What is an assessment method used to monitor a child's reading progress?

Progress monitoring is an assessment method specifically designed to track a child's reading progress over time. It involves the use of short, frequent assessments that provide educators with ongoing feedback about a student's performance. This method helps identify whether students are making adequate progress toward their reading goals and if they are responding to reading instruction effectively.

By consistently assessing students' reading skills, educators can make informed decisions about instruction, interventions, and necessary adjustments to teaching strategies to support each child's learning needs. Progress monitoring is particularly valuable because it allows for timely interventions when a child is struggling, ensuring that they receive targeted support to enhance their reading development.

In contrast, diagnostic testing usually serves to identify specific reading difficulties at one point in time rather than monitor ongoing progress. Summative assessment is typically administered at the end of an instructional period to evaluate student learning and overall performance rather than continually track progress during the learning process. Formative evaluation focuses on ongoing feedback during instruction but does not entirely encompass the systematic and structured approach of progress monitoring aimed at measuring growth in reading over time.