The article by McKenna and Walpole from the International reading association, How well does assessment inform our reading instruction, 84-86, was very significant as I am faced in my institution with teachers who do not take time to ensure that their students are authentically assessed.

The article looks at assessment and the impact that it has on classroom instruction. They looked at teacher practice where there was a planned and structured form of assessment and one in which the teacher has no formal training to deal with assessment.

In the school where there was no formal plan of action the teacher who does not have school or district support is constrained by time and experience in the field of assessment. In the situations when assessment was administered, the teacher was also unable to adequately analyze the information. As such they were not able to identify specifically which students needed instruction and what format it should take. The teacher here operated on a trial by error basis, thus many students were not receiving the instruction needed. In contrast the teacher who was trained and followed a Reading First model supported by all the stakeholders involved was able to successfully use the diagnostic tests and gauge for the data collected whether instruction and intervention methods were working. Despite the success in gathering the data, there was no continuous support provided in the form of extensive professional development for the instructors involved.

It is important to note that schools which adopt a Reading First model are able to gather valuable data to determine instruction. It is not enough however to simply collect data. What is important in these schools and those without such a program is the fact that teachers who are experts in reading will be successful in meeting the needs of struggling reading if they are continually supported in the form of professional development. As such schools must have a formalized Reading program and the Intervention and Assessment methods to ensure the best for their students.