Benchmark – Data Informs Instruction

Clinical Field Practice B

Briana Jenkins

On May 16, 2022, I observed Mrs. Breland giving a student a Benchmark assessment. This assessment is one of the assessments that take place 3 times a year. This one would count as the student's 3 assessment for the year. Mrs. Breland and I picked up the student from her classroom and took her to Mrs. Breland classroom so the assessment could be giving. Mrs. Breland is a reading interventionist and the student she was giving the test to was in 3rd grade.

For the assessment that was giving the student was set at a table and across from her set Mrs. Breland. The student was giving a book to read, and as she read Mrs. Breland and I followed along as she read the book. While the student’s read Mrs. Breland was able to record the following things accuracy, self-correction, fluency, comprehension, and writing. The student was scored on these things which will allow Mrs. Breland to place the student on a certain letter reading level.

The assessment showed where the student struggled with the text and how the student showed improvements from previous scores. After reviewing the scores, it allows an interventionist to see where the student reading level is if they can move up a letter on the reading scale or stay on the level he or she is already on. The student reads several books for this type of benchmark assessment. The beauty of reading more than one book it allows the students to show their strength. For example, the student read a fiction text and struggled with this text, but Mrs. Breland showed me how she read nonfiction and did amazing. So having the students read several books with different genres allow a teacher, reading coach, and interventionist to see the student’s full potential and place the student on the right reading grade levels.

Talking with my mentor it allowed me to see the importance of this assessments but even universal test. I am someone who’s against state testing, but she showed me how seeing where students should be on worldwide level. Also, with the assessment that was giving she pointed out to me that the students gets points for making self-corrections it does not matter how far they got in the book if they realize a mistake and went to correct they will receive credit. I love this assessment because it allows students to shine.