The Morris Informal Reading Inventory: A Comprehensive Guide for Preprimer to Grade

The Morris Informal Reading Inventory (MIRI) is a versatile and widely used assessment tool designed to evaluate reading skills in students from preprimer to grade level. Developed by Anne Morris in 1991, it provides educators with a comprehensive understanding of a student's reading abilities, allowing them to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

The MIRI is particularly valuable for assessing students with diverse learning needs, including those with reading difficulties or suspected learning disabilities. By administering the MIRI, educators can gain insights into a student's reading comprehension, oral reading fluency, sight word recognition, vocabulary development, phonemic awareness, and decoding skills.

Morris Informal Reading Inventory: Preprimer through Grade 8

by Darrell Morris

4.9 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	11274 KB
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	205 pages

FREE

Components of the MIRI

The MIRI consists of three main components that assess different aspects of reading:

1. Oral Reading Passage: Students read aloud a grade-level text and the examiner records errors and miscues to assess oral reading fluency and accuracy.
2. Sight Word List: Students are presented with a list of high-frequency words and asked to read them aloud to evaluate their sight word recognition skills.
3. Vocabulary and Comprehension Questions: After reading the passage, students are asked a series of questions to assess their understanding of the text's content, vocabulary, and underlying concepts.

Scoring and Interpretation

The MIRI uses a standardized scoring system to provide reliable and objective data on a student's reading abilities. The Oral Reading Passage is scored based on accuracy and fluency, with errors and miscues tallied to calculate a reading level. The Sight Word List is scored by counting the number of words read correctly out of the total number of words presented.

The Vocabulary and Comprehension Questions are scored based on the accuracy of the student's responses. The results of each component are then combined to create a overall reading profile that helps educators identify areas where the student excels and areas that require additional support.

Advantages of Using the MIRI

The MIRI offers several advantages as a reading assessment tool:

• Individualized Assessment: The MIRI can be tailored to the specific needs of each student, ensuring an individualized assessment experience.
• Diagnostic Value: The MIRI provides diagnostic information about a student's reading strengths and weaknesses, helping educators develop targeted interventions.
• Monitoring Progress: The MIRI can be administered multiple times to track a student's progress over time, enabling educators to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
• Diverse Applicability: The MIRI can be used with students from diverse backgrounds and learning abilities, making it a versatile assessment tool for various educational settings.

Limitations of the MIRI

While the MIRI is a valuable assessment tool, it also has some limitations to consider:

• Time-Consuming: Administering and scoring the MIRI can be time-consuming, especially for students with significant reading difficulties.
• Subjectivity: The MIRI relies on examiner judgment for scoring, which can introduce some subjectivity into the assessment process.
• Limited Scope: The MIRI primarily focuses on decoding and comprehension skills, and may not fully capture other aspects of reading, such as critical thinking or inferencing.

Applications of the MIRI

The MIRI is widely used in educational settings for a variety of purposes:

• Screening: The MIRI can be used to identify students who may need additional support with reading.
• Diagnosis: The MIRI can provide diagnostic information about specific reading difficulties, such as decoding problems or comprehension deficits.
• Intervention Planning: The MIRI results can be used to develop targeted interventions tailored to a student's individual needs.
• Progress Monitoring: The MIRI can be administered repeatedly to track a student's progress over time and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.

The Morris Informal Reading Inventory (MIRI) is a comprehensive and versatile assessment tool that provides educators with valuable insights into a student's reading abilities. By assessing oral reading fluency, sight word recognition, vocabulary development, and comprehension skills, the MIRI helps educators identify strengths and weaknesses, develop targeted interventions, and monitor progress over time. While the MIRI has its limitations, it remains a widely used and effective tool for supporting reading instruction and ensuring that all students have the opportunity to succeed.

Morris Informal Reading Inventory: Preprimer through Grade 8

by Darrell Morris

4.9 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	11274 KB
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	205 pages

FREE