ABSTRACT
Introduction Th is chapter focuses on descriptions of formative assessment procedures that can be particularly useful when sampling strategic reading and other cognitive strategies. Th ese procedures include ideas developed to assess comprehension, vocabulary usage, schemata and prior knowledge, content study and learning strategies, and metacognitive strategy use. Most of these assessment procedures can be used with expository text (content and informational material) as well as with narrative text (story-type material). In Chapter 3, assessments included sampling aff ective infl uences that could impact literacy engagement; sampling students’ linguistic strategies by assessing their oral reading and fl uency; and observing other literacy infl uences and written language development through students’ writing and through interviews with families, other teachers, and the students themselves. Th e assessments described in this chapter will focus on assessing students’ cognitive strategies by sampling their comprehension and other strategic reading and study processes. Individual teachers will probably prefer some cognitive and strategy assessments over others and are each encouraged to select the procedures that are most appropriate to their own beliefs and teaching styles, and to what they wish to fi nd out.
