Muldaur, Sheila. (2004). Theory and Use of Genre
Assessment. Katonah, NY: Richard C. Owen Publishing, Inc.
160 pp.
$21.95 ISBN 1-57274-664-5
Reviewed by Jennifer A. Borek
University of Memphis
September 24, 2005
When readers question structure they ask, “Does that
sound right?” In writing, the grammatical structure, or
placement of words within sentences, is often dictated by the
genre of the text. (p. 9)
The idea of genre influencing student understanding called
author Sheila Muldaur to create a series of genre assessments to
use with different types of literature. With these assessments,
the author divides the eight identified genre into three
modules. Fables, fairy tales, and fantasies; informational,
biographical, and procedural; and poetry and plays are the
modules, and are separate books with specific assessments
tailored to each category. This book contains the theoretical
framework for this approach, as well as practical tools for
teachers to work with among their students.
While some information will undoubtedly be a review for those
familiar with reading pedagogy, the author is concise in her
descriptions of the reading process. After her overview, though,
she plunges straight into the uses of the Proficient Reader
Record (PRR). The forms involved in this process are 1)
Assessing Reading Process, 2) Assessment Genre Understandings,
and 3) Evaluation. Muldaur describes how to use these three
forms to assess and improve student reading.
In order for this process to work, the teacher administers one
PRR evaluation at a time. She will fill out forms 1 and 2 using
a prescribed set of steps that collect data needed to complete
form 3, and evaluate the student’s current level of
understanding. With this information, she can then help the
student further along the path toward proficiency. The steps
involved in the data collection are:
- Record the oral reading (first 100 to 150 words)
- Conduct the interview (the teacher poses questions that show
how the reader uses the genre to understand the text)
- Evaluate the results of the oral reading record and
interview
- Score student responses with the rubric as either proficient,
developing, beginning, or no evidence of use
- Collect data to demonstrate student achievement
- A level of proficiency is determined after one assessment and
recorded on Form 4: Class Composite-Proficiency Levels
- If assessments are administered before and after multiple
readings and instruction in the same genre, growth can be
measured and graphed.
- Write a summary statement that shows a composite picture of
the student’s reading level that evaluates understanding,
approximations, and next steps.
Muldaur’s examples of the forms throughout the book
allow readers to understand thoroughly her vision of assessing
students in this method. The example given, an assessment of
“The Lion and the Mouse,” demonstrates the typical
method of oral reading records, but gives the teacher sample
questions of pre and post comprehension. Since the focus of this
book is elementary teachers, it is likely that they will have
become familiar with such forms in their pre-service or
in-service lives. Even so, the form presented here is thorough
and concise in its approach to discovering quickly how well a
student predicts and comprehends an age-appropriate reading.
Form 2 allows the teacher to explore the reading
further with the student. It begins with questions regarding the
identification of the genre. The teacher asks if the student can
name the genre, what makes the reading part of that genre, and,
where appropriate, a third question. The question given for
“The Lion and the Mouse” is “Long ago, how did
people learn these stories?” The blank forms at the back
of the book indicate that no third question is necessary if the
teacher feels that the first two suffice.
The second section of Form 2 asks how the student
attended to the structure of the piece. The student recalls the
story, the problem, and the ending. The teacher copies down the
student’s overview of the story, and then moves on to
section three, which asks about word-level comprehension and
vocabulary. The questions not only attempt to discover if the
student understood the vocabulary, but how they attempted to
understand unfamiliar words. The other categories of questions
ask the student to recall the characters and their qualities,
interpret the moral of the story if they find one, and find if
the student believes he could write in the genre and what the
topic would be.
The PRR Evaluation, Form 3, provides categories
into which the teacher assesses the student to be proficient,
developing, beginning, or showing no evidence. The categories
for evaluation are those from the first two forms, and produce a
rubric score and a proficiency level percentage. Also on the
form are directions for the summary statement. The example
given, however, is not a statement. It is a series of bullet
points listed under “strengths,”
“approximations,” and the other categories. These
bullet points are perhaps more user-friendly than a statement,
but as an English educator, I would find another name for them
that represents what they are. They are, in fact,
categorizations of information to help the teacher quickly
remember the student’s strengths and challenges. With the
example, I believe teachers will be able to use the strategy
effectively. If there had been no example, I would have thought
the summary statement was something quite different.
Because teaching reading is so fraught with
emotions from both teachers and students, the author describes
using these assessments for formative as well as summative
evaluations. Form 3 allows teachers to designate a percentage
score for each student’s reading proficiency. This method
makes summative evaluations of reading consistent and more
related to the assignments. For formative evaluations teachers
can use the form to guide them in understanding student needs and
individualization of reading instruction.
Chapters 3 and 4 discuss methods of planning for
this type of individualization within the larger classroom
setting. Both chapters give specific advice about whole group
and small group activities that support individualization, and
point out ways to create time in the school day for
administration of these assessments. I will also add that given
the nature of these assessments, if teachers use them once and
they do not go as smoothly as planned, they should not give up.
Students will learn the routine, and, especially if they see the
assessments as related to their progress in reading, they will
welcome the chance to show the teacher how they are doing.
Chapters 5 and 6 discuss evaluation and data
management. For teachers who are not familiar with data-driven
instruction, these chapters give many helpful examples. Chapter
7 takes teachers through the process of developing their own
assessments for their students. The whole book is well written,
but I confess that this is my favorite chapter. The rubber hits
the road where teachers must create their own reality for their
classrooms. The guide to creating these assessments will help
teachers create a reality that supports student reading
proficiency, and aide teachers in their quest to instill the love
of reading.
Muldaur has created a gestalt for teachers that
will help them to help students understand genre. This process,
when used well, will give teachers the tools to help students
meet their potential as readings, and guide their planning more
effectively.
About the Reviewer
Jennifer A. Borek
Jennifer A. Borek is an assistant professor of secondary
language arts education at the University of Memphis. Her primary
research areas are accommodations of students with disabilities
in the secondary English classroom and the use of the fine arts
in the English curriculum.
Copyright is retained by the first or sole author,
who grants right of first publication to the Education Review.