Assessing Literacy Skills
Today’s devotional
A reading difficulty can be hidden behind avoidance, silence, or a quick answer copied from someone else. A writing challenge can be mistaken for a lack of ideas. Assessing literacy asks us to look carefully enough to distinguish what the learner understands from what they can currently express through a particular task.
Hebrews speaks of God’s word reaching the thoughts and intentions of the heart, then points to Jesus as the compassionate high priest through whom we approach grace. Divine knowledge is complete in a way our judgments never are. Remembering that difference can make an educator both more careful and more merciful.
A single score rarely explains the whole difficulty. We may need to hear a learner read, ask them to explain meaning, examine writing over time, or consult someone with relevant expertise. The purpose is to identify a useful response. Interpretation should remain tied to evidence and open to what the student’s experience reveals.
Communicate findings in language that preserves hope and specificity. Name the skill that needs support, recognize what the learner can do, and explain the next step. When specialized help is needed, involve the appropriate colleagues and family. Care becomes more dependable when responsibility is shared clearly.
Choose one learner whose literacy needs deserve a closer look. Ask what information would help you understand without overwhelming them with more testing. Bring your uncertainty before Christ and seek good counsel. An assessment offered with humility can become a doorway to timely support, while the person remains far more than the result we are able to record.
Adapted from Original devotion 50: Assessing Literacy Skills in Nurturing Hearts & Minds by Dr. R. C. Titus.
Read the Scripture
Open each passage and read slowly. Notice what these words reveal about God and the life before you.
Hebrews 4:12-16 · WEBU
12For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
14Having then a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let’s hold tightly to our confession.
15For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.
16Let’s therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need.
Pause and respond
For reflection
What additional information would help me distinguish a learner’s literacy need from my first assumption?
A practice for today
Review one learner’s reading or writing evidence across more than one task. Identify a specific question, gather appropriate information, and consult a support colleague if further assessment or intervention is needed.
A prayer
Compassionate Jesus, you know each person more fully than I can. Help me assess with humility and respond with wisdom. Show me what I have misunderstood, guide me toward appropriate support, and keep the learner’s dignity and hope present in every conversation about their needs. Amen.
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