How Does the Assessment Information Gained From the Literacy Software Program Raz Kids Compare to the DRA Assessment Information?

Abstract

This study looked at two critical questions concerning the use of Raz Kids: 1) How do students' reading levels assigned by the computer program Raz Kids compare to their reading levels according to the DRA reading assessment? 2) How does the assessment information gained from the DRA assessment compare to students' level/performance on the Raz Kids reading assessment? Investigating these questions helped to determine whether Raz Kids is a tool for students to be using in the classroom and what type of data teachers could gather from this program to inform their future instruction of that student. I answered these questions by comparing the data gathered by the DRA assessment with the computer generated data from the Raz Kids programs. I looked for consistency between the two assessments and seeing what type of data I was able to gather from each. I also [be] took into account the attitude that the classroom teacher and students have about each program through observations of the students and an interview with the classroom teacher. Students need to be prepared for the literacy demands they will be facing inside and outside of the classroom and this research was helpful in finding out whether computer literacy programs are helping them meet this demand or not.