Diagnostic Assessments For Middle School Reading Standards

 

Every year, I focus on trying to understand exactly where to target my reading instruction so my students can grow, and I can use my teaching time efficiently. 

When my district eliminated iReady, which I loved for this purpose, I struggled to find a standards-based diagnostic that met my needs. So, I decided to create my own.

Using the test-item specifications for our standardized tests, I crafted original texts and created questions that mirrored those on the state tests and covered these 8 standards:

1.  Citing Evidence

2.  Theme/Central Idea

3. Character Analysis and Idea Development (Making Inferences)

4.  Poetry (Interpreting words and phrases)

5.  Text Structure

6. Point of View

7.  Media Literacy

8. Analyzing Arguments

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How I Made the Diagnostic Easy to Administer and Analyze

With over 120 students, I needed a streamlined process. Here’s what I did:

• Students complete the assessment on paper first to encourage focus
• Then, they enter answers into a self-checking Google Form
• I created a video for Media Literacy that can be shown at the beginning of the diagnostic.

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The Power of Data: Custom Spreadsheet for Instant Insights

Google Forms gave me raw data, but I needed more. I wanted to:

• Sort results by individual standards to see overall class performance
• Drill down to see which specific questions students missed
• Identify exactly which standards each student needed to work on

After collaborating with a tech expert, I developed a custom spreadsheet with two key features:

1. Standard-Based Sorting: Select any standard and instantly see how the class performed on related questions.2. Student-Level Analysis: Quickly identify which standards each student missed to tailor instruction.

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Why This Diagnostic Is a Game-Changer for Middle School ELA Teachers

This diagnostic solves the common problem of not knowing where students’ reading skills truly are.

With this tool, you can:

• Pinpoint reading skill gaps aligned to standards
• Save time with automated data analysis
• Monitor student growth over time by re-administering the diagnostic
• Make informed, targeted instructional decisions

If you want to confidently track your middle school students’ performance on essential reading standards — without wasting time reteaching skills they already know, click below!

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