What is an effective way to assess reading comprehension?

Assessing reading comprehension is best achieved by having students answer questions related to the text. This method directly measures a student's understanding of the material, as it requires them to recall information, analyze the content, and synthesize their thoughts based on what they've read. Questions can vary in complexity, covering recall of specific details, understanding themes, making inferences, or identifying the author's purpose. This approach provides clear insights into a student's level of comprehension and identifies areas of strength and weakness.

While oral recitation can demonstrate fluency and some level of comprehension, it does not effectively show whether the student truly understands the content. Observing body language may give anecdotal insights into engagement but is not a reliable method for measuring comprehension. Timed reading exercises can assess fluency and reading speed, but they do not gauge understanding of the material itself. Therefore, asking students to answer questions serves as a targeted and effective strategy for assessing their comprehension of a text.