FTCE Reading K-12 Practice Exam

What resource would best support a district's effort for informal progress monitoring in reading?

1. Regular parent-teacher conferences

2. Professional development on formative assessments

3. Standardized testing once a year

4. Weekly quizzes with immediate feedback

The correct answer is: Professional development on formative assessments

The best choice to support a district's effort for informal progress monitoring in reading is professional development on formative assessments. This option emphasizes the importance of equipping educators with knowledge and skills to implement effective formative assessments within the classroom. Formative assessments are ongoing evaluations that provide immediate insight into students' understanding and mechanics of reading. Through professional development, teachers learn to use various strategies and tools to assess student progress regularly, allowing for timely interventions and adjustments to instruction tailored to individual student needs. Regular parent-teacher conferences, while beneficial for communication about student progress, do not provide the continuous monitoring necessary for ongoing assessment. Standardized testing once a year serves the purpose of measuring performance against established benchmarks but lacks the immediacy and adaptability that formative assessments offer. Weekly quizzes with immediate feedback can be a helpful practice, but without the comprehensive training that professional development provides, teachers may not utilize them to their full potential for ensuring effective progress monitoring.