Types and Levels of Thinking Assessed on FAST-RFormative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading

... by identifying evidence explicitly stated at one location in the text.

... by recognizing evidence explicitly stated at multiple locations or with varied wording in the text.

... from the total text.

... from particular words, phrases, or ideas in context.

... by incorporat-ing literary knowledge.

... by understa

nding the or-

ganization of information.

... and apply that meaning

beyond the passage context.

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“Finding evidence”questions ask readers to determine explicitexplicitmeaning ...

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“Making inference” questions ask readers to determine implicitimplicit meaning ...

Readers fi nd and use evidence to determine the author’s explicit meaning from details that are stated in the text. Th ere are two main types of “fi nding evidence” questions on FAST-R.

Type 1Type 1Type 1Type 1

Type Type Type Type 2

Type Type Type Type 3

Type Type Type Type Type Type Type 4

Type Type Type Type Type Type Type 555

Identify evidence explicitly stated at one location in the textTh is type of referential question asks readers to iden-tify and locate an answer explicitly stated somewhere tify and locate an answer explicitly stated somewhere tifyin the text itself (including the introductory blurb, author spotlight, and footnotes). To answer this type of question, students must look back at the passage and “identify” the answer as it is stated in the text.

“Finding Evidence” Questions“Finding Evidence” Questions“Finding Evidence” Questions

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FAST-R assesses two primary ways that readers construct understanding as they read: finding evidence to deter-mine explicitexplicit meaning in the text, and making inferences to determine implicitimplicit meaning in the text.

The graphic below represents how these skills build on one another as readers answer questions of increasing sophistication. FAST-R Teacher Guides annotate each question with a miniature version of this graphic to highlight the level of thinking that question assesses.

Recognize evidence explicitly stated at multiple locations or with varied wording in the textAlthough answers for the second type of “fi nding evidence” question are also explicitly stated in the text, readers may need to gather the relevant details from several places in the text or recognize words and or recognize words and orphrases that express the same meaning in slightly dif-ferent ways. Students are not asked to make any new meanings or draw any new conclusions (as they do to answer inferential questions).

Type 1: Determine implicit meaning from words, phrases, or ideas in context phrases, or ideas in context In this type of inferential question, the word, phrase, or idea to be interpreted is identifi ed in the ques-tion stem itself. However, the question does not tell not tell notstudents what other clues to use. In other words, students may be directed to a starting place, but they may need to employ other close reading strategies and base their interpretation on additional textual clues.

For example: Vocabulary questions, cause-and-eff ect questions, and some basic “author’s craft” questions.

• “Based on the clues in paragraph 6, what is the best defi nition of the word troupe?” (word in context)word in context)word

• “In paragraph 13, the author describes a rainbow as ‘an enormous arch of colored stripes,’ suggesting ...” (phrase(phrase( in context)phrase in context)phrase

• “In paragraph 9, why did the Admiral ‘make obser-vations from diff erent points’?” (idea in context)idea in context)idea

To answer these questions correctly, students must draw conclusions and derive implied meanings from several places in the text.

Type 2: Determine a single implicit meaning from the total textTh is type of inferential question asks students to draw Th is type of inferential question asks students to draw Th is type ofa single, overarching new meaning from the entirepassage (or from entire paragraphs or sections). Infer-ring in this way involves multiple thought processes: Students must comprehend most or all of the details in the text, then synthesize the information in order to understand the larger meaning.

For example: “Main idea” and “main purpose” ques-tions asking about some chunk of the text.

• “In paragraph six, the author’s main point is ...”

• “Which sentence best expresses the main idea of this excerpt?”

Type 3: Determine implicit meaning by understand-ing the organization of information in a textTh is type of inferential question requires readers not only to derive new meanings, but also to analyze,

order, or prioritize those ideas in light of the way the text is organized. Th is process involves “analyzing” and “evaluating” (as described in Bloom’s Taxonomy), and is used as readers “determine importance” and distinguish supporting details from larger ideas.

For example: Th ese questions often use words like “best” or “most important.”

• “What would be the best heading for the information in paragraph 9?”

• “Which detail best supports the idea that the narrator has adjusted to life in America?”

Type 4: Determine implicit meaning and apply it be-yond the passage contextTh is type of inferential question requires readers to deter-mine a new meaning from the text and apply that mean-and apply that mean-anding in a situation that extends beyond the text itself.

For example:• “Based on the details in the passage, if Martin were

choosing another book to read, he would most likely choose ...”

• “Which topic will the author most likely write about in the chapter immediately following this prologue?”

Th is thinking process often involves identifying relevant details in the text, accurately interpreting their implied meaning, and then matching or classifying that idea to make sense of a new situation.

Type 5: Incorporate literary knowledge to determine implicit meaningTh ese inferential questions require students to incor-porate their knowledge of literary terms or concepts in order to understand the text. Depending on what kind of interpretation the question asks of readers, the ques-tion may also exhibit characteristics of Type 1-4 may also exhibit characteristics of Type 1-4 ma“making inference” questions.For example:• “Why did the author end paragraph 5 with ‘– and

disaster struck’?”• “Which of the following details helps create a tone of

anticipation in the passage?”

“Making Inference” Questions Readers make inferences when they determine Readers make inferences when they determine R implicitimplicit meaning that is implied but not directly stated. implicit meaning that is implied but not directly stated. implicit FAST-R “making inference” questions ask readers to fi ll gaps based on knowledge gleaned from a close reading of the text. questions ask readers to fi ll gaps based on knowledge gleaned from a close reading of the text. questions ask readers to fi ll gaps based on knowledge gleaned from a close reading of the text Th is close reading can help students avoid basing inferences on incorrect or irrelevant prior knowledge.