Teachers’ Judgment Accuracy of Students’ Reading Comprehension in Inclusive Primary Schools [Die Urteilsgenauigkeit von Lehrkräften bei der Beurteilung des Leseverständnisses von Schüler*innen in inklusiven Grundschulen]

Hertel, S.; Urton, K.; Wilbert, J.; Krull, J.; Bosch, J. & Hennemann, T.

Abstract

Reading comprehension is crucial in primary education. Yet a quarter of German fourth-graders, especially those with special educational needs (SEN), struggle with it. Teachers need diagnostic abilities to provide tailored support, but previous studies have identified limitations in how teachers assess low and average achievers and their tendency to consider irrelevant characteristics. This study examines the accuracy with which teachers in inclusive classrooms assess students' reading comprehension at word, sentence and text levels and the extent to which student characteristics such as grade level, SEN and sex influence reading levels. The reading comprehension of 1,693 students with and without SEN was assessed using a standardized test and rated by 102 teachers. Using a multilevel analysis, we examined the degree to which the teachers' assessments corresponded to the students' standardized test performance and the extent to which this was related to the students' characteristics. Results showed moderate correlations between teachers' ratings and students' reading performance at sentence and text levels, and low correlations at word level. The accuracy of judgments varied greatly among teachers and judgment accuracy at sentence and text levels increased as grade level increased. There was no effect for sex. SEN in learning was associated with lower accuracy in teachers' assessments, as was SEN in emotion and behaviour but only on word level. Low-achieving students were assessed less accurately, although they are in particular need of tailored support in reading. As teachers must be able to identify struggling students and monitor their development, this highlights the need for further research into the characteristics of teachers with higher diagnostic skills.