What is the purpose of a Reading Progress Record (RPR)?

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An RPR allows mentors to record learner progress by using excerpts of approximately 150 words (found on BOOKSinBAGS© labels) or by employing the total word count(s) of one or two books at earlier levels. An RPR is much more than simply an exercise in marking what is correct or incorrect as a learner reads aloud. The mentor not only gathers and records data using the method explained on the instruction page, but also notes the learner’s behavior as a series of RPR’s are compiled. This information can then be transferred to a BOOKSinBAGS© graph (FIG. 6) to document reading performance over a period of time.

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How do I create an RPR?

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1. With the selected material, a copy of the recording form (FIG. 1) and a pen or a pencil, and the instructions for marking what you observe (FIG. 3), be seated next to the learner. The chosen text should come from a book that has already been read once or twice. At very early levels, where there are few or repeated words, the text from two books may be used, counting the total number of words in both. Enter the number of words in the reading selection, either all the words from the shorter book(s), or the number given in green on the BOOKSinBAGS© label.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

2. Place the book on a flat surface so it is visible to both you and the learner.  Read the title and the author's name.  If there is a glossary, review it with the learner.
    

3. As the learner reads aloud, mark on the recording sheet as instructed (FIG. 3). The title, author’s name, captions, and labels do not count as part of the word total and should not be included on the sheet. If the learner is reading too fast for accurate record keeping, ask him or her to wait while you complete your notations.   
    

4. Count all errors and self-corrections and note them next to the total on the top of the form. Divide the total word number by the number of errors. This will give the accuracy rate. Then use the Error/Accuracy rate chart (FIG. 4) for the reading percentage.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

5. To calculate the rate of self-corrects, add the number of errors and the number of self-corrects, then divide that total by the number of self-corrects, referring to the S/C section of the chart. (FIG. 4)  Important:  Round this number up.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   This means that the learner is correcting one out of every three errors. This also indicates how well the learner self-monitors reading, as the S/C score indicates if reading errors are being noticed and corrected.
    

6. Refer once again to the given chart (FIG. 4) to determine the learner’s readiness to move to a more difficult level. As an example, an accuracy score of 91% suggests the need for further instruction. This means that more practice with additional books at this level is recommended, although a promising self-correction score of 1:2 may indicate that the learner could be on the way to higher accuracy scores at this level, given more practice.  
   
   Important to note: Before a learner advances from one text level to the next, the RPR score should be 95% to 100%, with self-corrections (SC) within a rate of 1:1 to 1:3.  At 95% or above, a learner is considered “independent,” meaning that no further instruction is needed at that level.
    

7. In addition to accurately recording errors and self-corrections, it is very important that you observe learner behaviors and use the information from the completed RPR form to determine whether it matches the recommendations in the mentor instructions for selecting a particular level. It may be helpful to make notes on the top or back of the RPR form.
   
   Specifically:
   
   a.  Did the learner re-read for understanding?
   
   b.  Were there attempts to self-correct?
   
   c. Did the learner attempt to read a word before asking for help? There should not be many “Tolds” on the         record, with the exception of more difficult words noted on the BOOKSinBAGS© label.
   
   d. Did the learner read with appropriate expression and phrasing? If the reading sounds simply like
       unconnected words, it may mean that the learner does not understand the story; this may indicate that the
       level is too difficult.
   
   For an expanded list of learner behaviors, refer to (FIG. 5).
   
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How do I interpret and use the RPR results?

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The long-term goal of giving learners supplemental books is to improve their reading skills as a whole. Grade level materials are often difficult for students because the classroom reading curriculum is more challenging than current supplemental BOOKSinBAGS© levels. The goal of the professionally developed BOOKSinBAGS© program is to provide easy and enjoyable reading materials.

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Mentors may find that recording learner performance using a BOOKSinBAGS© graph (FIG. 6) may be helpful for following progress as the learner begins with books at a level that is below grade level expectations. It may also be useful to color-code using a yellow highlighter for instructional scores and red ink to show frustration scores when recording the graph points, as well as for the accuracy (ACC) and self-correct (SC) columns of the graph.  A sample graph with colors and scoring of sample RPR results may be found in (FIG. 7).

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The following information will clarify what highlighted and non-highlighted sections of the graph indicate regarding learner reading accuracy and self-correcting skills.

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1. No Highlight: This is excellent because the learner is an independent reader needing little help and is possibly showing self-correcting skill. Note: Most readers occasionally misread words This may be accepted without correction, as indicated by non-highlighted Nil. NA means that there were no errors to correct.
    

2. Yellow Highlight: The learner’s reading skills are satisfactory. Some support is needed to read with fluency, accurate decoding, and comprehension.  
   SC: Yellow Highlight = Some self-correcting was observed.
    

3. Red Ink: The learner is having difficulty or is frustrated, and is not yet an independent reader. When frustrated, a learner does not read in phrases, struggles with too many individual words, and does not comprehend well. 
   
   SC: Red Ink = Too many errors and minimal self-correcting.  
   SC: Nil (in red ink) = Too many errors and no observed self-correcting. 
   
   The graph is a measurement of a learner’s performance when reading from leveled books such as those found in the BOOKSinBAGS© program. Over time, this should lead to a narrowing of any existing gap between grade level expectations and current reading performance. This will be indicated by rising graph points and little or no highlighting on the graph itself.
   
   Quick Guide:  FIGURES 1-8