Books by Sheila Valencia
Traditional assessment techniques and standardized tests no longer reflect what's going on in cla... more Traditional assessment techniques and standardized tests no longer reflect what's going on in classrooms where reading and writing for real purposes are the norm. "Authentic Reading Assessment" presents nine case studies that demonstrate how the challenge of reforming assessment can be met at the school, district, and state/provincial levels. The studies--written by educators actually involved in efforts to create assessments that match instruction and yield an authentic picture of students' literacy development--are framed by comprehensive introductory and concluding chapters that give the context of and challenges facing the assessment reform movement.
Papers by Sheila Valencia
Choice Reviews Online, 1994
E vEN CASUAL OBSERVERS OF the education landscape recognize the enormous amount of attention curr... more E vEN CASUAL OBSERVERS OF the education landscape recognize the enormous amount of attention currently being given to nontraditional forms of educational assessment. Few educationrelated publications fail to include an article extolling the virtues of what has become known as "authentic" assessment. While the term has great semantic appeal (after all, why use something artificial when we can have the real thing?), its definition remains nebulous. "Authentic" has almost come to mean "anything that isn't multiple choice," unfortunately encompassing many forms of rather traditional assessment. In their enthusiasm for assessment reform, many proponents seem to have missed the critical point : authenticity in an assessment resides not in its response format, but in its content, the underlying constructs it taps, and the correspondence among the assessment, the instruction from which it samples. and the purposes for which the assessment will be used. Despite the now several years of promises that authenticity is around the corner, there persists a significant void in documented. concrete descriptions of program implementations. Reports from even highly funded and heavily promoted projects continue to be heavy on hype and short on results. This volume takes us a meaningful step forward. The editors uncovered a broad spectrum of projects-in terms of geography, scope, conceptual framework, purposes. politics, funding, and locus of initiative-and, by doing so. help clarify what authentic assessment means and how it can be manifested in classrooms, schools, districts, and states or provinces. The projects described are all evolving and, as is true of most "works in progress," are full of promise but v
American Institutes For Research, Aug 1, 2013
The purpose of these analyses was to determine the similarities and differences between the conce... more The purpose of these analyses was to determine the similarities and differences between the conceptualization and content of the NAEP reading and writing frameworks and the CCSS-ELA documents. All CCSS-ELA documents and NAEP reading and writing framework documents were analyzed using a structured qualitative protocol. This method was used to accommodate the basic differences in the purposes of CCSS-ELA and the NAEP frameworks. The CCSS-ELA documents represent a detailed framework and exemplars for what should be taught and what students should know and be able to do in K-12 in English language arts and in literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. By contrast, the NAEP documents are assessment frameworks and do not expressly seek to influence curricular decisions. These differences in purpose translate into different aspects/elements included in each. With these basic differences in mind, the analyses enumerate the similarities and differences the panelists believe are important to consider in light of the charge to advise NVS regarding the potential of NAEP to serve as an independent monitor of CCSS-ELA. NAEP Reading Passages/Writing Prompts, Scoring Guides, and Anchor Papers to CCSS-ELA Documents The purpose of these analyses was to study the alignment between the NAEP reading passages and writing prompts, scoring guides, and anchor papers and the CCSS-ELA general guidelines for the types of reading and writing students should do. Reading analysis focused on three aspects of text as defined by both qualitative and quantitative criteria described in CCSS-ELA documents: (1) range of text types, (2) quality of text, and (3) text complexity. Writing analysis focused on three elements of the NAEP writing assessment in relation to the CCSS-ELA standards and sample papers: (1) NAEP scoring guides (criteria for valued dimensions of writing), (2) NAEP anchor papers (illustrations of performance levels), and (3) NAEP prompts (qualities, range of purposes, audiences). NAEP Reading Items/Writing Prompts to CCSS-ELA Anchor/Grade-Level Standards The purpose of the final analyses was a detailed examination of the NAEP reading items and writing prompts at Grades 4, 8, and 12 in relation to the specific anchor CCSS-ELA standards. These analyses were designed to evaluate more precisely the alignment between NAEP items and the standards and to determine whether there are CCSS-ELA standards that are not addressed by NAEP items/prompts. In total, the Reading Panel analyzed 146 reading items across Grades 4, 8, and 12, and the Writing Panel analyzed 80 prompts, 8 scoring guides, and 36 anchor papers.
What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction, 2011
Education Policy Analysis Archives, 2004
At the core of standards-based reform are content standards--statements about what students shoul... more At the core of standards-based reform are content standards--statements about what students should know and be able to do. Although it is state standards that are the focus of much public attention and consume substantial resources, many local school districts have developed their own content standards in the major subject areas. However, we know very little about the role state standards have played in local standards efforts. In this article we report on a study of the relationship between state and local content standards in reading in four states and districts. Through interviews with key personnel in each state, and district and analyses of state and local content standards in reading, we explored the alignment between state and district content standards, the path of influence between the two, and the role of high-stakes tests in state and districts reform efforts. Our findings suggest that alignment had multiple meanings and that state standards had differential utility to di...
During the last 20 years, the relationship between reading instruction and assessment has been fr... more During the last 20 years, the relationship between reading instruction and assessment has been framed by the logic of mastery learning. The ultimate goal of mastery learning is assuring a given achievement outcome across students by varying input characteristics such as the amount and kind of instruction and practice, or the attention paid to prerequisite skills and aptitude characteristics of individual learners. Although the focus on testing has increased with the call for educational reform, currently available tests do not reflect advances in reading theory, practice, or research. The best possible assessment of reading seems to occur when teachers observe and interact with students as they read, evaluating the way in which the studtants orchestrate resources to construct meaning. An effective framework for complete reading assessment takes into consideration the relationship between objectives, decision-making units, and methods of assessment, and contains three critical features: (1) the attributes should reflect a theoretically sound model of the reading process, (2) the attributes shouId be highly interdependent and cannot be mmasured discretely, and (3) whatever is worthy of assessment ought to be assessable in different contexts for different purposes using a variety of strategies. In refocusing statewide assessment of reading, novel concepts that encourage strategic reading and that redefine the assessment-instruction link are being evaluated, such as summary writing, metacognitive judgments, question selection, Multiple acceptable responses, and topic familiarity. The goal for reading instructors should be to develop valid, reliable, and usable strategies for assessment of riading comprehension(Twenty-one references, a list of contrasts between new views of reading and current practices in reading assessment, and a framework of the relationship between objectives, decision-making units, and assessment methods are inOuded.) (NICA)
The Elementary School Journal, 2014
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
Reading Research Quarterly, 2001
In this commentary on standards‐based education reform, the authors assert that such reform must ... more In this commentary on standards‐based education reform, the authors assert that such reform must set challenging standards for student performance and then help all students meet them.
The Reading Teacher, 2013
Comunicación, Lenguaje y Educación, 1993
Este informe se basa en una investigación apoyada por el United States Department of Education (U... more Este informe se basa en una investigación apoyada por el United States Department of Education (USDOE) de acuerdo con la Ley Pública 100-297, mediante fondos federales otorgados a Kamehameha Schools/Bishop State (KS/BE) por la Beca Número 5208A90001. Los puntos de vista expresados son responsabilidad del autor y no son necesariamente compartidos por USDOE o por KS/BE. Apreciamos el estímulo intelectual y las oportunidades de diálogo ofrecidos por nuestros colegas de KS/BE, con un agradecimiento especial para Chuck Giuli y Kathy Au. O De todos los artículos deberá solicitarse por escrito autorización de CL&E y de los autores para el uso en forma de facsímil, fotocopia o cualquier otro medio de reproducción impresa. CL&E se reserva el derecho de interponer las acciones legales necesarias en aquellos casos en que se contravenga la ley de derechos de autor.
Reading Research Quarterly, 1991
... 144 READING RESEARCH QUARTERLY * 1991 XXVI/2 vergleichen. In den USA wurden 63 Schtiler der 5... more ... 144 READING RESEARCH QUARTERLY * 1991 XXVI/2 vergleichen. In den USA wurden 63 Schtiler der 5. Klasse willkirlich in drei Gruppen aufgeteilt, in denen zwar die gleichen Testbedingungen vorlagen, die aber unterschiedliche Textpassagen und Lehrer aufwiesen. ...
Reading Research Quarterly, 2010
ABSTRACTThis study investigated multiple models for assessing oral reading fluency, including 1‐m... more ABSTRACTThis study investigated multiple models for assessing oral reading fluency, including 1‐minute oral reading measures that produce scores reported as words correct per minute (wcpm). We compared a measure of wcpm with measures of the individual and combined indicators of oral reading fluency (rate, accuracy, prosody, and comprehension) to examine construct, criterion, and consequential validity. Oral reading data and standardized comprehension test scores were analyzed for students in grades 2, 4, and 6. Our results indicate that assessments designed to include multiple indicators of oral reading fluency provided a finer‐grained understanding of oral reading fluency and fluency assessment, and a stronger predictor of general comprehension. Comparisons across grade levels also revealed developmental differences in the relation between oral reading fluency and comprehension, and the relative contributions of oral fluency indicators to comprehension. When commonly used benchmark...
Reading Research Quarterly, 1991
This study was an effort to establish the construct validity of measures designed to assess topic... more This study was an effort to establish the construct validity of measures designed to assess topical knowledge. We began with the assumption that the best way to find out how much people know about a topic is to interview them. The interview then became the criterion for validating three paper and pencil tests of topical knowledge. Elementary and junior high school students were interviewed to ascertain their knowledge about four topics; two weeks later they responded to three tests of topical knowledge. The results were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The correlations between the interview scores and the paper and pencil measures did not reveal a strong and clear relationship between the students' performance on the interviews and their performance on the tests of topical knowledge. This was an unexpected finding which led to further analyses (conditional probability analysis and case studies). The conditional probability analysis revealed that the interview and the paper and pencil tests provided different information regarding an individual's knowledge of a topic. These differences seem to be related to the difference between a recall and a recognition task. There was a high probability that if students gave information in the interviews, they would get that information correct on the paper and pencil tests (if it appeared there). Conversely, the probability was low that students would have mentioned in the interviews all, or even most, of the information that they got correct on the topical knowledge tests. We conclude from these findings that the information one gets of topical knowledge differs between interviews and paper and pencil measures. If the goal is to get the most complete picture possible regarding an individual's topical knowledge, then both interview and paper and pencil measures are necessary. If the goal is to assess only a specific body of information, then a paper and pencil measure might suffice; and, if the goal is to open a broader window on a student's knowledge, then an interview seems preferable. Looking across the few select cases that we analyzed in depth, we found that the interview approach captured individual differences more clearly and dramatically than did the paper and pencil tests of topical knowledge. Topical Knowledge-1
Reading Research Quarterly, 2000
... Questions about utility, generalizability, reliabili-ty, and validity of performance as-sessm... more ... Questions about utility, generalizability, reliabili-ty, and validity of performance as-sessments have ... is certain to have implications for the balance between large-scale and classroom ... 4.Assessment instruments can be brought into the classroom (and the home) through the ...
Educational leadership, 1989
Abstract: Instead of decoding sentences, good readers build meaning by integrating their knowledg... more Abstract: Instead of decoding sentences, good readers build meaning by integrating their knowledge with the text. Reading assessment must shift from traditional quantifiable tests to a portfolio system incorporating multiple measures and indicators of expertise. Michigan ...
The Reading Teacher, 2014
The purpose of this article is to provide guidance on the implementation of the Common Core State... more The purpose of this article is to provide guidance on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts (CCSS‐ELA). Toward this end, suggestions and cautions are provided that focus on understanding the vision, understanding the anchor and grade‐level standards, and understanding the implications for instruction. In general, this article stresses the importance of attending to the various “parts” of the standards within the context of the larger vision as a means of avoiding missteps in implementation.
The Elementary School Journal, 2006
Remedial and Special Education, 1988
This paper presents five principles to guide reading comprehension assessment in the classroom. B... more This paper presents five principles to guide reading comprehension assessment in the classroom. Based upon an interactive model emerging from the past two decades of reading research and theory, these principles acknowledge a close tie between assessment and instruction; namely, that assessment is part of instruction. The principles suggest that we (1) consider the reader, the text, and the context as we construct and interpret assessments. (2) Focus on orchestrating rather than isolating skills. (3) Regard reading as a dynamic process rather than a static product. (4) Develop techniques that encourage rather than ignore student-teacher interactions. (5) Use a variety of measures of reading comprehension. The paper concludes with several applications of these principles to classroom assessment.
CTP studies the way policies and conditions in schools, districts, states, and teacher education ... more CTP studies the way policies and conditions in schools, districts, states, and teacher education institutions shape the quality of teaching and learning in the nation's elementary and secondary schools. The Center pays particular attention to the ways these policies and conditions interact with each other to influence the teaching profession and its practice. The Center's program of research is carried out in collaboration with various other research organizations, among them other OERI-funded research centers, including the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE), and the Center on English Learning & Achievement (CELA). The Center is affiliated with a variety of professional and advocacy organizations that represent teachers, teacher educators, state and local policymakers, disciplinary groups, and educational reform interests.
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Books by Sheila Valencia
Papers by Sheila Valencia