Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA) Practice Test

What are reading interest inventories primarily used for?

1. Assessing the child's phonological awareness

2. Surveying student reading behavior

3. Identifying reading comprehension levels

4. Measuring overall literacy skills

The correct answer is: Surveying student reading behavior

Reading interest inventories are primarily used to survey student reading behavior. These tools are designed to gather information about students' preferences, likes, and dislikes regarding reading materials and genres. By understanding what types of books or texts engage a student, educators can tailor reading instruction to enhance motivation and participation. This insight helps in selecting appropriate reading materials that can foster a love for reading and improve overall engagement in literacy activities. The other options focus on different aspects of reading assessment. Assessing a child's phonological awareness involves evaluating their ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken language, which is a specific skill rather than an interest. Identifying reading comprehension levels is concerned with understanding how well a student can interpret and analyze texts, while measuring overall literacy skills looks at a broader range of abilities, including decoding, fluency, and comprehension, rather than focusing specifically on interests in reading.