APPENDIX A PLACEMENT

Administering the Part 2 of the test may be presented to more

than one student at the same time. Part 2
Placement Test requires the students to write answers to
As a rule, students who have performed well comprehension questions about the Part 1
in a third grade reading program should be passage.
able to succeed in Reading Mastery
Signature Edition, Grade 3. However, this Instructions for Part 1
rule may not apply to all students, particularly
Reproduce the one-page Placement Test
those who can decode words silently but
that appears on page 74. Make one copy for
cannot read aloud with sufficient accuracy
each student that you are to test.
(no more than two errors per 100 words).
Also, students who are extremely weak in 1. Call a student to a corner of the room,
answering written comprehension questions where the test will be given.
should not go into Reading Mastery 2. Give a copy of the test to the student.
Signature Edition, Grade 3.
3. Point to the column of words at the top
The placement test on page 74 determines of the test. Tell the student:
the rate-accuracy and comprehension “Touch word 1.” (Wait.) “That word is
performance of students. Administer the test California.”
to all the students before placing them in the
4. Repeat step 3 for words 2–5.
program. The test results will provide you
with: 5. Point to the passage in part 1.

• “baseline” information about their reading 6. Tell the student: “You’re going to read
rate and accuracy this passage out loud. I want you to read
it as well as you can. Don’t try to read it
• a basis for evaluating their improvement so fast that you make mistakes. But
after they have completed the program don’t read it so slowly that it doesn’t
• a means of identifying students who may make any sense. You have two minutes
be placed in the program “on trial,” and to read the passage. Go.”
those who should not be placed in the 7. Time the student. If the student takes
program. more than three seconds on a word, say
Part 1 of the test is to be administered the word, count it as an error, and
individually to the students. They should not permit the student to continue reading.
observe others taking the test. Part 1 To record errors, make one tally mark
requires about two minutes per student. You for each error.
will need a stop watch. If students make
more than six errors on Part 1, do not
administer Part 2 to those students.

Reading Mastery Grade 3 Teacher’s Guide 71

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 Count all the following behaviors as errors: 3. Make sure the students have pencils.
• Misreading a word (Count as one error.) 4. Give the group these instructions:
• Omitting a word part (Listen carefully for s “These are questions about the passage
and ed.) (Count as one error.) that you read earlier. Write the answers to
the comprehension items at the bottom
• Sounding out a word but not saying the
of your paper. You have five minutes to
word at a normal speaking rate (Count as
finish the questions.”
one error.)
• Skipping a word (Count as one error.) 5. Collect the test sheets after five minutes

• Skipping a line (Immediately show the

student the correct line.) (Count as one Answer Key Part 2
error.) 1. Idea: Because the ship was on fire
• Not identifying a word within three 2. Linda, Kathy 3. lifeboats
seconds (Tell the word.) (Count as one
error.) 4. Linda 5. 13 6. 10 7. hand

• Reading a word incorrectly and then 8. Idea: In a lifeboat 9. Japan

reading it correctly (Count as one error.) 10. Idea: To see their father 11. 3 days
Also count each word not read by the end of
the two-minute time limit as an error. For Placement Criteria
example, if the student is eight words from
Use the table below to determine placement
the end of the passage by the end of the
for each student.
time limit, count eight errors.

Instructions for Part 2 Errors Placement

After you’ve administered Part 1 to all the If a student makes Place the student
students, present Part 2 to those students seven errors or in a reading
who made no more than six errors on Part 1. more on Part 1 program more
(Part 2 is a group test.) OR elementary than
three errors or more Reading Mastery
1. Assemble the students. on Part 2 Signature Edition,
2. Give each student a copy of the Grade 3.
placement test. If a student makes Place the student
no more than six at Reading Mastery
errors on Part 1 Signature Edition,
AND Grade 3, Level 1.
no more than two
error on Part 2.

72 Reading Mastery Grade 3 Teacher’s Guide

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 If you suspect that some students are too rate at which they are able to read making
advanced for the program (students who no more than two errors per 100 words)
score 0 or 1 on the placement test and who and as they improve, change the criterion
exhibit good comprehension skills), present so they are required to read faster.
the main story from lesson 103 to them. Continue to provide lots of practice until
Present the tasks specified for the main story the students read at the minimum rate of
oral reading, and assign items 1–10 (17 100 words per minute without making
responses) from lesson 103 in the workbook. more than two errors per 100 words.
If the student makes no more than eight • If students fail Part 2, provide practice on
story-reading errors and no more than two basic comprehension questions (who,
workbook errors on lesson 103, place the what, when, where, why). Direct these
student in a higher-level program, Reading students to read aloud. Ask questions
Mastery Signature Edition, Grade 4. after each sentence. Make sure that each
question can be clearly answered by the
Remedies passage that the students read. Provide
this kind of practice until the students are
• If students fail Part 1, they are weak in proficient at answering questions.
decoding. The simplest remedy for these
When you feel the students are firm on skills
students is to select material that they are
that were initially deficient, readminister the
able to read without making more than
placement test.
two errors per 100 words. Set rate
criterion for these students (based on the

Reading Mastery Grade 3 Teacher’s Guide 73

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 3/1/07 3:24:24 PM
Name
READING MASTERY SIGNATURE EDITION GRADE 3 PLACEMENT TEST
Part 1 “Fire! Fire!” a voice said over the People were running this way and that
loudspeaker. “The forward deck is on way on the deck of the ship. They were yell-
fire,” the voice announced. “Everybody, ing and crying.
1. California leave the ship. Get into the lifeboats!” “Hold on to my hand,” Linda said. The
2. Pacific girls went to the lifeboats. People were all
Linda and her sister were on their way

Copyright © SRA/McGraw-Hill. Permission is granted to reproduce this page for classroom use.
3. lifeboat around them, shoving and yelling. Linda could
from the United States to Japan. Linda was
4. Japan thirteen years old, three years older than not see much. She was afraid. Suddenly she
5. loudspeaker Kathy. Their father was in Japan, and they was no longer holding Kathy’s hand.
were on their way to visit him. Three days Suddenly a strong pair of arms grabbed
before, they had left California on a great Linda. “In you go,” a voice said. A big man
ship called an ocean liner. They were now picked Linda up and put her in the lifeboat.
somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
“Where’s my sister?” Linda asked.
“Fire! Fire!” the voice shouted. “Every- Linda looked but she couldn’t see her
body get into the lifeboats!” younger sister.
Part 2
1. Why was everybody trying to leave the ship? 7. Linda told Kathy, “Hold on to my .”
8. When the big man picked up Linda, where did he
2. Name the two sisters that were on the ship. put her?
9. What country were the girls going to?
3. People were trying to get into the
. 10. Why were the girls going there?

071-074_TG_3_612586.indd 74
4. Which sister was older?
5. How old was that girl? 11. How long had they been on the ship?

74
6. How old was her sister?