What should teachers consider when assessing literacy skills?

When assessing literacy skills, it is important for teachers to consider both formal and informal assessment methods to obtain a comprehensive understanding of a child's abilities. Formal assessments, such as standardized tests, provide quantifiable data that can be compared across a larger population, while informal assessments, like observations and anecdotal records, offer insights into a child's day-to-day interactions with literacy in a less structured environment.

Using a combination of these assessment methods allows educators to capture a fuller picture of a student's literacy skills. Formal assessments may highlight specific areas of strength or concern in a standardized way, whereas informal assessments can reveal how a child applies these skills in real-life situations, their engagement with texts, and their interest levels. This dual approach enables teachers to tailor instruction to meet individual needs effectively, fostering better literacy development in their students.