A teacher wants to assess text comprehension. What is a useful approach?

Using open-ended questions for discussion is a highly effective way to assess text comprehension because it encourages students to engage with the material on a deeper level. This method allows students to articulate their understanding, clarify their thoughts, and connect their insights to the text. Open-ended questions promote critical thinking and require students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information rather than simply recalling facts.

This approach also fosters a collaborative learning environment where students can share perspectives and insights, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the text. By discussing their interpretations and reasoning, students demonstrate their comprehension in a nuanced way, which is often more insightful than just providing one-word answers or selecting from limited options.

In contrast, while other methods like summarizing, silent re-reading, or multiple-choice questions can provide some insight into comprehension, they may not capture the depth of understanding that open-ended discussions can. Summarizing, for instance, often requires only a surface-level grasp of the text, and multiple-choice questions might limit responses and not fully assess a student's understanding of the text's themes and nuances.