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Complimentary Reading Assessments (K-12)

Complimentary Reading Assessments (K-12)

In just 5-7 minutes, Really Great Reading's complimentary diagnostic decoding assessments answer these key questions: Which students are struggling with decoding? What types of words are they struggling with? What is the source of the underlying confusion? They contain everything you’ll need for the initial assessment of an unlimited number of students with an explanation of how the data can be added to the Grouping Matrix to group, progress monitor, and plan the type of instruction that will yield the greatest results.

Not sure which assessments to use? Use our Recommended Assessment Timeline and Flowcharts to help guide you through the process.

Download Flowchart and Timeline
Reading Assessments

The data collected from these assessments can help you determine whether foundational reading skills are being established at an appropriate pace, pinpoint specific gaps in knowledge, and plan appropriately targeted instruction. The results of these surveys can be plugged into our Grouping Matrix, a free, web-based system that enables you to group students according to the type and depth of their decoding difficulties.

Kindergarten Reading Assessments

The Kindergarten Foundational Skills Surveys are a complimentary set of assessments used:

  • In Kindergarten or with older students who perform well below expectations on the Beginning Decoding Survey or Beginning of Year 1st Grade FSS
  • As a one-on-one assessment of pre-decoding and early decoding skills, including:
    • Functional Vocabulary
    • Phonological/Phonemic Awareness
    • Letter Knowledge
    • Decoding
    • High-Frequency Word Reading
Download Kindergarten Skills Surveys
1st Grade Reading Assessments

The 1st Grade Foundational Skills Surveys are a complimentary set of assessments used:

  • In 1st grade or with older students who perform well below expectations on the Beginning and Advanced Decoding Surveys
  • As a one-on-one assessment of 1st-grade foundational literacy skills, including:
    • Simple and complex single-syllable words (with short vowels, digraphs, blends, closed syllables, and various long vowel spellings)
    • Decodable two-syllable words
    • Select sight words
    • Optional assessments for sight words, letter-sound knowledge, and letter-name knowledge
Download 1st Grade Skills Surveys
2nd-12th Grade Reading Assessments

The Diagnostic Decoding Surveys are two complimentary assessments used in 2nd-12th grade:

  • Beginning Decoding Survey assesses:
    • Simple and complex single-syllable words (with short vowels, digraphs, blends, and closed syllables in real and nonsense words)
    • Select sight words
  • Advanced Decoding Survey assesses:
    • Complex single-syllable words (with short, long, r-controlled, variant vowels, complex consonant constructions like trigraphs, and 3-sound blends in real and nonsense words)
    • Decodable two- and three-syllable words (real and nonsense)
Download Diagnostic Decoding Surveys
Grouping Students
Complimentary Grouping Matrix

How can you use data to group students according to their decoding strengths and weaknesses?

Use our complimentary, web-based, password-protected, secure student data management interface, the Grouping Matrix. It enables you to group students (K-12) according to the type and depth of their decoding difficulties using data from grade-level Oral Reading Fluency passages (such as DIBELS, AIMSWeb, Six Minute Solutions, Read Naturally, EasyCBM) and our complimentary diagnostic assessments. If you have questions about the Grouping Matrix please email us.

Grouping Matrix Quick Facts:

  • Uses data to group students according to their decoding strengths and weaknesses
  • Identifies and groups students for decoding instruction
  • Provides easy-to-read progress monitoring reports and graphs
  • Enables progress monitoring for both individuals and groups
Grouping Matrix Info
Grouping Matrix Login
Phonological Awareness Survey

The Phonological/Phonemic Awareness Survey is a complimentary assessment that is commonly used in Kindergarten and 1st grade, but it is also useful for assessing older students who perform well below expectations on basic decoding assessments. It is a one-on-one assessment of phonological awareness skills, including blending word parts, and phonemic awareness skills, including matching, identifying, blending, and segmenting phonemes in words. The data collected from this assessment can help determine the type of basic literacy instruction that will equip students with the knowledge they need for basic decoding.

Download Phonological Awareness Survey
Letter Knowledge Survey

The Letter Knowledge Survey is a complimentary assessment that is commonly used in Kindergarten and 1st grade, but it is also useful for assessing older students who perform well below expectations on basic decoding assessments. It is a one-on-one assessment of letter knowledge, including letter sounds and letter names (both lowercase and uppercase). The data collected from this assessment can help determine the type of basic literacy instruction that will equip students with the knowledge they need for basic decoding.

Download Letter Knowledge Survey
Sight Word Survey

The Sight Word Survey has five separate assessments for Pre-Primer, Primer, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Grade. These assessments are used to determine how well a student reads high-frequency words. Sight words are words that occur so frequently in printed text that it is most efficient for children to learn to read them automatically, by “sight,” rather than by decoding or sounding them out. The words on these assessments were selected from the Dolch 220 list of high-frequency words, and the words have been leveled.(e.g., Pre-Primer, Primer, etc.) using the same Dolch list.

Download Sight Word Survey
Advanced Decoding Survey Plus

The Advanced Decoding Survey Plus is a quick way to determine if older students have mastered the decoding skills they should have learned in grade K, 1, 2, and 3. Those using it as a screener can use it anytime after the middle of 3rd grade.If using it as a screener, you can administer it to your entire student population or to a select group of students whom you suspect may have a decoding deficit. Designed with upper elementary and adolescents in mind, Really Great Reading has three sets of lessons: HD Word, Boost, and Blitz. Additionally, for those who need additional practice and repetitions, we have HD Word Plus and Phonics Boost Plus that extend the learning for students participating in HD Word, Boost, and Blitz instruction.

Download Advanced Decoding Survey Plus
Diagnostic Instructional Videos

Really Great Reading offers a family of complimentary diagnostic decoding assessments to help educators understand their students' word-level reading skills. In 5 to 7 minutes per student, discover whether decoding deficits are inhibiting your students' ability to read. Download complimentary copies above and watch the following informational and instructional videos.

The Grouping Matrix Live Assess Feature

As you assess, automatically add your students' scores to the Grouping Matrix. What is the Grouping Matrix? It is our complimentary, web-based, password-protected, secure student data management interface. It enables you to group students (K-12) according to the type and depth of their decoding difficulties using data from grade-level Oral Reading Fluency passages (such as DIBELS, AIMSWeb, Six Minute Solutions, Read Naturally, EasyCBM) and our complimentary diagnostic assessments.

Watch Video
Pervasiveness of the Problem

Many students experience undiagnosed decoding (or word-level) difficulties that hamper their academic achievement. Just how pervasive are decoding deficits among adolescent readers?

Watch Video
Beginning Decoding Survey

Really Great Reading's Free Diagnostic Decoding Surveys enable quick one-on-one assessment of phonics skills. The Beginning Decoding Survey assesses a students' ability to read high-frequency words and single-syllable words with short vowels, digraphs, and blends.

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Advanced Decoding Survey

The Advanced Decoding Survey assesses how well students read unfamiliar single-syllable decodable words with more advanced vowels such as long, r-controlled, and other variant vowel patterns. It also assesses a student's ability to read unfamiliar and familiar multisyllabic words.

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Decoding Survey Overview

Many students struggle with reading because they don't understand sound-letter relationships and the rules that guide pronunciation. They skip and guess at words. Students with decoding issues often have comprehension and fluency problems. They underachieve in school. Our decoding surveys help educators pinpoint the cause of students' struggles.

Watch Video