The Informal Reading Inventory: An Overview
1. Introduction
An informal reading inventory (IRI) is a survey that is personally given to a student to determine the reading levels; it helps in determining the student’s ability to recognize words when they see them, pronounce them, understand their meanings, and construct sentences with them. The IRI is an important tool for teachers because it provides information about a student’s strengths and weaknesses in order to plan appropriate instruction. It can also be used to monitor a student’s progress over time.
2. What is an informal reading inventory?
An informal reading inventory (IRI) is a survey that is personally given to a student to determine the reading levels; it helps in determining the student’s ability to recognize words when they see them, pronounce them, understand their meanings, and construct sentences with them. The IRI is an important tool for teachers because it provides information about a student’s strengths and weaknesses in order to plan appropriate instruction. It can also be used to monitor a student’s progress over time.
3. How is an informal reading inventory administered?
The IRI is typically administered one-on-one by the teacher. The teacher will choose several passages of text that are at different reading levels and read them aloud to the child. The child will be asked questions about what they heard after each passage is read. Based on the child’s responses, the teacher will be able to determine the child’s independent and instructional reading levels.
4. How is an informal reading inventory scored?
The IRI is scored by calculating the number of words the child correctly recognizes, pronounces, and understands per minute. This number is then compared to the average number of words per minute for children at different reading levels. The teacher will also note any errors that the child makes while listening to the passages and determine if they are developmental or scorable errors. Developmental errors are not counted against the child, but scorable errors are deducted from the total number of words correctly recognized. Based on this information, the teacher will be able to determine the child’s independent and instructional reading levels.
5. How can an informal reading inventory be used to determine a student’s independent and instructional reading levels?
The IRI can be used to determine a student’s independent and instructional reading levels by calculating the number of words correctly recognized, pronounced, and understood per minute. This number is then compared to the average number of words per minute for children at different reading levels. The teacher will also note any errors that the child makes while listening to the passages and determine if they are developmental or scorable errors. Developmental errors are not counted against the child, but scorable errors are deducted from the total number of words correctly recognized. Based on this information, the teacher will be able to determine the child’s independent and instructional reading levels. IRIs can give reliable data points for children's oral fluency which can help predict future success in reading comprehension measures such as standardized tests” (Foorman et al., 1998). In other words, IRIs could provide educators with a general idea of how well students will do on tests that assess their knowledge via written responses rather than oral responses. Furthermore, IRIs may identify readers who have difficulty with phonemic awareness (the understanding that spoken words are made up of smaller units of sound called "phonemes") or phonics (the relationship between the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they represent). These difficulties, if unidentified and unaddressed, can impede a child's reading development.
6. What are some benefits of using an informal reading inventory?
There are many benefits to using an informal reading inventory. IRIs can provide teachers with valuable information about a student’s strengths and weaknesses in reading. This information can be used to plan appropriate instruction. IRIs can also be used to monitor a student’s progress over time. In addition, IRIs can give reliable data points for children’s oral fluency which can help predict future success in reading comprehension measures such as standardized tests.
7. Are there any drawbacks to using an informal reading inventory?
There are some drawbacks to using an informal reading inventory. One drawback is that the IRI can be time-consuming to administer and score. Another drawback is that the IRI does not always give a complete picture of a child’s reading ability. For example, a child who scores at the instructional level on the IRI may still have difficulty with some aspects of reading, such as comprehending text or decoding words.
8. Conclusion
An informal reading inventory is a survey that is personally given to a student to determine the reading levels; it helps in determining the student’s ability to recognize words when they see them, pronounce them, understand their meanings, and construct sentences with them. The IRI is an important tool for teachers because it provides information about a student’s strengths and weaknesses in order to plan appropriate instruction. It can also be used to monitor a student’s progress over time.