| Because students' decoding abilities vary greatly at the intermediate grades, administering a diagnostic assessment of each student will help you provide appropriate instruction.
What? The CORE Phonics Survey, is appropriate for assessing the phonics skills of students in grades 3-5. The test presents word lists for students to decode. Made-up words are also included, since the student must use decoding skills, rather than memorization, to pronounce these words.
Why? A student's ability to use sound-spelling correspondences (phonics) to decode words determines his or her ability to read individual words. An assessment of a student's phonics skills highlights the areas in which the student is most likely to benefit from systematic, explicit phonics instruction. Also, identifying skills that the student lacks will help in selecting reading tasks that offer the most effective reinforcement of those skills.
How? Instructions for administering each part of the CORE Phonics Survey are included in this module. The test must be administered one-on-one. Watch the student's behavior during testing. If the student is tiring or making many consecutive errors, discontinue testing.
What Does It Mean? This is a mastery test. Students must ultimately get all the items correct.
- In five-item subtests, a student who misses two or more items would benefit from more direct instruction in the indicated skills.
- In ten-item subtests, three or more errors warrant attention.
What's Next? Use the information to monitor phonics instruction and to design skill groups. Older students generally fall into one of the four following categories. These categories can be used to form small groups for instruction.
- Severe Decoding Issues: Students still struggle to decode basic CVC words with short vowels. They need intensive intervention, probably a specially-designed program.
- Moderate Decoding Issues: These students struggle to decode single syllable words with long vowels and r-controlled vowels. They need to work on these skills in a special program.
- Basic Decoding Issues: These students can't decode multisyllabic words. They need daily instruction and practice in reading multisyllabic words using the lessons in this course.
- Few Decoding Issues: Proficient and advanced readers are developing greater levels of fluency (accuracy and speed in decoding). They are ready to focus on comprehension skills.
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