DORA online reading assessment

[Mama2two]

Anyone use the DORA online reading assessment?

 

Thoughts on it?

 

https://www.letsgolearn.com/shop/store/product/dora-diagnostic-online-reading-assessment/

[EKS]

I've used it. It gives a good benchmark. It is certainly better than just using word lists. You can get an inflated comprehension score if the kid knows a lot about the subjects that the passages are about. It helps to watch your child take it so that you can see what the test is like and where he or she has trouble.

[Laura in STL]

I used it for my oldest because I wanted some outside validation that things were going well. It was a decent assessment especially for the price. I didn't feel it was necessary with my second child because I had more experience to help me judge progress on my own.

[Mama2two]

Thank you! Do you feel that it was a pretty good accurate assessment of grade level?

[Dmmetler]

I think it's pretty good for the price. Along with the comprehension possibly being inflated if the child knows the topic, be aware that the comprehension questions do not allow the child to flip back to the passage, so they're really recall/memory questions-bad if you have a DC who has been taught/learned on their own the strategy of reading the questions FIRST and then reading the passage.

 

You can stop the test at any time and come back later to finish, which is one thing I really like about it. If you end up using the test a 2nd time (and the questions are different) it will also remember what your child demonstrated mastery on and start at the appropriate place. You can also, if you know your child is ahead or behind, start the test where they are, then change the grade report so it reflects your child's actual age-so that, for example, if you know your child is weak on some areas taught in K or 1st (and you're not sure which), you can start at the beginning regardless of where they are, but have a report that still lists them as a 3rd grader and checks their scores against 3rd grade norms.

 

I've seen pretty high correlations between the DORA and the school-type standardized tests, too. I think it's a pretty good assessment on reading level, and excellent on spelling and vocabulary, but since it doesn't touch writing at all, that needs to be taken into account as well.

[Mama2two]

great, thank you! That is very helpful!

[EKS]

Along with the comprehension possibly being inflated if the child knows the topic, be aware that the comprehension questions do not allow the child to flip back to the passage, so they're really recall/memory questions-bad if you have a DC who has been taught/learned on their own the strategy of reading the questions FIRST and then reading the passage.

 

 

Yes, not being able to look back at the passage conflates working memory with comprehension. I have the same complaint about the WWE comprehension questions.

[Dolphin]

Thank you for that link. I was going to look into that. My ds was part of the control group for Calvert's study last year. He took the test 3 times, (beginning, middle, and end of the year)

 

It tests

Word recognition

Oral vocabulary

Reading comprehension

Spelling

and a few other things.

 

I also got a summary of what everything meant. I found it to be pretty accurate with what my son is doing.