Monitoring student progress toward the development of reading competence: A review of three forms of classroom-based assessment

The purpose of this article is to describe and critique three classroom-bas ed assessment models for monitoring student progress toward becoming compet ent readers. After a discussion of a rationale for incorporating a dual foc us on the assessment of students' reading levels as well as on their readin g growth over time, six considerations in selecting monitoring systems that produce accurate, meaningful, and useful information are discussed. Then, three assessment methods are described and critiqued against those consider ations, and research necessary to provide practitioners with an adequate cl assroom-based monitoring system is discussed.