The document discusses the Informal Reading Inventory (IRI), which is an assessment tool used to evaluate students' reading abilities. It measures word recognition, oral reading, fluency, comprehension, and identifies reading strengths and weaknesses. The IRI determines students' independent, instructional, and frustrational reading levels by having them read passages and answer questions. While IRIs have been used since the 1940s, research continues to improve their validity and reliability so teachers can most accurately place students in appropriate reading materials. The goal is to support students' reading progress through good assessment and instruction.

1. Topic: The Informal Reading Inventory
Facilitator:
LEAH BALKARAN

2. LESSON: Informal Reading Inventory
(IRI)

3. What is the *IRI?
*(Informal Reading Inventory)

4. Reading Teacher (2009) believes that good and
appropriate assessment drives good and appropriate
instruction.
According to the Journal of Learning Disabilities
(1985), the IRI is a valuable diagnostic instrument
used by learning disability specialists, reading
teachers and classroom teachers to make structured
observation of a child’s oral and silent reading
performance.

5. Informal Reading Inventories (IRIs) are an
assessment tool that typically assesses individual
students’ word recognition, oral reading, strengths and
weaknesses, fluency and comprehension through
graded word lists and passages.

6. Aim of IRIs

7. The IRI (Informal Reading Inventory) is designed so
that students can continue to read graded passages at
successively higher levels until they reach a point at
which they can no longer function adequately without
frustration.

8. Three questions that should guide a teacher in choosing
a test are ;
1. What do I want to know?
2. Why do I want to know?
3. Which test will help me discover this information?

9. Brief History Of IRIs

10. Reading Teacher (2009) states that the history of IRIs goes
back to the credited work developed by Emmett Betts (1946).
However, some researchers claim that this method has been in
use even further back (Beldin,1970).
***
Our goal in this context was to assist teachers narrow the
knowledge from their teachings to those most appropriate for
their students’ needs, their teaching philosophy or perspective of
reading and the variety of conditions in which they teach.

11. An Example Of How To
Administer The IRI

12. Ekwall/Shanker Reading Inventory (4th Ed.) states that in
an Informal Reading Inventory, there are three (3) levels at which
each pupil can be evaluated based on his/her reading
competence. These levels are as follow:
1) Independent (without assistance)
2) Instructional (with assistance)
3) Frustrational (levels they should not be asked to read)

13. What do the scores mean?
Independent level- the child can pronounce at least 99% of words in the
passage and get 90% of literal and interpretive questions correct.
Instructional level- the child can pronounce at least 95% of words and get
at least 75% of comprehension questions correct.
**When a child scores between independent and instructional (94-91%
pronunciation, 74-51% correct on questions). This is called the “buffer zone”,
the teacher needs to determine based on specifics of the passage reading and
comprehension questions where the student should go.**

14. The Informal Reading
Inventory in the
Philippines

15. The Philippine IRI is an initiative of the Bureau of Elementary Education-
Department of Education that directly addresses its thrust to make every
Filipino child a reader. According to Madrid, A., Manette (2012), the
questions being administered to the students during the child’s assessment
should be placed in different levels; literal, interpretative, critical and applied.
She also states that there are a variety of reading levels which a pupil can be
at such as; frustrational, instructional, independent and non-reader. The PIRI
(Philippine Informal Reading Inventory) is divided into three forms to gage
the reading competence of the child and properly place him in his suitable
stage of literacy.

16. Here are some steps taken by teachers in order to select the suitable IRI :
Step I: Examine your own reading instruction and assessment
beliefs or perspective. Indicate with a check mark whether a
particular IRI is relevant or suitable for your classroom needs.
Step II: Review the content
Step III: Questions about passages
Step IV: Measuring comprehension
Step V: Administering the IRI
Step VI: Interpreting results and instructional follow-up
Step VII: Reflections on Overall Suitability

17. CONCLUSION

18. Journal of Learning Disabilities (1985) examined the validity and reliability of
the IRI. Research claims that teachers can increase their validity and reliability
once they are cognizant (conscious) of the needs and ways to do so. Even
though problems have been identified with the IRI, it is still a valuable tool for
initial placement of students into instructional reading material. The purpose
of reviewing the validity and reliability of IRIs was not to discourage the use of
it instead to improve the method to better support pupils with reading
disabilities. Many authorities agree that when a student is placed in an
incorrect level for reading, it affects their progress.

19. REFERENCES
Hilts, C. (2009). Informal Reading Inventory. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/Berenizepasos/informal-reading-inventory
Ekwall/Shanker. (2010). Reading Inventory (4th Edition). Retrieved
from http://www.slideshare.net/guestdca62d45/reading-inventory-
3446666
Madrid, M (2012). Informal Reading Inventory. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/MariaMarthaManetteMadrid/philippine-informal-
reading-inventory-phil-iri-12786035
Nilsson L., N. (2008). A Critical Analysis of Eight Informal
Reading Inventories. The Reading Teacher, Vol. 61, No. 7
Retrieved from http://www.appstate.edu/~koppenhaverd/rcoe
5710/read/assessment/iricompare.pdf
Klesius., J. P., & Homan, S. P. (1985). Validity and Reliability Update on
the Informal Reading Inventory with Suggestions for
Improvement. Journal Of Learning Disabilities, 18(2),
Flippo, R. F., Holland, D. D., McCarthy, M. T., & Swinning, E. A. (2009).
Asking the Right Questions: How to Select an Informal Reading
Inventory. Reading Teacher, 63(1), 79-83.

20. I HOPE YOU HAVE GAINED FULL
KNOWLEDGE ON IRIs