Profiles of Performance: Game-Based Assessment of Reading Comprehension Skill

The current study examines the use of literacy game performance in assessing reading comprehension skill. The goals for this study were (1) to examine the extent to which game performance can be used to predict reading comprehension skill, as estimated by standardized tests; and (2) to explore the development of student profiles using game performance, and how these profiles relate to reading test performance. The results indicate that performance on two games—games that involved vocabulary knowledge and inferencing—accounted for approximately 45% of variance in reading comprehension skill. These results suggest that game-based learning activities can serve as formative assessments of reading skill. Teachers can use such learning activities to provide their students with more frequent feedback, and themselves with a greater understanding of their students’ current skills and areas for improvement.