How would you use running records to guide reading instruction and select appropriate leveled texts?

• A. Analyze miscues, look for patterns, determine decoding vs comprehension gaps, adjust guided reading level, choose texts with targeted features
• B. Focus only on word recognition
• C. Use running records to select texts with easier vocabulary only
• D. Ignore patterns in miscues

Answer: (A)

Running records are used to diagnose how a reader handles a text in real time. By listening to a child read aloud and noting miscues, self-corrections, and fluency, you uncover patterns that show whether the difficulty lies in decoding or in understanding the text.

If many errors point to decoding—blending sounds, letter-sound trouble, or frequent misreads of common words—the instruction should focus on phonics and word recognition, and you’d select texts that provide targeted decoding practice at an appropriate level. If the reader follows the print but misses meaning—struggles with predicting, inferring, or retelling—you’d address strategies for comprehension and choose leveled texts that support meaning-making, with features like prompts, illustrations, or questions that model how to think through the text.

Adjusting the guided reading level based on these findings ensures the text is challenging enough to promote growth without overwhelming the student. Then pick leveled texts that offer the right combination of decoding practice and comprehension support, so instruction targets the identified gaps.

Choosing only easier vocabulary, or ignoring patterns in miscues, would miss the specific needs revealed by the running record. This approach ties assessment directly to instruction and text selection.