This document discusses improving reading literacy instruction and assessment. It begins with an introduction and learning outcomes. It then discusses changes in the nature of reading literacy due to evolving technologies. Next, it defines reading literacy according to PISA and discusses its framework, including proficiency levels from 1b to 3. It provides sample test items for different levels. It also discusses evidence-based practices for struggling adolescent readers, including emphasizing effort and growth mindset. Finally, it discusses improving reading motivation through SDGs and varying text types and formats.

1. Improving our Reading Literacy
Instruction and Assessment
Part 1
Dr. Sterling Plata (sterling.plata@gmail.com)

2. Pre-test

3. ● What’s something that brought you joy this month?
● Who is someone that inspired you this week?
What was your last
search online?
●
ChCheck
inCheck
What was your
purpose for the
search?
Quick Check-in

4. Reflection Questions
Why do students
need reading
literacy?
What reading
challenges do your
students face with
regard to reading?

5. Preliminaries
1. Check-in
2. Copyright notice
3. How to succeed

6. Learning Outcomes: In this session, you will be able to:
1. Explain the importance of reading literacy versus reading
2. DepEd reading and PISA Reading Literacy frameworks
3. Apply some evidence-based practices for (struggling) adolescent
readers
4. Apply the PISA Reading Literacy Framework in creating PISA-like
items for levels 1b-3.

7. Changes in the nature of reading literacy (OECD, 2018)
Evolving technologies have
rapidly changed the ways
in which people read and
exchange information, both
at home and in the
workplace.

8. Changes in the nature of reading literacy
The automation of routine jobs has
created a demand for people
who can adapt to quickly
changing contexts and who can
find and learn from diverse
sources of information.

11. PISA Definition
Reading literacy: An individual’s capacity to
understand, use, evaluate, reflect on and
engage with texts in order to achieve one’s
goals, develop one’s knowledge and potential,
and participate in society.

14. 1. evaluating the quality and validity of different
sources,
2.navigating through ambiguity,
3.distinguishing between facts and opinions, and
4.constructing knowledge.
OECD, 2018
Reading in a digital world requires
continuously

16. Sample item for scanning and locating

19. What is the meaning of understanding as a reading process?
Acquiring a representation of the literal meaning of a text: readers must be able to
comprehend sentences or short passages, often involving a direct or paraphrased match
between the question and target information within the passage.
b. Constructing an integrated text: readers must be able to generate various types of
inferences ranging from simple connecting inferences (such as the resolution of anaphora)
to more complex coherence relationships (e.g. spatial, temporal, causal or claim-argument
links). Inferences might link different portions of the text together or information located
in different pieces of texts resulting in conflicting information

20. Sample item for understanding

22. Evaluating and reflecting
a. Assessing quality and credibility: readers must be able to
evaluate the quality and credibility of the information in a
piece of text, often involving whether the information and
the source are valid.
Sometimes readers may need to look at who wrote it, when,
and for what purposes to assess the quality and credibility of
the text adequately.

23. Evaluating and reflecting
b. Reflecting on content and form: readers must be able
to reflect on the quality and style of the writing, often
involving evaluating the author’s purposes and
viewpoints. In order to do so, they may need to use
their prior knowledge and experience to be able to
compare different perspectives.

24. Evaluating and reflecting
c. Detecting and handling conflict: readers need to be aware
and be able to deal with conflicts when facing multiple pieces
of texts with contradictory information. Handling conflict
typically requires readers to assign discrepant claims to their
respective sources and to assess the soundness of the claims
and/or the credibility of the sources.

25. Sample item for evaluating

27. PISA Reading Literacy Framework

28. Source
It is source is a unit of text. Like in most traditional printed books,
single-source texts are defined by having a definite author (or group of
authors), time of writing or publication date, a reference title or
number and are usually presented to the reader in isolation from other
texts. Multiple-source items are defined by having different authors, or
by being published at different times, or by bearing different titles or
reference numbers

29. Text Format
1. Continuous texts such as sections, chapters and books.
2. Non-continuous texts:tables, graphs, diagrams and schedules.
3. Mixed texts such as articles in magazines and reports may
combine both continuous and non-continuous formats

30. Types of Text
Descriptions
Narration
Exposition
Argumentation
Instruction or transaction.

31. Scenarios
PISA questions or tasks are arranged in units of one or multiple
texts.
Special attention was placed on these units so
that the student would feel engaged in a scenario
as opposed to a mere series of questions.

32. Scenarios in PISA Reading Literacy Test (OECD,2018)
1. Reading is a purposeful act that occurs within the context of
particular reader goals.
2. The reading purpose sets up a collection of goals, or criteria,
that students use to search for information, evaluate sources,
read for comprehension and/or integrate across texts.
3. Scenarios can be developed across a wide range of potential
situations. Situation is used to define the contexts and uses for
which the author constructed the text.

33. Scenarios
A scenario also allows assessing emergent aspects of reading, such as student’s ability
to search for information,
evaluate different sources,
read for comprehension
and integrate across texts.

34. 4 Types of Situations
1. Personal
2. Educational
3. Occupational
4. Public

35. Sample Situation

37. PISA Reading Literacy Framework

38. PISA Reading Proficiency Levels
1b
Readers at level 1b can locate a single piece of explicitly stated
information in a prominent position in a short, syntactically simple text
with a familiar context and text type, such as a narrative or a simple list.
Texts in level 1b tasks typically provide support to the reader, such as
repetition of information, pictures or familiar symbols. There is minimal
competing information. Level 1b readers can interpret texts by making
simple connections between adjacent pieces of information.

39. Practice

40. Level 1a
Readers at level 1a can locate one or more independent pieces of
explicitly stated information; they can recognise the main theme or
author’s purpose in a text about a familiar topic, or to make a
simple connection between information in the text and common,
everyday knowledge. Typically the required information in the text
is prominent and there is little, if any, competing information. The
student is explicitly directed to consider relevant factors in the task
and in the text.

41. Practice
What question will you ask your students to check if
they can read in 1a level?

42. Level 2
Readers at level 2 can locate one or more pieces of information, which may need to be
inferred and may need to meet several conditions.
They can recognize the main idea in a text, understand relationships, or construe
meaning within a limited part of the text when the information is not prominent and
the reader must make low-level inferences.
Tasks at this level may involve comparisons or contrasts based on a single feature in the
text. Typical reflective tasks at this level require readers to make a comparison or
several connections between the text and outside knowledge, by drawing on personal
experience and attitudes.

43. Practice
What question will you
ask to check if your
students can answer
Level 2 questions?

44. Level 3
Readers at level 3 can locate, and in some cases recognise
the relationship between, several pieces of information that
must meet multiple conditions. They can also integrate
several parts of a text in order to identify a main idea,
understand a relationship or construe the meaning of a
word or phrase. They need to take into account many
features in comparing, contrasting or categorising.

45. Level 3
Often the required information is not prominent or there is much competing
information; or there are other text obstacles, such as ideas that are contrary to
expectation or negatively worded.
Reflective tasks at this level may require connections, comparisons, and explanations,
or they may require the reader to evaluate a feature of the text.
Some reflective tasks require readers to demonstrate a fine understanding of the text in
relation to familiar, everyday knowledge. Other tasks do not require detailed text
comprehension but require the reader to draw on less common knowledge.

46. Practice text for Level 3

47. Reflection question
How can you improve your reading literacy assessment?

48. PISA 2018 Findings

50. Evidence-based practices for (struggling) adolescent readers

51. Conclusions on effort praise (Calingasan and Plata, 2022)
Based on the findings, this study recommends that ESL teachers ensure that the student learning
environment is free from the competition (Nicholls, 1984) to enable them to shift from inverse rule to
positive rule because the environment plays a crucial role in this (Muenks & Miele, 2017).
Teachers should also aim to develop students’ growth mindset which is shown to result in better academic
performance (Mueller & Dweck, 1998), to promote academic tenacity (Dweck et al., 2014), to develop
learning strategies (Dockterman & Blackwell, 2014), and to enhance their resilience in the face of
difficulties.
One way to promote a growth mindset is to use effort praise to students, including those who are
struggling. Teachers should regularly praise the efforts of their students as this can eventually lead to better
reading skills. Educators should likewise emphasize effort in teaching reading by following a more
process-oriented approach to teaching where skills are given prominence

52. Additional tips (Calingasan and Plata, 2022)
Educators should likewise emphasize effort in teaching reading by following a more
process-oriented approach to teaching where skills are given prominence. The effort
of students in reading should also be considered in assessing their reading skills since
this will demonstrate the value of hard work. This will also minimize students’
guessing of answers and provide teachers an idea of the thinking process behind
their answers.
Finally, teachers should properly process the setbacks students experience and
explain that these are part of learning to avoid demotivation on the part of learners.
They can also use process-focused criticism (Dweck, 2008) to make them understand
how to do better in reading next time.

53. Improving reading motivation through SDGs

54. Start with infographics.

56. Vary texts
Non-Continuous Texts
● Infographics
● Advertisements
● Charts
● Graphs
● Lists
● Tables
● Posters
● Blueprints
● Non-textual aids (except images)
● Editorial cartoons
● Graphic organizers
● Comic strips
● Illustrations

57. Continuous texts
● Announcements
● Blog posts
● Tweets
● Comments based on a post
● News reports
● Research reports
● Websites
● Speeches
● Diaries/journal entries
● Recipes
● Articles
● Editorials
● Letters

58. Assignment 1: What similarities and differences do you see?

59. Assignment 2 Create PISA-like Items for levels 1b-3
1. The handout provides the reading texts.
2. Please follow the template.
3. You can refer to the PD Toolkit for the framework and
sample test items.
4. The deadline of submission is on Mar 5, 9pm.