An analysis of informal reading inventories for english language learners

Abstract

The changing demographics in today's classrooms continues to transform school practices and programs as efforts increase to promote academic achievement of all students. The research examined the various ways in which informal reading inventories demonstrated an increasing awareness of assessment for English language learners (ELLs). In addition, the development of informal reading inventories was traced in relation to the historical and political contexts of Bilingual/ English as a Second Language (ESL) education. The guiding questions for the study included: (1) What materials and procedures of the Informal Reading Inventories align most closely with assessment practices for English language learners? (2) How has the content of Informal Reading Inventories been impacted by the historical and political contexts of Bilingual/ESL education? The results of the study showed that the authors of the <italics>Classroom Reading Inventory<italics> and the <italics> Bader Reading and Language Inventory<italics>, demonstrated an increased awareness of the needs of ELLs. Of the two, the <italics>Bader Reading and Language Inventory<italics> included ELLs as a population that was addressed in the instructions for administration and interpretation of results. The results of the historical analysis showed that the additions, modifications, and/or deletions made to the individual instruments reflected trends in the literacy field, as opposed to political and theoretical constructs of Bilingual/ESL education.