We are looking at using the Roe and Burns IRI, an informal reading inventory 
for grades 3-6. It tests word recognition (fluency) and comprehension. The 
testing is fairly short. Fluency and comprehension are both tested on the same 
passage. The book costs around $80. Four passages for each grade level are 
given for multiple testing throughout a year.
On Aug 31, 2011, at 1:17 PM, C McLoughlin wrote:

> The benefit of DIBELS, I found, was in its speed.  For grades 3 and up, the 
> test took 3 minutes, as the standard testing was only a few oral reading 
> passages at 1 min each.  Lower grades tested more basic skills, such as 
> phonemic awareness and basic (CVC) phonics, and the time varied, but was 
> rarely more than 5 minutes in total.  Students who were clearly proficient 
> could stop there, others who appeared to have deficient skills could be 
> tested more thoroughly/diagnostically, with other measures, including more 
> thorough phonic surveys, or F&P, as appropriate to their needs.  Thus we 
> would be spending more time on those we really needed to diagnose and 
> prescribe for, rather than doing the same thing for everyone.  In order to 
> monitor progress, we administered DIBELS three times annually. That way we 
> could adjust instruction mid-year, if progress was insufficient, rather than 
> waiting until year-end to be sure what was happening.  It would be very
> difficult to find the time to do that with DRA or F&P - it would certainly 
> impact instructional time.
> 
> DRA and Fountas & Pinnell are both rather time consuming.  We have used them 
> too, and they really do a better job of measuring comprehension specifically, 
> but as progress measurement tools they are cumbersome.  One real benefit of 
> F&P, I would say, is that it  identifies a specific (F&P) reading level for 
> each student, so that it can make it easier to choose a "just right" book.  
> 
> Carol Mc
> Reading Specialist, NY
> 
> 
> 
>> ________________________________
>> From: Betsy Lafontant <[email protected]>
>> To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group 
>> <[email protected]>
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 6:05 AM
>> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] I need suggestions about assessments
>> 
>> Four years ago, each classroom teacher was expected to administer the DRA.
>> It took too long and severely disrupted instruction.  Then three years ago,
>> ... Our principal and curriculum coordinator suspended student services the 
>> first 10 days of
>> school, recruited our learning support, ESOL and other specials teachers,
>> trained them and assigned certain classes or grades to each person. By the
>> second week of school, all students in the elementary school were tested by
>> this team using the Fountas and Pinnel testing system.  They met daily to
>> discuss their results and to make sure their testing methods
>> were consistent among the team.  ... The whole process is repeated in May to
>> judge the child's progress over the year.  
>> 
>> On Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 2:55 AM, Saundra McDonald
>> <[email protected]>wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> Our school is struggling with deciding what kind of reading assessment to
>>> use for grades 3-5.  In the past we have used DIBELS (mandated by the
>>> administration) and DRA2.  Our principal has expressed her concern that the
>>> DRAs take up too much instructional time to administer and some of the
>>> teachers feel there is not consistency from grade to grade in how they are
>>> given and so the results are not that helpful.
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
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