What is the primary purpose of running records in early literacy assessment?

• A. To monitor a student’s oral reading behavior, including accuracy, self-correction rate, and reading behaviors to inform instruction.
• B. To measure handwriting
• C. To test memory of stories
• D. To assess vocabulary only

Answer: (A)

Running records are used to observe and record how a child reads aloud, tracking accuracy, rate, self-corrections, and other reading behaviors as they decode and comprehend a text. This helps teachers identify specific strengths and needs in decoding and fluency and decide what kinds of instruction to provide next—such as targeted phonics, guided rereading for fluency, or strategy coaching for self-monitoring. For example, a reader who makes many decoding errors but self-corrects often shows developing decoding skills but needs practice with word recognition; a reader who reads with high accuracy but choppy phrasing may need work on phrasing and fluency. It's not about handwriting, memory of stories, or vocabulary in isolation; it's about how the reader handles connected text to inform instruction.