Informal Reading Inventories

The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.

Topic: Informal Reading Inventories (IRI’s)

Title: “A Critical Analysis of Eight Informal Reading Inventories (IRI’s).” Nina L. Nilsson. The Reading Teacher (April 2008), 526-536. A publication of the International Reading Association.

Question: What are IRI’s?

Quote: “IRI’s (Informal Reading Inventories) are individually administered diagnostic assessments designed to evaluate a number of different aspects of students’ reading performance. Typically IRI’s consist of graded word lists and passages ranging from preprimer level to middle or high school levels. After reading each leveled passage, a student responds orally to follow-up questions assessing comprehension and recall.” p. 546.

Question: What are some purposes of IRI’s?

Quote: “Using comprehension and word recognition scores for students who read the passage orally, along with additional factors taken into consideration (e.g., prior knowledge, fluency, emotional status, among other possible factors) teachers or other educator-elated professionals determine students’ reading levels. They also use this information to match students with appropriate reading materials, place children in guided reading groups, design instruction to address students’ noted strengths and needs, and document reading progress over time.” p. 546.

Comment: The IRI (Informal Reading Inventory) is a basic diagnostic tool in reading education. Administering it requires extensive time for teacher and student. Its value depends on the purposes for administering and the actual use of the data gained from its administration. RayS.