Peer-Assisted Assessment in Reading: Two Exploratory Studies

Oral reading fluency (ORF) assessments measure how quickly and accurately students read within one minute. They are widely used at the elementary level; however, due to the typical structure and class sizes in middle schools, such individualized assessments are less feasible and, therefore, less frequently used. Two exploratory studies investigated potential methods for efficiently administering ORF measures at the middle school level by utilization of peers: Peer-Assisted Assessment in Reading (PAAR). Findings from both studies showed that after a short training, students were highly accurate in identifying words read in one minute regardless of grade or instructional level, but they were less consistent in correctly identifying miscues. Comparisons between student and student teacher accuracy were also made. Implications for practice are discussed.