Letter to Parents Explaining Running Records
Dear Parents:
I will be taking a running record of your child’s oral reading and assessing her retelling of that reading during the weeks before quarterly reports. I’ll share the results with you during our conference.
I use running records as a tool to determine your child’s reading competence with specific levels (e.g. degrees of difficulty and types) of books. To take a record, I use a code to record detailed information while your child reads aloud from a book.
Here are some examples of the coding.
• Words read correctly are coded with a check / • Words misread (miscues or errors) are recorded by writing in the word the reader said with the word in the book below it. / reader: house
text: home
• When your child self-corrects a mistake, the error is crossed out and the letters sc are written in. / sc
reader: house
text: home
• When your child inserts a word, it’s written above a caret. When a word is omitted, it’s written in with a circle drawn around it. / the new
The record helps me see how well your child uses strategies to read words accurately and smoothly. When the oral reading is finished, I’ll ask your child to tell me all about what was read as though I was someone who hadn’t heard it before. This retelling reflects how well your child understands what he reads. I’ve been emphasizing the importance of thinking about what we’re reading. The children understand that saying the words correctly is not enough.
When we meet for your child’s progress conference, I’ll share a running record with you — the most recent one. I’ll also have you listen to a recording of the interaction while you followalong with the markings. I’m confident that your child will be able to discuss the record with you since we review notations after each session. The children are quite adept at “reading” these records.
Teachers at ______School will be presenting an evening program for the P.T.A. We’ll be discussing the running records and retelling process in detail. The information will provide background for understanding your child’s record as well as tips for assisting your child with reading at home. We look forward to meeting lots of parents that night. Watch for this event in the P.T.A. newsletter.
Sincerely,