Many of us learned how to make notations to code a student’s oral reading: check marks, dashes, A for Appeal, T for Told, R for Repeat, and so on. I’m going to assume that you already know the basics of how to code a running record.

Along the way, I have picked up other abbreviations and notations that help me describe a student’s reading either during assessment or simply during a reading lesson.

My thanks to any colleagues, RR teacher leaders, or other professionals from whom I may have adopted any of these shorthand notations—and apologies for not recognizing you specifically (because I can’t remember which ones I thought up myself).

Book Handling

• hpr – Have page ready (teacher prompt)
  
• pnr – Page not ready
• pr – Page ready
• bh – book holding

 

Prompting

• TS – Try something.
• wcyt – What could you try?
• dyk – Do you know a word like that?
• Itr – Is that right?
• TTA – Try that again.
  

 

Taking Words Apart

• tf – Teacher divides word with finger
• tc – Teacher uses card to divide word
  
• cf – Child divides word with finger
• cc – Child uses card to divide word
  

 

Processing

• stq – started quickly
• de – detected error
• nde – did not detect error
• rs – used running start
• sk – skipped

 

Teaching

• d – demo
• pp – praise point
• tp – teaching point

 

Fluency

• | word | – word by word
• | | | – each slash indicates one second between words
• ex – expressive
• vndp – voice not down at period
• vdp – voice down at period
• phr – phrased – also indicate phrasing with scoops under words read
  
• For more fluent readers, only mark errors (not checks for accurate reading)

 

Other Abbreviations

• mls – magnetic letters
• wb – whiteboard

 

Additions Welcome!

I bet that some of you out there have some other abbreviations that you have found useful. Please comment below, and I will add them to the list.

P.S. Running Record Sheet

I recommend that you check out the alternate running record form in Preventing Misguided Reading, by Jan Miller Burkins and Melody M. Croft (pp. 118-119). They have created a way to indicate different types of visual errors (at the beginning, middle, and end of a word) and include rubrics for measuring fluency and comprehension. Most importantly, perhaps, is their system for quantifying a student’s processing, or integration of print and story cues.  What is the ultimate purpose of taking a running record, after all?!

Happy recording!