Components? Reading Profiles?
What Are They??

Because you can read effortlessly, it is easy to forget that reading is a skill that is made possible by several sub-skills, or components, working together. On this website, we have selected five of the components to picture different patterns of reading strengths and weaknesses:

• word recognition
• spelling
• word meaning
• silent reading comprehension
• oral reading rate

A picture of a reader's abilities on the component skills is called a "reading profile." It can be presented in several ways:

Here is an example of a reading profile presented as a table:

We can also use bar graphs to present the same reading profile. (We graph Oral Reading Rate separately because it is measured in different units--words per minute (wpm) instead of GEs (Grade Equivalents). Here is the sample reading profile presented as bar graphs:
On this website, we present profiles as tables and line graphs (except Oral Reading Rate, which we will always show as a bar graph). Here is our sample profile shown as a line graph:

Why Are Reading Profiles Important?

• Profiles provide a guide for instruction. Once a teacher has assessed a learner's reading skills, he or she can then direct instruction to those skills that need strengthening.
  
  
• Profiles illustrate a learner's pattern of scores on skills that underlie reading ability.
  
  
• Profiles are a tool for classroom practitioners and programs. Learners with similar strengths and needs can be grouped for more focused instruction.

Click here to go to "Assessment is More Than a Silent Reading Test" next.