Dr. Adrea Truckenmiller and Dr. Eunsoo Cho discuss building a strategic assessment system in literacy education. They cover how to use data to inform reading instruction, the difference between screeners, diagnostics, curriculum based measures, and computer adaptive tests, and the importance of reliability in assessments. Common pitfalls like over-testing and teaching to the test are addressed, along with practical advice for setting up a coherent and actionable assessment framework in schools.

Show Documents:
Michigan Department of Education (2020). Early literacy assessment systems that support learning. Lansing, MI: Authors. https://www.michiganassessmentconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/ELAS_Guide_2020_v5.pdf
Truckenmiller, A. J., Cho, E., Bourgeois, S., & Friedman, E. (2024). Uses and Misuses of Commercial Reading Assessment: An Applied Framework for Decision Making in Grades K through 6. The Reading Teacher, 77(5), 609–623. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2274
Truckenmiller, A., Coyne, M., Valentine, K., & Moura, P. (2025). Independent Researcher Review of Commercial Reading Screening Assessment Suites May 2025. https://doi.org/10.35542/osf.io/vrn3g_v1

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
02:36 The Importance of a Strategic Assessment System
05:25 Different Stakeholders, Different Data Needs
09:50 Assessment of Learning vs. Assessment for Learning
13:31 The Myth of the One Perfect Assessment
17:18 Understanding Screener, Diagnostic, and Progress Monitoring Assessments
28:26 CBM vs. CAT: Formats of Assessment
34:42 Accuracy in Assessment: Sensitivity and Specificity
38:05 Balancing Sensitivity and Specificity in Assessments
39:22 Importance of Reliable Assessments
40:40 Challenges of Over and Under Identification
45:12 Informal Reading Inventories: Pros and Cons
46:14 Modern Assessments and Their Advantages
54:48 Common Pitfalls in Data Usage
57:15 Over Testing and Its Implications
01:00:35 Teaching to the Test: A Critical Look
01:06:24 Building a Coherent Assessment System
01:13:55 Optimism for the Future of Literacy Research