthetextprovingthecorrectanswer.Whatistheroleoftextevidencein

“A state or national

reading standardized

test is only as strong

and effective in

evaluating student

performance in reading

comprehension as the

reading standards list.”

Achieving Exemplary Performance in Reading Comprehension for Students

determiningunstatedcorrectanswers,includinglogicalinferencesandimpliedmainideas?

6.Describetherelationshipbetweenthereadingcomprehensionstandard,thecomprehensionquestion,thetextevidence,andthecorrectanswer.

7.Recordtheresearchfindings.

Research Findings of Study of Standards-Based Assessments:FollowingthestepsintheResearchProcessIoutlinedonthepreviouspage,Isharemyresearchfindingsfromovera14-yearperiod(1998–2012):

1.Allcorrectanswerstocomprehensionquestions/testitemsonstateandnationalstandardizedassessmentsarebasedonaccurate,relevant,andexplicittext evidence.

2.Thehigher-levelthinkingrequiredtodeterminewhatisinferredbythestudentinareadingselectionisrereadingtheselectionto“findtextevidence”thatisdirectlyconnectedtoalogicalinferencethatisthecorrectanswerforthequestionasked.

3.Todeterminetheimpliedmainideainaselection,thereadermust

a. engageinsortingtoidentifythemostimportant eventsinfictionorthemostimportantfactsin informationaltext,and

b. classifytheimportantorkeyeventsorfactsto determinewhattheyhaveincommon.

4.Correctanswersdonotvarybecausethereisonlyonecorrectanswerbasedonaccurate,relevant,explicittextevidenceandthereader’spriorknowledgedirectly connectedtothereadingselection.

5.Thereadingcomprehensiontestedinreadingcomprehensionstandardizedassessmentsisclose, text-dependentreadingcomprehension,which

requiresreadingfromtheauthor’sviewpoint,notthereader’spersonalopinion,personalschema,orpriorknowledgewithoutconnectionstothetextselection.

6. Thehigher-levelthinkingrequiredinclose,text-dependentreadingcomprehensionisdeductive reasoning,definedas“basedonreason

andlogicalanalysisofavailablefacts,”2withthelogicalinferencereachedbyconnectingaccuratetextevidenceandpriorknowledgedirectlywiththeselection,notaddingotherideasorinformationoutsidetheselection.

7. Close,text-dependentreadingcomprehensionrequiresstrongintellectualdisciplinebecausethereadermustself-monitorcomprehensiontoavoidusingpriorknowledgeandexperiencesnotconnectedtothetextselection.

8.Therelationshipbetweeneachtestitemquestionandcorrectanswertestsanaccurateinterpretationofthewordinginaspecificreadingcomprehensionstandardwiththecognitiveconnections(stepsinthinking)betweenthereadingstandard,question/testitem,andcorrectstandards-basedanswer.

• Cognitive Alignment: Thecomprehensionquestions/testitemsaredesignedtopromptthethinkingrequiredbytheverbinthestandard.InterpretationofthemeaningoftheverbisbasedonthedictionarydefinitionoftheverbnotonBloom’sTaxonomy,whichrequiresthereadertothinkandaddinformationoutsideofthereadingselection.

• Reading Comprehension Skill Alignment: Thereadingcomprehensionskillinthestandardistheskilltestedinthequestionwithaccurate,relevant,explicittextevidenceprovidingtheimpliedcorrectanswer.

• Context Alignment:Thestandardsoftenspecifythetermsofthecontextforexactlyhowthereadingcomprehensionskillinaspecificstandardwillbetested.

• Vocabulary: Thevocabularywordsinthestandardareusedinvariousformsinthequestions.

2DeductiveReasoning.”Concise Oxford American Dictionary,OxfordUniversityPress,2006.

Research State/National Standards from Assessment Viewpoint

QuestionState/National Standard

CORRECT ANSWER ONLY1) RELEVANT, ACCURATE TEXT EVIDENCE2) OER RESEARCH PROCESS3) NO MULTIPLE CHOICE REVIEW

Steps in thinking requiredto get the correct answer

Achieving Exemplary Performance in Reading Comprehension for Students

4.BalancereadingselectionsbetweentheLiteratureandInformationalgenrestandardsandmeettheCCSScriteriaforincreasinglycomplextext.

5.Studentsshouldhaveelaboraterehearsalinthehigher-levelthinkinganddeductivereasoningrequiredinclose,text-dependentreadingcomprehension.Studentsmustlearnhowtofindaccurate,relevant,explicittextevidenceandcitethetextevidencefoundtosupportinferredandimpliedcorrectanswerstoquestions.

6.Evaluationofstudents’progressinreadingcomprehensionperformanceshouldbebasedonacombinationof

a. findingandcitingtextevidence,and

b. identifyingcorrectanswerstocomprehension questions.

7. Provideequityandconsistencyinthereadingcomprehensionprogramacrossallgradelevels,classrooms,andschoolcampuseswiththesamehigh-levelofcomprehensionquestionsforallrecommendedreadingtextselections.

8.ProvidereadingteacherswithaneffectiveprofessionaldevelopmentprogramfocusedontheCCSSandclose,text-dependentreadingcomprehension.

9. Althoughthestandardizedassessmentsalign100%withtheexactwordinginthestateornationalstandards,notallverbs,readingcomprehensionskills,context,andvocabularyinaspecificstandardaretestedinonetestitem.

10.Manyofthestatestandardizedreadingcomprehensionassessmentsover-testtheeasierverbwithareadingcomprehensionskillwhenthereisachoiceoftwoormoreverbsinaspecificreadingstandard.

11.Textselectionswereweightedheavilytowardfiction,bothliteraryandnarrative.ThemajorityoftheinformationalreadingselectionsinGrades3-5wereeitherliterarynonfiction(biography)ornewsarticles.

Effective Implementation of the 2010 Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Based on the Kilgo Research Model Findings

Applying Reading Comprehension Research Findings

Recommendations for Effective Implementation of the 2010 Common Core State Standards (CCSS) at the Campus and School District Levels:

1.BasereadingcomprehensionlessonsonanaccurateinterpretationoftheexactwordingofthegradelevelCCSSwithquestions,textevidence,andcorrectanswers(75%inferredandimplied).

2.Readingcomprehensionlessonsshouldbeaminimumof50%ofallreadinginstructionbeginninginkindergartenandfirstgrade.

3.Teachingreadingcomprehensionthroughstandards-basedquestioningafterreadingtextselectionsshouldrequireconstructive,open-endedresponses(OER),notselective,multiple-choiceanswers.

RD12W9417

Achieving Exemplary Performance in Reading Comprehension for Students

Comparing Previous State Reading Comprehension Standardized Assessments to the New CCSS State Standardized Assessments