Which area of assessment is critical to understanding reading comprehension deficits in a fourth-grade student?

Understanding reading comprehension deficits in a fourth-grade student necessitates a focus on vocabulary and curriculum-based assessment. Vocabulary is essential because a student's ability to understand and interpret texts is directly tied to their knowledge of words. If a student lacks familiarity with specific vocabulary, it can dramatically hinder their understanding of the material they are reading.

Curriculum-based assessment is equally vital as it helps in evaluating how well a student is performing in relation to the academic standards and expectations of their grade level. This type of assessment provides insights into a student’s ability to engage with the curriculum, and it helps identify specific areas where a child might be struggling, including comprehension. By analyzing both vocabulary and performance related to the curriculum, educators and speech-language pathologists can develop tailored interventions to assist the student in improving their reading comprehension skills.

While phonological awareness, auditory processing, and reading fluency are important components of reading development, they do not target comprehension directly as effectively as vocabulary and curriculum-based assessment do. Phonological awareness is more related to the understanding of sound structures, auditory processing pertains to how auditory information is interpreted, and reading fluency focuses on the ability to read quickly and accurately. However, without strong vocabulary knowledge and an understanding of the instructional context, comprehension may still be