ABSTRACT
If children are to become successful and committed readers, planning for and assessing reading must include more than skills. Formative and summative assessment must be based on the provision of a wide and rich range of texts and the introduction and development of a flexible repertoire of reading strategies and behaviours. Teacher modelling and discussion of reading contribute to establishing reading communities and reading circles; journals and blogs offer opportunities for teachers to evaluate children’s reflections on their reading. Struggling readers can be supported by diagnostic assessment of the skills of reading as well as by listening to children read. By considering the multiple components of reading proficiency, assessment of a child’s reading ability will offer insights into how best to support their ongoing development. For developing bilingual readers, it is important that teachers find out about their existing language and literacy experience before embarking on any strategies to improve their reading. The issue of gender differences in reading is outlined in terms of effective ways to narrow the gap, including the importance of self-esteem. The Literacy Learning Progressions in Reading offer a means of monitoring, recording and reporting progress in all aspects of reading development.
