Which informal assessment is best for students reading below grade level to comprehend a specific excerpt?

Completing sentence frames is an effective informal assessment for students reading below grade level as it provides structured support that can guide their comprehension of a specific text. This approach helps students articulate their understanding without the pressure of generating full sentences independently. Sentence frames can offer key vocabulary and context, which is especially beneficial for struggling readers, allowing them to focus on important ideas and relationships within the text.

The other options may not be as suited for targeting comprehension of a specific excerpt, particularly for those reading below grade level. Group presentations and composing essays require higher levels of fluency and independence in writing, which may overwhelm students who are still developing their reading skills. Multiple choice questions, while useful for checking comprehension, can sometimes lead to guessing and may not fully capture a student's understanding, especially if they struggle with reading the question or choices accurately. Thus, completing sentence frames presents a more supportive and focused way to assess comprehension.