A teacher uses a miscue analysis to track a student's errors while reading aloud. What is the purpose of this type of assessment?

• A. To place the student in an appropriate reading level
• B. To analyze the types of errors and categorize them
• C. To provide a severity level based on the number of errors made
• D. To determine if the student should be evaluated for special education services

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is diagnosing how a student reads by looking closely at the errors they make while reading aloud. Misuse analysis isn’t just about counting mistakes; it’s about understanding the kinds of mistakes and what they reveal about the student’s reading process. By recording each miscue and grouping similar errors—like substituting words that fit the meaning, omitting words, or misreading a word because of phonics or visual cues—you can see whether the reader relies more on meaning, grammar, or sounds to make sense of the text. This pattern tells you which reading strategies are strong and where instruction should focus, such as decoding support, vocabulary, or syntax cues. It’s a diagnostic tool meant to guide targeted teaching, rather than simply placing a student at a level, rating severity by error count, or deciding eligibility for services.