Learner Profile & Case Study

Student: Kristopher
Grade Level: 5th
Date of Report: 12/9/2016

Report Created by:

Tiffany Crawford
Interdisciplinary Studies Student
Tarleton State University
Fort Worth, Texas

As partial completion of READ 3384 course requirements, the following report, consisting of
results from interviews, surveys, literacy assessments, and selected subtests of an Informal
Reading Inventory, was administered, scored, and interpreted by Tiffany Crawford. Ms.
Crawford is an Interdisciplinary Studies student at Tarleton State University, Fort Worth,
Texas.
Introduction

Kristopher is a fifth grade student at Luella Merrett Elementary in Fort Worth , TX. Kristopher is
well-mannered and completes all assignments with little help. When given directions he is able to process
and complete the assignment with little to no help.

Kristopher loves to read and make comic books. He also enjoys playing football on his touch
team. Kristopher said that he really enjoys going to the library with his family. He also said that he has
issues reading for long periods of time on the computer and sometimes in books. Kristopher said his
glasses broke, and they have not been replaced, yet.

Learning Styles and/or Multiple Intelligences Assessments

I administered A Survey for Young People developed by The Program Department London
District Catholic School Bard. Kristopher was able to read and complete all the information without any
help. I gave Kristopher the survey in order to learn more about what type of learner he was. When
grading the survey, I was able to see that Kristopher is a people smart person and a picture smart person.
Because Kristopher is people smart he likes to play team sports and he enjoys being around others.
Kristopher also expressed that he loved to write and draw comic books which explains his picture smart
level. The results are reported in the graph below.

Picture Smart- The enjoyment of art, mazes and being able to be creative.
Music Smart- The ability to discern pitch and rhythm, the enjoyment of sounds
People Smart- The ability to understand and interact with others.
Number Smart- Someone able to calculate mathematically/ carry out complete math operations.
Word Smart- Having the ability to think in words and use them to express a complex meaning.
Body Smart- When a student can use the body to express language.
Nature Smart- The ability to be sensitive to living things.
Self-Smart: Ability to know ones own feelings and basic needs.
Differentiation/ Enrichment Opportunities
After discussing the Multiple Intelligences results with Kristopher, he agreed with the
findings. Because Kristopher scored highly in the people smart and picture smart categories,
teachers might ajust lessons and study times that include techniques centered around these two
learning styles. After receiving content instruction, Kristopher would benefit from group
activities where he is able to interact with other students. Another way to reach Kristophers
learning is by plugging into his picture smart learning, by allowing him to journal da; which will
bring out his creative style. With this understanding, the teacher can develop activities focused
around Kristophers learning style. Which in turn the teacher is able to create a productive
learning environment where the teacher and students thrive and become successful.

Reading Interest Inventory/Interview

Next I gave Kristopher a Reading Interest Survey by Ginger Snaps. He answered the
questions with ease. His favorite type of books were sports, adventure, horror and realistic
fiction. Kristopher informed me that he enjoys making his own comic books. One of his favorite
book character is Geronimo Stilton and his least favorite genre is biographies. Kristopher also
expressed that he preferred having a choice in what he read and not just told what to read.

Elementary Reading and Writing Interest Survey

After completing the reading survey, I administered the Garfield Elementary Reading
Attitude Survey, by Mckenna and Kear. On the recreational reading side, his raw score was 30
and on the academic reading side he scored 30 as well. Kristophers overall attitude towards
reading is in the 70 percentile which is about average compared to other fifth graders. While
th

taking the survey, he indicated to he really enjoys reading when given the choice.
The Writing Attitude Survey by The Reading Teacher, gave me a better insight into what
Kristopher enjoyed the most about writing. He enjoys free writing stories but does not like
negative comments made after turning in his work. The survey scored Kristophers attitude
towards writing at 84%. This means his attitude towards writing is above average compared to
other firth graders.
Part ll: components of Assessment and Reflection

Names Test/ Phonics Inventory

I gave Kristopher the Names Test by Patricia Cunningham and F.A. Dufflemeyer to
evaluate his phonics and decoding ability. I administered the test by giving a copy of the names
sheet to Kristopher and asked him to read the names as if he were calling roll. After the
completion of the test Kristopher scored a 100%. Based on the score Kristopher scored above
other fifth graders. Kristopher does not need additional instruction in phonics.

Spelling Assessment
To measure Kristophers word knowledge and to find his spelling stage, I gave
Kristopher the Words Their Way Elementary Spelling Inventory. The assessment was given
orally like a regular spelling test. He was asked to write the word to the best of his ability. I
repeated the word twice and once in a sentence when necessary. Kristopher spelled 23 out of 25
words correctly. He is in the spelling stage called Derivational Relations. Spellers in this stage
explore relationships between the spelling and meanings of a word. They often do not see that
words with related meanings have related spellings. Kristopher may benefit from learning Latin
and Greek Roots.
Fluency
Kristopher read a passage called My Aquarium Visit from Reading A to Z. Fluency is the
ability to read a passage easily with accuracy and expression. Fluency facilitates an increase in a
students comprehension and speed while reading. From the results of the fluency rubric
Kristopher was able to read 136 words per minute on a 177-word passage, which suggest he is
making excellent progress on words per minute. Kristopher scored a 13/16 which suggests that
he is making good progress in fluency.

FLUENCY RUBRIC (EACH SECTION SCORED OUT OF 4)

EXPRESSION AND PHRASING SMOOTHNESS PACE

VOLUUME

3 3 4 3

Reads with volume and
expression. However,
sometimes the reader slips
into expressionless reading
and dose not sound like they
are talking to a friend.
Reads with a Reads smoothly with Reads fast and
mixture of run-ones, some breaks, but self- slow throughout
mid-sentence pauses corrects with difficult reading.
for breather, and words and/or sentence
choppiness and structures.
intonation.

Running Records/Miscue Analysis

A running record and miscue analysis are used to evaluate a students reading ability and
to understand what weaknesses and strengths a student may have in reading. Running records are
administered at different periods to record progress. The first passage Kristopher read was Bullet
Trains from Reading A to Z. This reading was in the middle range of Kristophers Lexile level of
410-560 at a 499, which was translates into a 2.3 grade level. Kristopher read the passage aloud
as I followed along with him. He scored a 100% on accuracy. Of the 128 words, he did not miss
any words and there were no miscues marked on this reading. The second text Kristopher read
was The Founding of the Appalachian Trail also from Reading A-Z. This passage was on a 900-
999, which is a 6.7 reading level. Kristopher scored another 100% on this reading. This indicates
that this is passage was at an independent reading level for him. He self-corrected six words
which is at a 1:1 ratio.
Per the running records, Kristopher is reading at or above reading level. He was able to
self-correct hard words such as Appalachian and conquered before being corrected. Based
on the two passages, Kristopher could have gone up to an upper middle school level.
Graded Word List Assessment

I administered the QRI-6 Words List Assessment to Kristopher. The assessment helps
verify the students word-identification in isolation and helps determine where to begin testing.
Kristopher started with the third-grade word list. While reading I listened for accuracy and
marked if he read it automatically. Automatic reading is when a student can read the word
quickly and correctly. Kristopher read from the second-grade level up to the middle high school
word list. According to the word list, Kristophers highest independent reading level is fifth
grade, his highest instructional level is sixth grade, leaving upper middle school as his frustration
level. The chart below gives a better understanding of the levels.
QRI-6 WORD LIST ASSESSMENT (Base on 20 words)

GRADE % CORRECT % CORRECT %CORRECT LEVEL

AUTOMATIC IDENTIFIED TOTAL

3rd
85% 23% 100% independent

4 th
95% .05% 100% independent

5 th
80% 20% 100% independent

6 th
65% 10% 75% instructional

Graded Reading Passages with QRI-6

Introduction
The Qualitative Reading inventory-6 also known as the QRI-6, is a set of administered
reading assessments used to determine a students strengths and needs in reading. The informal
assessment provides information on words a student can identify and text they can comprehend.
This can assist in implementing a better instructional lesson and it can also identify the students
reading level. Within the QRI-6, there are multiple reading passages ranging from grades Pre-K
through High School, both in narrative and expository text. When using the QRI-6 as an
assessment, begin with the students highest independent level attained from the graded word list
assessment. Before giving the passage to read, I assessed Kristophers prior knowledge with the
given concept questions. Next, Kristopher will read the passage aloud or silently. When
Kristopher read aloud, I administered a running record. After Kristopher finished the reading, he
was evaluated on his memory of the passage by retelling the story without looking back. Lastly,
Kristopher was asked either explicit or implicit questions to determine his comprehension level.

QRI-6 Narrative Passages

During our sessions, I administered eight QRI-6 Graded Reading Passages to Kristopher
from a range of grade levels. First, Kristopher read three narrative passages orally to me and two
narratives silently. A narrative text tells a story, it contains characters, a plot, setting, problem,
solution to the problem and a conclusion. I started Kristopher off with his highest independent
level obtained from the word list assessment, which was fifth grade. Summarized below are the
results of the five narrative passages.

ORAL NARRATIE READING PASSAGES

Passages Name Margaret Mead Abraham Lincoln Life Cycles of Starts- Part 1

Grade Level 5th 6th Upper Middle School

Passage Type Narrative Narrative Narrative

Narrative/Expository

Concept Questions 100% 100% 75%

Level/ % total Accuracy 99% 100% 99%

Level/% Total 100% 100% 100%

Acceptability

Oral Reading Prosody Scale 4 4 4

Retelling % Number of ideas 50% 60% 47%

# of Explicit Correct (without look-backs) 4 4 3

# of Implicit Correct 4 3 2
(without look-backs)

Total Passage Level Independent Instructional Frustration

 Based on the three oral narrative passages, it is clear that Kristophers reading
instructional comprehension level is sixth grade. One observation I noticed about Kristopher is
that he knows the information but does not feel confident in his answers.
Based on the two silent narrative passages, the information was very different from the
oral narrative readings. Kristopher started on the fifth-grade level just as he did in the oral
readings. The chart below shows that sixth grade is his independent reading level. Kristophers
silent reading comprehension is one grade level higher than his oral reading comprehension.

SILENT NARRATIVE READING PASSAGE

Passages Name Patricia McKissack The Lifeline of the Nile

Grade Level 5th 6th

Passage Type Narrative Narrative

Narrative/Expository

Concept Questions 99% 99%

Level/ % total Accuracy 100% 100%

Level/% Total 100% 100%

Acceptability

Oral Reading Prosody Scale 4 4

Retelling % Number of ideas 50% 45%

# of Explicit Correct (without look-backs) 3 4

# of Implicit Correct 4 4
(without look-backs)

Total Passage Level Independent Independent

QRI-6 Expository Passages

Kristopher read one oral expository and one silent expository on his grade level, fifth
grade. An expository text, is non-fiction text intended to educate the reader. Below you will find
a summarized chart of the information gathered for the two expository readings.
 EXPOSITORY READING PASSAGES
Passages Name Farming on the Great How Does your Body Take in
Plains Oxygen

Grade Level 5th 6th

Passage Type Expository Expository

Narrative/Expository Silent Oral

Concept Questions 100% 83%

Level/ % total Accuracy 100% 100%

Level/% Total 100% 100%

Acceptability

Oral Reading Prosody Scale 4 4

Retelling % Number of ideas 48% 60%

# of Explicit Correct (without look- 4 4

backs)

# of Implicit Correct 4 4
(without look-backs)

# of Explicit Correct (with look- 0 0

backs)

Total Passage Level Independent Independent

Based on the two expository passages, Kristopher easily comprehends fifth grade
expository text. Kristopher read and comprehended equally well reading orally or silently on the
expository passages. Kristopher had lots to say about both passages before, during and after
reading them. These topics intrigued him.

QRI-6 Listening Passages

The last passage was a listening narrative passage. For this assessment, we did everything
the same as the other reading except for one thing. Instead of Kristopher reading the passage, I
read the passage to him. The passage was on an upper middle school level, which is Kristophers
frustration level according to the word list. The passage was Immigration-Part 2, and
Kristophers prior knowledge about the Statue of liberty was outstanding. He scored 11 out of 12
on the prior knowledge questions. His retelling of the story and his comprehension of the story
was excellent. He scored 90% on the retelling and 80% on the comprehension. This passage fell
in the independent level for Kristopher. Even though he seemed distracted while I read the story
to Kristopher, he seemed to still comprehend the information given to him.

Conclusion
Overall, the QRI-6 assessments provided valuable information about Kristophers
reading. According to the assessments Kristophers independent reading level is fifth grade. And
his instructional level is approximately sixth grade. Based on the information Kristopher did well
in retelling and comprehension on this level. He also seemed to enjoy the challenge of the upper
middle school levels as well.

Summary

Based on my observations and the assessments made with Kristopher, my conclusions are
the following:
Stamina: Based on my time with Kristopher his stamina is low. I would suggest that his
stamina be developed. This will greatly improve his reading skills and fluency.
Phonics: The name tested showed the Kristopher did not need additional instructions in
basic concepts and was on grade level.
Comprehension/ Motivation: Kristopher enjoys reading and prefers the option of choice
when picking a book. He strives to do his best at passages even when difficult. He is
motivated and interested in becoming a stronger reader.
Running Records: Based on the Running Records results Kristopher improved on his
reading level that was given tremendously. He moved from the given Lexile level, 410-
560, tested at a 499, which was translates into a 2.3 grade level to a Lexile level of 900-
999, same as a 6.7 reading level.
 Part lll: Recommendations
Recommendations

Fluency:
As shown through the Running Record assessments, Kristopher could use some
additional instruction in fluency. Readers Theatre is a great way to help a student increase their
reading ability. It helps them find a voice, give the story character but most of all it helps the
students read at a fluent pace and increase the words per minute.

Comprehension and motivation:

When comprehension was assessed, Kristopher scored high on the QRI-6 reading
passages. As shown in the data that he even scored above grade level on the narrative passages.
After the first, two reading Kristopher seem to become distracted easily. Which is why on the
high school narrative passages the scores were a little lower. Kristopher would benefit from brain
breaks. This will allow him to get up and more around and get the brain working again. It will
help keep him focused on task of completing the assignment faster.

Writing:
As the data shows on the Garfield writing Attitude Survey, Kristopher would benefit and
learn from a writing journal. The data from the multiple intelligence survey, A Survey for Young
People, also suggest that Kristopher has a picture intelligence. Being a picture learner is one that
see things and then can interpret them in to writing. A journal could help motivate Kristophers
writing skills.
Reflection:

I was so nervous and anxious when I was handed the first part of the case study. It was

overwhelming that I had all these different assessments to administer that had different elements

that needed to be met. I was so worried about messing up and having this student I did not know

run away from me in horror. I wanted to administer each of the assessments to the best of my

ability and learn from each of them at the same time. As each visit passed I became more at ease

with the process and my student really enjoyed the time we spent together and he never ran

away.

Each visit I learned something new that helped me understand my student more and in

turn will help me understand my future students. It was a lot of information to gather each time

but it was well worth the time. I would have to say that the QRI-6 assessments would be the

hardest to administer. Only because my student was on a high level of reading and the passages

were long and the comprehension portion was intense. There were times that we did not finish

the goal for the visits, but we pushed through the next time. The QRI-6, although difficult at

times, was great information. I was amazed by all of the information you could gather from just

one reading passage. As a future teacher, I look forward to using it to establish a better

understanding of students reading levels.

Learning the ins and outs of running records was an eye opener to a whole different way

to view a students reading level. It showed that even if the students I-station suggested that the

student is at one level, reading with them independently on different levels can suggest other

information. My student was a perfect example. He scored lower then grade level but running

records suggested that he was above grade level.

 All in all, the case study was a great experience, even though it was stressful at times. I

made a great connection to my student and it was an emotional last day. I feel that he is a very

smart young man that is just overlooked by his teacher, due to him having a different way of

learning. Personally, I think all the students in the case study program this semester are lacking

the confidence that a well-rounded reading teacher should produce. Instead of saying that the

kids are lazy and just have issues that she could not work out in the time she had them, students

in this type of demography school need to be reassured daily that they will succeed in school and

in life.

Concluding the case study assignments, I have learned several different techniques that I

cannot wait to use in the classroom. Not only the running records, QRI-6, and spelling inventory,

but I have also learned that if you have patience and set high expectations for your students, they

will see that you care and in return preform their best.
November 14, 2016

To the Parents and Teachers of Kristopher Hunt

I want to take this time and let you know how much I enjoyed working with Kristopher
the past seven weeks. He is such a wonderful, hardworking young man. Each time we worked
together he was eager to do the assignments and had a positive attitude throughout each session.
I was able to acquire information about Kristophers reading and writing ability and learning
styles.
During our time together Kristopher was given different types of assessments. One being
a learning style assessment. Through his responses on, the multiple intelligences, I was able to
find out that Kristopher scored the highest in people smart, which means he works exceptionally
well with others. Kristopher was also given other types of assessments that provided valuable
information about his reading and writing abilities. One was the QRI-6 assessment. This type of
assessment determined that Kristophers independent level of reading was on grade level. As we
worked through passages, spelling, and other actives, Kristopher was able to read on an upper
middle school reading level. He has the opportunity to grow and continue to be successful by
following the recommendations provided below. Kristopher is a hardworking student and is
willing to learn and grow in the classroom.
It has been a pleasure working with Kristopher. I want to take this time to thank you for
allowing me the opportunity to work with him. It was my pleasure to help Kristopher gain
knowledge about himself and learn new strategies to help him in his reading and writing.
Recommendations and strategies:
To help Kristopher with fluency, having him participate in readers theatre would help
increase his words per minute.
To help motivate Kristophers comprehension, allowing him to take brain breaks would
help him refocus and wake the brain back up were Kristopher can re-engage in the
activities.

Sincerely,

Ms. Crawford
Tarleton Pre-Service Teacher