Rigby PM Ultra Benchmark
The Rigby PM Ultra Benchmarkis one example of an interim assessment.
This assessment tool is used most frequently by K-5 elementary classroom
teachers and reading specialists to identify students’ individual reading
strengths and needs, to help determine and place students at their appropriate
reading levels, to measure comprehension in a variety of ways, to monitor
reading behaviors, to assess oral reading, and to check fluency.
The Rigby tool includes anassessment guide for the administrator, 60 benchmark
books at 30 different levels for the students (2 at each level), corresponding
retelling response sheets and reading record sheets, comprehension check pages,
reading behavior analysis check sheets, reading progress portfolios, and a data
management computer program tool. These materials can be ordered as a kit
from various vendors of education materials. They may be ordered by individual
classroom teachers or ordered for whole school use. The kits are consistent from
one user to another. The materials offer a suggested structure and script, yet the
administrator may easily tailor the materials to fit his/her purpose.
When a learner participates in Rigby assessments, his first task is to sit one-on-one
with the administrator and discuss the title and cover illustration of the text given to him.
Next, the student reads the text independently and retells the selection to the
administrator who takes notes on the retelling. If the retelling is scored at a frustration
level, the learner is given a new text at a lower reading level. If the retelling is scored
as independent, the reader is given a new text at a higher reading level. Once the
learner retells at an instructional level, he continues to be assessed with that “instructional”
text. The student then reads the text aloud to the administrator who completes a reading
record. The student answers 3-5 comprehension questions about the text (both literal and
inferential questions).
Some aspects of the Rigby Assessments are authentic literacy tasks while many are not.
Rarely would a student be asked to retell every detail from a text in order in the real world,
thus the retelling aspect of the Rigby system seems contrived, perhaps. Many of the
texts, themselves, are high-interest for students. For Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders,
the texts are very similar to stories they might read in school or at home. But for 3rd-5th
graders, the texts are much shorter than the articles and chapter books they typically read.
The Rigby does not include a writing component.
Rigby Assessing must be done by one administrator and given to one student at a time.
If all parts of the Rigby are administered as suggested and as scripted, then it would take many
hours, days, even weeks to complete testing a whole classroom full of students. Yet, the
administrator is not necessarily obligated to administer the Rigby assessments the suggested way.
There is a fair amount of flexibility that the administrator may exercise with this Rigby program. The
administrator may select which aspects of the assessment to give a student and which to skip
depending on the data wanted. There is also flexibility in the fact that all book levels are allowed
to be used at all grade levels. No one grade level is restricted to a certain book level. There
are a variety of genres across the 60 total texts, both expository and narrative. The Rigby tests can
be re-administered as often as desired, and the administrator can add to and revise the suggested
script by prompting students on comprehension questions, rewording questions, adding more
questions, etc. Despite a good deal of flexibility allowed in the administration of the Rigby system,
there is not great flexibility in which text to offer a student at a specific level because there are only
two texts provided at each reading level.
Much valuable information can be discovered about a reader by using the Rigby Assessment Kit.
It assesses a student’s retelling abilities, oral reading habits and behaviors, literal comprehension,
inferential comprehension, accuracy, self-correction rate, reading speed, and aspects of fluency
including expression, pace, phrasing, smoothness, etc. The information gleaned is specific for each
student. Astute teachers may notice trends that many of the students in the class display and form
reading groups based on needs that a certain group of students has in common. Yet, Rigbys are
mostly useful in determining individual student strengths and weaknesses rather than whole group
generalities.
The levels of the Rigby Benchmark Kit were originally criterion referenced based on the following factors:
high-frequency words, sentence construction, meaning and logic, the Fry Readability Formula. The levels
were then ”tested with children of an appropriate reading age to guarantee the suitability and readability of
the text”1 for each particular levels. When a student is scored using the Rigby system, an appropriate reading
level is determined from level 1 through 30. Each level corresponds to a grade level (i.e. early-2nd grade,
mid-2nd grade, late-2nd grade). Students are typically scored 3-5 times a year: once at the beginning of the
school year, one-to-three times midyear, and once at the end of the year. Within each overall individual student
level, the student can also be scored on comprehension level (frustrational, instructional, or independent),
accuracy percentage, self-correction rate, words-correct-per-minute rate, and overall fluency rating. Because the
scoring is done by individual assessors, there is potential for great variability and room for interpretation.
One teacher may consider a comprehension answer correct while another may consider that same comprehension
question incorrect or partially correct.
Rigby Assessments afford teachers the ability to break reading ability into sub-skills for each student so that the teacher
can understand a student’s unique reading strengths and weaknesses and then guide instruction to address those
strengths or weaknesses. Rigbys supply the administrator with immediate feedback. Rigbys can easily be tailored to
meet a teacher’s or student’s individual needs. Observations about reading behaviors and other abstract reading aspects
can be easily found out and noted when using the Rigby Assessment tools. The one-on-one nature of the Rigby testing
can also allow for relationship-building between teacher and student.
Although Rigby testing can provide specific and useful data, it also has some drawbacks. There is no easy way to
determine the level at which to start a student other than a “guess and check”method. The retelling rubrics are often
unrealistic and inauthentic. There are too few comprehension questions to gain a true understanding of a student’s
comprehension. Most of the comprehension questions are too easy, and their correct answers can often be derived
with common sense and background knowledge without the student actually reading the story. Some of the
comprehension questions are poorly worded. The conversational nature of the one-on-one testing also allows a student
to rely on verbal expression, yet much of the comprehension activities in school require written comprehension.
The one-on-one testing also is time consuming for teachers. Much of the scoring is subjective and suggested, not
standardized, thus there is great variability in how the data is interpreted and how the tests are used. The reliability and validity
of the Rigby assessment tools can easily be questioned and doubted.
1 Elsie Nelley & Annette Smith, Rigby PM Benchmark Kit: Teacher’s Notes and Records, Rigby, 2000.
This assessment tool is used most frequently by K-5 elementary classroom
teachers and reading specialists to identify students’ individual reading
strengths and needs, to help determine and place students at their appropriate
reading levels, to measure comprehension in a variety of ways, to monitor
reading behaviors, to assess oral reading, and to check fluency.
The Rigby tool includes anassessment guide for the administrator, 60 benchmark
books at 30 different levels for the students (2 at each level), corresponding
retelling response sheets and reading record sheets, comprehension check pages,
reading behavior analysis check sheets, reading progress portfolios, and a data
management computer program tool. These materials can be ordered as a kit
from various vendors of education materials. They may be ordered by individual
classroom teachers or ordered for whole school use. The kits are consistent from
one user to another. The materials offer a suggested structure and script, yet the
administrator may easily tailor the materials to fit his/her purpose.
When a learner participates in Rigby assessments, his first task is to sit one-on-one
with the administrator and discuss the title and cover illustration of the text given to him.
Next, the student reads the text independently and retells the selection to the
administrator who takes notes on the retelling. If the retelling is scored at a frustration
level, the learner is given a new text at a lower reading level. If the retelling is scored
as independent, the reader is given a new text at a higher reading level. Once the
learner retells at an instructional level, he continues to be assessed with that “instructional”
text. The student then reads the text aloud to the administrator who completes a reading
record. The student answers 3-5 comprehension questions about the text (both literal and
inferential questions).
Some aspects of the Rigby Assessments are authentic literacy tasks while many are not.
Rarely would a student be asked to retell every detail from a text in order in the real world,
thus the retelling aspect of the Rigby system seems contrived, perhaps. Many of the
texts, themselves, are high-interest for students. For Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders,
the texts are very similar to stories they might read in school or at home. But for 3rd-5th
graders, the texts are much shorter than the articles and chapter books they typically read.
The Rigby does not include a writing component.
Rigby Assessing must be done by one administrator and given to one student at a time.
If all parts of the Rigby are administered as suggested and as scripted, then it would take many
hours, days, even weeks to complete testing a whole classroom full of students. Yet, the
administrator is not necessarily obligated to administer the Rigby assessments the suggested way.
There is a fair amount of flexibility that the administrator may exercise with this Rigby program. The
administrator may select which aspects of the assessment to give a student and which to skip
depending on the data wanted. There is also flexibility in the fact that all book levels are allowed
to be used at all grade levels. No one grade level is restricted to a certain book level. There
are a variety of genres across the 60 total texts, both expository and narrative. The Rigby tests can
be re-administered as often as desired, and the administrator can add to and revise the suggested
script by prompting students on comprehension questions, rewording questions, adding more
questions, etc. Despite a good deal of flexibility allowed in the administration of the Rigby system,
there is not great flexibility in which text to offer a student at a specific level because there are only
two texts provided at each reading level.
Much valuable information can be discovered about a reader by using the Rigby Assessment Kit.
It assesses a student’s retelling abilities, oral reading habits and behaviors, literal comprehension,
inferential comprehension, accuracy, self-correction rate, reading speed, and aspects of fluency
including expression, pace, phrasing, smoothness, etc. The information gleaned is specific for each
student. Astute teachers may notice trends that many of the students in the class display and form
reading groups based on needs that a certain group of students has in common. Yet, Rigbys are
mostly useful in determining individual student strengths and weaknesses rather than whole group
generalities.
The levels of the Rigby Benchmark Kit were originally criterion referenced based on the following factors:
high-frequency words, sentence construction, meaning and logic, the Fry Readability Formula. The levels
were then ”tested with children of an appropriate reading age to guarantee the suitability and readability of
the text”1 for each particular levels. When a student is scored using the Rigby system, an appropriate reading
level is determined from level 1 through 30. Each level corresponds to a grade level (i.e. early-2nd grade,
mid-2nd grade, late-2nd grade). Students are typically scored 3-5 times a year: once at the beginning of the
school year, one-to-three times midyear, and once at the end of the year. Within each overall individual student
level, the student can also be scored on comprehension level (frustrational, instructional, or independent),
accuracy percentage, self-correction rate, words-correct-per-minute rate, and overall fluency rating. Because the
scoring is done by individual assessors, there is potential for great variability and room for interpretation.
One teacher may consider a comprehension answer correct while another may consider that same comprehension
question incorrect or partially correct.
Rigby Assessments afford teachers the ability to break reading ability into sub-skills for each student so that the teacher
can understand a student’s unique reading strengths and weaknesses and then guide instruction to address those
strengths or weaknesses. Rigbys supply the administrator with immediate feedback. Rigbys can easily be tailored to
meet a teacher’s or student’s individual needs. Observations about reading behaviors and other abstract reading aspects
can be easily found out and noted when using the Rigby Assessment tools. The one-on-one nature of the Rigby testing
can also allow for relationship-building between teacher and student.
Although Rigby testing can provide specific and useful data, it also has some drawbacks. There is no easy way to
determine the level at which to start a student other than a “guess and check”method. The retelling rubrics are often
unrealistic and inauthentic. There are too few comprehension questions to gain a true understanding of a student’s
comprehension. Most of the comprehension questions are too easy, and their correct answers can often be derived
with common sense and background knowledge without the student actually reading the story. Some of the
comprehension questions are poorly worded. The conversational nature of the one-on-one testing also allows a student
to rely on verbal expression, yet much of the comprehension activities in school require written comprehension.
The one-on-one testing also is time consuming for teachers. Much of the scoring is subjective and suggested, not
standardized, thus there is great variability in how the data is interpreted and how the tests are used. The reliability and validity
of the Rigby assessment tools can easily be questioned and doubted.
1 Elsie Nelley & Annette Smith, Rigby PM Benchmark Kit: Teacher’s Notes and Records, Rigby, 2000.