Science of Reading Assessment: Best Practices and Practical Tips For Teachers

For decades, we were told that we might never reach the bottom 20% of students who struggle with literacy. We used running records and anecdotal notes to “identify” skill gaps and determine our students’ reading levels. We thought we were doing all we could – but we were wrong. The reality is, we can actually reach about 95%-97% of all students with a simple shift in our literacy instruction.

I realized all of this a few years ago when my school adopted a Science of Reading (SoR) based literacy program – UFLI Foundations. In such a short time, I saw my second graders mastering literacy concepts that I had never seen before. The kids weren’t guessing at unfamiliar words anymore; they were truly learning how to decode them. 

All this to say, assessment plays such an important role in our students’ literacy development. It’s the key to targeting our instruction and closing the gaps. So today I want to break down what I’ve learned about Science of Reading assessments and provide some practical tips to support you. 

Key Takeaways Ahead:

• How Assessment Differs in the SoR Philosophy
• How Often Should You Give Science of Reading Assessments?
• What Skills Should You Assess?
• What Forms & Records Should You Use?
• What Science of Reading Assessment Looks Like In My Classroom

Let me be clear: I am extremely passionate about meeting students at their ability level, regardless of grade level. I carry this philosophy with me each day and make most of my instructional decisions based on it. Is it more work to reach the needs of each student? Of course. But learning to read is the single most important skill for our students. And over the past few years, I’ve developed some very practical assessment systems that work. 

So if you’re interested in learning the best practices of Science of Reading assessments (and how to actually implement these strategies in your classroom), then read on!

How Assessment Differs in the SoR Philosophy

In balanced literacy programs, formative assessments often focus on students’ ability to comprehend texts and use reading strategies. Teachers can incorrectly determine a student’s reading level because the assessments (and the entire instructional philosophy) lack the structure and rigor to actually pinpoint skill deficits. 

On the other hand, Science of Reading assessments provide much more accurate results. Formative assessments within the SoR framework are designed to:

• Identify Specific Skill Gaps: By assessing discrete components of reading, teachers can pinpoint exact areas where a student may need support.
• Inform Targeted Instruction: Detailed assessment data allows educators to tailor instruction to address individual student needs effectively.
• Monitor Progress Over Time: Regular assessments help track student growth in specific skill areas, ensuring that interventions are effective.

How Often Should You Give Science of Reading Assessments?

The frequency of assessments in the SoR framework depends on the purpose of the assessment:

1. Universal Screening

• Frequency: Typically administered three times a year – at the beginning, middle, and end of the academic year.
• Purpose: To identify students at risk for reading difficulties and to inform instructional planning for all students.

The DIBELS assessment would be a great option for universal screening because it shows you which students are at risk to have difficulties in literacy. However, it does not show you which skills the child is missing. So for this reason, I personally skipped the DIBELS and went right to the CORE Phonics Survey (more on that later).

→ If you’d like a cleaner version of the standard Core Phonics Survey, I retyped it for my own use (shown above). Download it below for FREE. 

2. Progress Monitoring

• Frequency: For students identified as at risk or receiving interventions, progress monitoring should occur more frequently, such as biweekly or monthly.
• Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and adjust instruction as needed.

Teachers who are using the UFLI program can use their “Progress Monitoring” pages to keep record of this data. I personally use my “Dictated Sentences” unit for a weekly or bi-weekly informal assessment. Guided writing is the best way for me to quickly assess which skills my students have mastered. It’s the most authentic encoding practice & assessment that I can give, which is the key to accurate results!

3. Diagnostic Assessments

• Frequency: Administered as needed, usually after universal screenings or progress monitoring indicate a potential issue.
• Purpose: To delve deeper into specific skill deficits and inform targeted intervention strategies.

This is where the CORE Phonics Survey comes in – typically, teachers would only use it to assess their lower performing students. My school district is high-poverty, high-trauma, and high-ELL, so we already knew our students would have skill deficits. 

Because of this, I used the CORE Phonics Survey to assess my entire elementary school so that we had baseline data. I created literacy folders for every single child – the folders move to the next teacher so we can easily track progress and struggles!

What Skills Should You Assess?

In the SoR framework, assessments should focus on the following key components:

1. Phonemic Awareness

• Skills to Assess: Ability to identify, segment, blend, and manipulate individual sounds in words.
• Assessment Tools: Phonemic awareness inventories, such as the Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) or the Phonemic Awareness Assessment from Heggerty.

2. Phonics

• Skills to Assess: Knowledge of letter-sound correspondences and the ability to decode words.
• Assessment Tools: Phonics surveys, like the CORE Phonics Survey.

3. Fluency

• Skills to Assess: Reading accuracy, rate, and prosody (expression).
• Assessment Tools: Oral reading fluency measures, such as DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) assessments.

4. Vocabulary

• Skills to Assess: Understanding and use of a wide range of words.
• Assessment Tools: Vocabulary assessments, including both expressive and receptive vocabulary tests.

5. Comprehension

• Skills to Assess: Ability to understand and interpret text.
• Assessment Tools: Reading comprehension tests that evaluate both literal and inferential understanding.

What Forms & Records Should You Use?

Each phonics assessment that I’ve mentioned has its own set of record keeping forms. I highly recommend keeping each student’s records stored in a safe place where you can easily access them for small group instruction, parent-teacher conferences, and more. 

Consider the following:

• Individual Student Profiles: Detailed records that track each student’s assessment data over time. Again, my school has chosen to pass student assessment data from grade to grade. I highly recommend incorporating some type of system like this if you’re able to!
• Class Assessment Charts: Overviews that allow teachers to see patterns and group students with similar needs.
• Intervention Logs: Documentation of interventions provided, including frequency, duration, and student response.

→ Feeling overwhelmed with your UFLI printed materials? Check out this blog post where I deep-dive into my top organization tips!

What Science of Reading Assessment Looks Like in My Classroom

Let’s recap these Science of Reading assessment best practices and see exactly how it looks in my second grade classroom:

• At the beginning of the school year (or anytime I get a new student), I administer the CORE Phonics Survey (for decoding) and the Words Their Way spelling inventory (for encoding). 
• Using that data, I divide my class into 4-5 groups. I start the child at the lowest common denominator between both assessment results. For example, if a child can read words up to “vowel teams” but they are making significant errors up to “digraphs” on the phonics spelling inventory, I start the child at digraphs. My motto is, “if they can write the words, they can read the words.”
• I start my whole class instruction on a UFLI lesson that 60% of my students are on. 
• Then, I differentiate for small group instruction (read my best tips here). 
• I usually find a need to tweak my small groups in November, February and May. 

I hope this overview of Science of Reading assessment was helpful for you! I’ve become so passionate about structured literacy and I absolutely love supporting teachers. Check out some of my best FREE SoR resources here!

Ready for more? Shop my entire library of Science of Reading & UFLI Aligned lessons and activities here.