This week I learned how to administer a running record accurately in order to determine a student's appropriate reading level. To begin this process, I started off by just observing my CT administering the test. I sat next to her and listened to how to began the test and how she chose what level she would begin the student on, which I learned was the level that their previous teacher had them at. I watched as she stated what the passage would be about and allowed the student to read and she began her timer. As I observed I watched carefully as to watch marks she would make as the students read. If a student reread a portion, she would draw an arrow back, if a student misread a word, she would write how they pronounced it and if they corrected themselves, she wrote SC next to the word, the more running records I observed, the more marks I learned. If a student omits a word, you cross it out and if they add in an extra word, you draw a carrot mark and write in the added word. Just observing how to administer the test taught me so much. I learned that once the student is done reading their passage, you ask them tell you what happened in the story, starting at the beginning. This checks for the student's comprehension and if they can retell the story, they understood what they just read and if they struggle with the retelling, they may of just been reading the words and not having the fluency to understand what they were reading about. After the student tells you what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of their story, you ask for a main idea, have them put the story into one or two sentences. Once they have read their passage and done this, that is where the teacher's part comes in of counting errors, self corrections, and decides what level their comprehension and fluency was at based on a chart in the running record binder. I learned how to calculate the reading accuracy percentage and how to determine the SC rate as well. My CT walked me through step by step each process of the running record. I learned if a student has a reading accuracy percentage of 89% or lower, they are at a frustrational reading level, a 90%-95% would be an instructional reading level, and a 96%-100% would be an independent reading level. One of the most powerful observations I had was when my CT started a student off in what level her previous teacher said she was at and that running record passage seemed too difficult for the student to read through, after a few sentences of watching the student struggle through each word, my CT stopped the test and went to the next lower reading level, when this one was still too difficult, she dropped the reading level again, until she found the level that was just right for this student. I was powerful to witness because it is so important that students are put on their accurate reading levels, so they aren't reading books from the classroom library and school library that are too difficult that they won't comprehend and for guided reading groups, students should be placed in a group with students around the same level and learning skills that will help them reach the next reading level. My CT made this student feel very comfortable when she had to stop the test to move her down a level. After every running record, she would tell the student what level they were reading on and give them a high five, no matter if the student was on a level 6 or a level 30. It made the students feel good about what level they were on and that they could improve. After watching several running records, my CT didn't want me to jump right into my first one, so she had me administer running records simultaneously with her, then we would compare our running records. She would check to make sure I caught all the errors, self corrections, put the student in the correct comprehension and fluency category, got the correct reading accuracy percentage, SC rate, and ultimately if I would place the student at this reading level, or would I move the student up or down a level. I loved administering my first few running records simultaneously with my CT because I had support as I decided which reading levels my students belonged to.