Lessons Learned From Research About Informal Reading Inventories: Keys to Data-Driven Instructional Recommendations

Abstract

This study examined how effectively candidates in an MSEd in literacy education with a focus on reading program used the results from the Basic Reading Inventory to develop key instructional recommendations. The results indicated that, overall, candidates made about two thirds of the key recommendations suggested by an expert in the area of reading and reading assessment. Candidates needed to increase the specificity of strategies related to the recommendations and to decrease the number of low-priority recommendations. This article delineates suggestions regarding how teacher educators can help their candidates improve the quality and specificity of recommendations.