RDG 6940 Framework for Planning, Enacting, and Reflecting On Practicum Projects

Name: Adam Miserlian

School & District: Brewster Elementary, Rochester Community Schools
Grade(s) & Subject Area(s): 1st Grade, ELA
Part I: Project Plan
A. Rationale
My second project is an extension of my first project, since my colleague Lauren showed great
interest in analyzing the data from a running record and the processes used or not used by the
reader, I would like coach Lauren how to administer a miscue analysis. Running records are a
highly effective method for assessing students oral reading, providing one of the most powerful
tools for fine-tuning guided reading. Using running records as authentic assessment practices,
holds enormous potential for changing what and how we teach and how children come to be
readers and writers (Allington & Cunningham 1996). I will coach Lauren how to focus on what
types of miscues the reader makes: substitutions, mispronunciations, omissions, insertions, and
omissions and the conventions used to annotate them. I will also coach Lauren how to
recognize when a student is using (M) meaning (S) language structure or (V) visual information
in their oral reading errors or self-corrections. My primary focus is to teach Lauren how to use
the evidence collected as a way to better inform her teaching and differentiate her instruction.
B. Goals & Outcomes
My goal is to provide the coaching and support Lauren needs to administer a miscue analysis
from a running record to differentiate and guide her classroom instruction.
Intended outcomes.
The teacher will use conventions to annotate miscue analysis on a running record form.
The teacher will state how to label cues (MSV) on running record form.
The teacher will show examples of reading cueing systems (meaning, structure, visual)
on students running record.
The teacher will use comprehension questions to determine students understanding of
the passage.
Teacher will administer miscue analysis.
The teacher will use data from miscue analysis to guide and differentiate instruction.
C. Roles & Responsibilities
For this project, I am responsible for preparing all the materials necessary to administer a
miscue analysis. I will teach Lauren how to properly annotate the conventions used for miscue
analysis. I will also demonstrate how to analyze the data from a running record to determine
which cueing systems are being made. Next, I will model how to effectively utilize the data from
the miscue analysis to determine not only what cueing systems the individual student uses in
her class but how to successfully use this informal assessment to provide a detailed action plan
for differentiated instruction. Laurens role is to demonstrate that she can effectively administer a

RDG 6940 Framework for Planning, Enacting, and Reflecting On Practicum Projects
running record, identify and annotate reading cues as semantic cues (M), syntactic cues (S),
graphophonic cues (V) and explain examples on students running records independently.

D. Timeline
Lauren and I completed taking running records of our students in our classroom. On Monday, I
will select a couple of my own students running records and Lauren will select a few of her own
students running records. My goal is to demonstrate how to begin to administer a miscue
analysis on my own students so that Lauren is prepared and confident in doing the same. On
Tuesday, we will review the data from the miscue analysis with her students. Once we have the
data from the miscue analysis, Lauren and I will interpret the results from the data together to
inform her teaching and differentiate her instruction depending on the individual needs of her
students. On Friday, we discussed a variety of strategies for decoding unknown words and I
presented an activity that focused on building phonemic awareness, Making New Words
based on the data and the needs of her students.
Part II: Project Implementation & Artifacts
A. Implementation
Since Lauren and I have worked together, her knowledge and ability to code and administer
running records has grown immensely. Therefore, I wanted to focus my coaching on the basics
of analyzing running records and understanding students responses or miscues. I reviewed the
types of miscues readers use (meaning, structure, visual cues; or MSV) and gave Lauren a
copy of a guide that I use that I use to inform my analysis of running records. As Lauren and I
analyzed the errors and identified cueing systems, I reminded Lauren that cueing systems are
the systems students use to make sense of the text and that by identifying them successfully,
we can help them read more effectively in the future. I modeled several examples of various
cueing systems so Lauren could successfully identify which types of cueing systems her
students used.
The next day, Lauren and looked at her running records and she pointed out one of her
students errors; however, this student didnt attempt or know what to do when he came to an
unknown word. As we looked over the rest of the running record, it was evident that this student
was successful in recognizing most of his words automatically. This suggests that he hasnt
mastered letter-sound association because if he did, he would attempt to sound out the word
and utilize phonemic cue reading. We determined that this student would benefit from practicing
various decoding strategies and how learning parts of a word will assist him with identifying
unknown words in the future. Lauren mentioned that while she was reviewing the rest of her
students running records that other students showed similar reading behaviors. The errors
found in these running records provided the perfect teaching point and an opportunity to guide
student learning, which would be the focus of our next meeting.

RDG 6940 Framework for Planning, Enacting, and Reflecting On Practicum Projects
On Friday, we discussed the importance of phonics instruction and how it is an integral part of a
kindergarten-reading program. Lauren shared various strategies that her grade level team is
currently using in their literacy block. I suggested an effective word identification strategy that
implemented systematic phonic instruction and could be utilized during interactive read-alouds,
shared reading, guided reading, interactive writing, or independent writing. Making New Words
is an activity where children can practice and manipulate sounds by changing the first or last
sound in a word to make up new words. This activity is simple to use, it was based on the data
received from Laurens miscue analysis, and engages young children in understanding
predictable relationships between the sounds of spoken language. Lauren and I had great
dialogue and plan on continued this successful collaboration throughout the school year.
B. Artifacts
Included in pdf file:
Analysis of Running Records guide.
Running Record Recording Form
Phonemic Awareness Lesson Plan
Part III: Professional Reflection on Project
A. Reflection on Project Impact
This project really gave Lauren and I an opportunity to look much closer at students reading
behaviors. I feel Laurens confidence grew immensely since our first meeting as she
demonstrated her ability to correctly code and analyze students errors and self-corrections on
the running record form. Lauren was also able to pick up on reading patterns as well as notice
what a child is doing when they come to a word and had difficulty. Our work together analyzing
running records provided Lauren with an opportunity to not only recognize decoding attempts
but it gave her much needed practice that will help her internalize the cueing systems that
readers use or dont use when reading. For example, Lauren noticed when some of her
students saw an unknown word; they didnt know what to do and therefore, were not using any
cueing systems. Lauren knew that these students would benefit greatly from phonemic cue
reading and practice with decoding consonants. Lauren saw this as an opportunity to employ
phonemic awareness activity Making New Words which focused on hearing and changing
ending sounds. Lauren is now using the data from miscue analysis to guide her reading
instruction for her students- mission accomplished!
Lauren and I feel that ongoing professional development and training in reading instruction is
essential for the teachers in our building so that we are more consistent with scoring running
records and the use of reading cueing systems. Therefore, I will continue to provide ongoing
support and dialogue with Lauren throughout the year so that she can share her knowledge and
provide assistance with her grade level team.

RDG 6940 Framework for Planning, Enacting, and Reflecting On Practicum Projects
B. Reflection on Professional Growth as Reading Specialist
As I reflect on this project and all of the research I conducted to prepare for coaching Lauren on
miscue analysis, I feel that my professional knowledge as a reading specialist has grown
tremendously. Working collaboratively with teachers in my building has shown me how impact
full I can be and knowing that practice is a necessity to ensure that all teachers develop
professionally in their knowledge and skills in supporting young readers. In addition, I feel that
collaboration is essential in any school improvement plan; in fact, Lauren has already shared
her mini lesson with her grade level team that derived from the results of her miscue analysis.

RDG 6940 Framework for Planning, Enacting, and Reflecting On Practicum Projects
References
Allington, R. L., and P. M. Cunningham. 1996. Schools That Work: Where All Children Read
and Write. New York: Harper Collins.