standards & assessments

The Comprehension Playbook addresses all of the grade-level comprehension standards for reading literature and reading informational text.

Instead of looking at the standards as 20 separate comprehension standards, consider seeing them as 10 reciprocal standards. According to Lucy Calkins (Pathways to the Common Core), “the skills for reading literature and the skills for reading informational texts are the same in the Common Core…they share the same 10 thinking skills.” Readers need to bring the same skills to both types of texts.

Based on the Common Core Standards, grade-level expectations vary. Different comprehension skills fall into different grade-range groupings. The Comprehension Playbook includes all of the standards for reading literature and informational texts for every grade level. The grade ranges on the plays vary based on which skills are more closely related within the standards.

All states have college and career-ready expectations for teaching reading, making all standards very similar. Read through the Common Core standards written on each play to determine how your state standards line up with that expectation.

Only assess a skill that you’ve previously taught. Plan to roll out instruction and place the skills you teach into whole-class read alouds or small groups. Provide practice time for students to try the skill out. Wait until they’ve had a chance to hold the ball and practice the skill before moving on to the assessment.

After you’ve provided direct instruction and allowed students to practice a skill for a couple of weeks during whole-class reading or small groups or various assignments, it’s fair to assess them on that skill. Look to your reading curriculum for reading passages that include comprehension questions. Select the questions that pertain to lessons you’ve previously taught and have students read new, unfamiliar text to see if they can successfully apply those specific skills.