Developmental Reading Assessment, 3rd Edition

Reading opens up a world of possibilities
DRA helps you give them the keys!

The Developmental Reading Assessment^®, Third Edition (DRA3) combines decades of teacher acumen with Pearson’s test development strength to provide the premier assessment of good reading behaviours in the classroom.

With engaging fiction and nonfiction stories at every level, streamlined scoring rubrics, improved teacher observation forms, and updated field research, the DRA3 is an assessment that meets the high standards of quality and rigor that reading teachers deserve.

Features and benefits

What's new with the DRA3:

DRA3 is also available Online, allowing you to:

• Administer DRA3 Benchmark Assessment in real time
• Add recordings and attach fi les for reference
• Track student progress over time
• Review status at a student, class, school, or district level
• Generate user-friendly and in-depth reports
• Access Online support and digital resources

The new online platform provides educators data entry and administration in a browser-based solution that can be used on any compatible device (e.g., laptop, desktop or tablet). The platform offers expanded reporting options beyond those available from a paper-only assessment. It easily captures, stores, and reports DRA3 student data at the student, class, school, district, or even provincial level! Further information regarding remote administration of this assessment.

Additional new features:

• Level estimator. New to DRA! Save time to quickly identify estimated student reading levels before you begin testing.
• Expanded book offering MORE brand new nonfiction and fiction texts means even more stories for each reading level.
• New word list screener to help estimate the best starting levels for younger students or new students entering a school or district
• Redesigned Teacher Observation Guides (record forms) to facilitate easier recording and efficient assigning of scores
• Reorganized Teacher Guides ensuring important administration procedures, decision points, and other information are all easier to find, understand, and implement with fidelity
• Updated comprehension scoring criteria
• Reading Engagement as an optional component of Benchmark Assessment
• Training and implementation Making it easier for you... now all complementary and paid training resources for related content for instruction and intervention are available online.

Users & Applications

Developed for teachers

The assessment approach used in DRA3 is based on what reading research and experienced educators have identified as the key behaviours and characteristics of good readers. The specific tasks and prompts used at different levels of DRA3 assessment are developmentally appropriate for the student's current stage in the process of learning to read.

• Internal consistency and inter rater research studies were conducted to demonstrate the reliability of DRA3 scores.
• Research studies were conducted that establish the validity of test scores, based on the test content and the relationship of the scores to other measures of reading.

What does DRA do?

DRA offers educators the tools they need to observe and document student reading abilities as well as inform instructional practice.

With DRA3, teachers can:

• Determine each student's independent or instructional reading level with an evaluation of three components of reading: reading engagement (optional), oral reading fluency, and comprehension.
• Quickly determine students’ instructional needs to create a plan documenting what each student needs to learn next with the Focus for Instruction. Once the assessment is complete, teachers can use this information to differentiate instruction and create instructional groups.
• As appropriate, a teacher can obtain more in-depth information for an individual student with DRA Word Analysis. This diagnostic assessment provides educators with a systematic means to observe how struggling and emerging readers attend to and work with various components of spoken and written words.

Reading opens up a world of possibilities
DRA helps you give them the keys!

The Developmental Reading Assessment^®, Third Edition (DRA3) combines decades of teacher acumen with Pearson’s test development strength to provide the premier assessment of good reading behaviours in the classroom.

With engaging fiction and nonfiction stories at every level, streamlined scoring rubrics, improved teacher observation forms, and updated field research, the DRA3 is an assessment that meets the high standards of quality and rigor that reading teachers deserve.

Features and benefits

What's new with the DRA3:

DRA3 is also available Online, allowing you to:

• Administer DRA3 Benchmark Assessment in real time
• Add recordings and attach fi les for reference
• Track student progress over time
• Review status at a student, class, school, or district level
• Generate user-friendly and in-depth reports
• Access Online support and digital resources

The new online platform provides educators data entry and administration in a browser-based solution that can be used on any compatible device (e.g., laptop, desktop or tablet). The platform offers expanded reporting options beyond those available from a paper-only assessment. It easily captures, stores, and reports DRA3 student data at the student, class, school, district, or even provincial level! Further information regarding remote administration of this assessment.

Additional new features:

• Level estimator. New to DRA! Save time to quickly identify estimated student reading levels before you begin testing.
• Expanded book offering MORE brand new nonfiction and fiction texts means even more stories for each reading level.
• New word list screener to help estimate the best starting levels for younger students or new students entering a school or district
• Redesigned Teacher Observation Guides (record forms) to facilitate easier recording and efficient assigning of scores
• Reorganized Teacher Guides ensuring important administration procedures, decision points, and other information are all easier to find, understand, and implement with fidelity
• Updated comprehension scoring criteria
• Reading Engagement as an optional component of Benchmark Assessment
• Training and implementation Making it easier for you... now all complementary and paid training resources for related content for instruction and intervention are available online.

Users & Applications

Developed for teachers

The assessment approach used in DRA3 is based on what reading research and experienced educators have identified as the key behaviours and characteristics of good readers. The specific tasks and prompts used at different levels of DRA3 assessment are developmentally appropriate for the student's current stage in the process of learning to read.

• Internal consistency and inter rater research studies were conducted to demonstrate the reliability of DRA3 scores.
• Research studies were conducted that establish the validity of test scores, based on the test content and the relationship of the scores to other measures of reading.

What does DRA do?

DRA offers educators the tools they need to observe and document student reading abilities as well as inform instructional practice.

With DRA3, teachers can:

• Determine each student's independent or instructional reading level with an evaluation of three components of reading: reading engagement (optional), oral reading fluency, and comprehension.
• Quickly determine students’ instructional needs to create a plan documenting what each student needs to learn next with the Focus for Instruction. Once the assessment is complete, teachers can use this information to differentiate instruction and create instructional groups.
• As appropriate, a teacher can obtain more in-depth information for an individual student with DRA Word Analysis. This diagnostic assessment provides educators with a systematic means to observe how struggling and emerging readers attend to and work with various components of spoken and written words.

DRA3 K-3 kit

DRA3 4-8 kit

On-demand, recorded webinars:

Struggling reader? How Word Analysis and DRA3 can help!

Presented by: Rob Dyson & Jessica Jourdain

Supporting struggling readers with DRA3 Word Analysis.

Recorded: Monday, March 15, 2021

» View recording

Strategies and tools to help improve reading skills for Tier 2 and Tier 3 population

Presenter(s): Liz Grose

Instructional tools and assessments for educators to help identify strengths and needs to support positive literacy outcomes in ALL

Recorded: Monday, March 1, 2021

» View Recording

The power of a 1:1 reading assessment

Presenter(s): Jessica Jourdain and Elizabeth Shanley

Using a 1:1 reading assessment is worth the investment! DRA3 provides critical information to cultivate strong literacy skills within your students

Recorded: Monday, February 8, 2021

» View Recording

Using DRA3 to drive reading instruction

Presenter(s): Jessica Jourdain

Connecting the teacher with the reader and using DRA3 to drive reading instruction

Recorded: Tuesday, January 19, 2021

» View Recording