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ISAT Reading Performance Definitions
Grade 4

Exceeds Standards

Students who exceed standards demonstrate a strong comprehension of text beyond their grade level. They use structural and context clues from across a passage to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary. They apply their knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms to make meaning and can determine the word that best fits a given context.

Students demonstrate an understanding of text by identifying explicit and implicit main ideas and key details and consistently make connections between information found in several points in a passage. They draw inferences and conclusions using textual support and prior knowledge. They recognize important plot details and can place these events in proper sequence even when they are not given in chronological order.

Students make predictions about outcomes based on information in a passage and understand when an author uses opinion. They can identify cause and effect relationships and can draw conclusions about characters' motivations and about an author's intended purpose or theme. They can distinguish points of view. They can interpret poetic devices and distinguish among expository, narrative, and persuasive writing. They can interpret figurative language.

Students can use information found in multiple locations to interpret illustrations, charts, and graphs and effectively use structural features of informational text to support their comprehension and can follow multi-step directions, as well as determine how illustrators express ideas.

Meets Standards

Students who meet standards demonstrate a comprehension of grade-level text. They use context clues within sentences to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary .They recognize words used as synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms and can determine the word that best fits in a given context.

Students at this level identify main ideas and important details and can identify problems and solutions in literary text. They can draw inferences and conclusions using textual support and prior knowledge. They can place important plot events in proper sequence.

Students make simple predictions about outcomes based on information in a passage and can distinguish fact from opinion and understand cause and effect. They can infer an author's unstated meaning based on information directly stated in the text. They use clues to determine characters’ motivations and to reach conclusions about an author's message and about themes. They can distinguish points of view. They can interpret some poetic devices and distinguish among expository, narrative, and persuasive writing. They can interpret some figurative language. They use clues in instructional materials and can interpret charts, graphs, and diagrams. They can follow a set of simple instructions and understand how illustrators express ideas.

Below Standards

Students at this level demonstrate an incomplete understanding of grade-level text. Their ability to use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary is inconsistent. They can identify synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms.

They may be unable to distinguish main ideas from developmental ideas. They can identify plot events but are often unable to place them in proper sequence. They struggle to draw inferences and conclusions using textual support or prior knowledge. They focus more on literal ideas.

Students may be able to make obvious predictions. They are generally unable to distinguish fact from opinion or to understand cause and effect relationships. They struggle to grasp implicit ideas. They may be able to identify facts about characters. They identify only directly stated messages or themes. They rarely recognize points of view or the types of writing and do not readily interpret figurative language.

They can find information directly stated in text but have less success using several parts of a diagram, chart, or table or using information from an illustration.

Academic Warning

Students at this level have only a limited comprehension of grade-level text. They cannot determine the meaning of unfamiliar words since they have a weak understanding of grade-level vocabulary.

Students at this level often confuse the main idea with supporting details. Their lack of comprehension prevents them from following sequence or drawing inferences or conclusions.

Students rarely make predictions and can seldom distinguish fact from opinion or comprehend cause and effect. They do not understand character motivations or author’s message or theme. They struggle to use information in bold print and headings and to follow simple directions.