Four Quadrant Instructional Sort

Quadrant 1 Quadrant 2
Accurate and Slow Reader (lack of Accurate and Fluent Reader
automaticity)
Questions:
Questions: ● Are student’s comprehension and
● Is slow reading characteristic of the vocabulary skills on grade level? If yes,
students’ daily performance? continue to provide strong initial instruction
● Are students motivated to perform their (Tier 1). If no, determine instructional
best on given tasks? needs in the areas of comprehension
● Have students experienced behavior and/or vocabulary skills.
problems (i.e. trying to avoid tasks or ● Are students motivated to perform their
escape instruction) best on given tasks? Have students
experienced behavior problems (i.e. trying
Plan of Action to avoid tasks or escape instruction)
● Instruction on automaticity at the word,
phrase, sentence and passage level. Plan of Action
Do not ignore making meaning. ● Instruction on monitoring for meaning
● Repeated and assisted reading of ● Instruction on determining main ideas
passages ● Instruction on fix-up strategies
● Instruction on grouping words to make ● Instruction on specific words and word
meaning, pacing and attention to learning strategies
punctuation ● Ensure student is academically
● Use both narrative and informational engaged (i.e. choral responses during
texts instruction, student is working on
● Instruct using a comprehension focus instructionally relevant material)
● Ensure student is academically ● Provide additional motivation through
engaged (i.e. choral responses during goal setting, progress monitoring,
instruction, student is working on intrinsic and extrinsic
instructionally relevant material) acknowledgements
● Provide additional motivation through
goal setting, progress monitoring, Monitoring Tool:
intrinsic and extrinsic Class wide assessments, retell, strategy use,
acknowledgements vocabulary knowledge rating scale, work
completion and accuracy
Monitoring Tool:
Oral reading fluency at least once a week. Exit Criteria:
Graph both accuracy and fluency. If rate is not Proficient on district-wide assessments and
improving or accuracy decreases, then demonstrates grade level vocabulary and
evaluate the student’s word attack skills comprehension skills.
because word attack problems are sometimes
masked by the fact that the student is a slow
reader and generally accurate.

Exit Criteria:
Oral reading fluency benchmark level for grade
level and time of year and/or proficient on
district-wide assessments and demonstrates
grade level vocabulary and comprehension
skills.
Quadrant 3 Quadrant 4
Inaccurate and Slow Reader Inaccurate and Fluent Reader

Question: Question:
● What are the missing decoding skills ● First thing to rule-out: Are students
and/or sight words and/or basic vocabulary motivated to perform their best on given
words? tasks?
● Have students experienced behavior
Plan of Action problems (i.e. trying to avoid tasks or
● Instruction on missing decoding skills escape instruction)
● Instruction on missing sight words ● If cued to do best reading, does student’s
● Instruction on essential vocabulary accuracy improve?
words ● If student is cued by a table tap after each
● Work on applying skills to connected error, does student self-correct 90-100% of
text at instructional level the time?
● Work on fluent reading at independent
level Plan of action:
● Consider available evidenced base ● Table tap when student makes an
intervention programs to address the error. This will help the student read
skill deficit areas. These are used for more carefully and more accurately.
lower performing strategic level ● Challenge student to read a portion of
students and students with intensive the text with 2 or less errors.
needs. ● Teach student to adjust rate of reading
● Are students motivated to perform their to type of text and purpose for reading
best on given tasks? Have students ● Consider available evidenced base
experienced behavior problems (i.e. intervention programs to address the
trying to avoid tasks or escape skill deficit areas. These are used for
instruction) lower performing strategic level
students and students with intensive
needs.
Monitoring Tool: Oral reading fluency at least ● Are students motivated to perform their
once a week. Graph both accuracy and best on given tasks? Have students
fluency; expect a change in accuracy before experienced behavior problems (i.e.
fluency. trying to avoid tasks or escape
instruction)
Exit Criteria:
Oral reading fluency score shows movement Monitoring Tool:
into Quadrant 1 or Quadrant 2 and/or proficient Oral reading fluency at least once a week.
on district-wide assessments and demonstrates Graph both accuracy and fluency; expect a
grade level vocabulary and comprehension change in accuracy before fluency. If the
skills. strategies to encourage accuracy do not
improve, consider further diagnostic
assessments to determine instructional need.

Exit Criteria:
Oral reading accuracy score moves into range
for Quadrant 1 and/or proficient on district-wide
grade level knowledge of vocabulary and
comprehension.