Reading Assessment Tools

To determine the effectiveness of reading instruction and curriculum, schools can use reading assessment tools to help screen, monitor student progress, and supply diagnostic evaluations to guide instruction. Below are links to research about reading assessment, some basic tools for evaluating the difficulty level of reading passages, information about measuring oral reading fluency, as well as scholarly reports and research about reading instruction. If you have any suggestions about additional items that could be added to this page, we would love to hear from you. Just send a note to us at: ReadingTools@awschooltest.com.

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Text Readability Resources

Overview about Readability Measures web page

Lexile

Lexile measures are often used in place of or in addition to grade level reading information. Lexile reader measure and a Lexile text measure are denoted as a simple number followed by an “L” (e.g., 850L), and are placed on the Lexile scale. The Lexile scale ranges from below 200L for beginning readers and beginning-reading text to above 1700L for advanced readers and text (information from www.Lexile.com ).  

·      Lexile Book Database: Search tens of thousands of titles for their Lexile measure, or search by Lexile measure for appropriately challenging books.

 

·      Lexile Analyzer: Free for limited use to analyze text, literature and supplementary materials.

Spache
Spache Formula is used to determine text difficulty in early elementary grades.
Spache Readability Formula Instructions [web page; pdf]
Spache Revised Word List  [web page]

Dale-Chall
Dale-Chall Formula is used to determine text difficulty levels from grade 5 through college.
Dale-Chall Readability Formula Instructions [web page; pdf]
Dale-Chall Familiar Word List [web page]

Flesch Reading Ease
The Flesch Reading Ease calculates how easy it is to read the document. The higher the score (on a scale of 0 to 100), the easier it is to understand the document. This is a good method to use for upper elementary and secondary level text. Flesch Reading Ease and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level are built into the newest versions of Microsoft® Word (e.g., in the Spelling and Grammar check function, look under Options). For Flesch Reading Ease Readability Formula Instructions go to: [web page]

Flesch-Kincaid
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level provides a value that indicates the minimum education level required for the reader to be able to understand the document. The lower the score, the easier it is to understand the document (scale is 0 to 12). Flesch Reading Ease and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level are built into the newest versions of Microsoft® Word (e.g., in the Spelling and Grammar check function, look under Options). For Flesch-Kincaid Readability Formula Instructions go to: [web page]

Fry Readability Graph
Used for grades 1-12.Go to: web page

Free web based application that will report several different readability levels for a text selection.
Upload a document to determine its readability. This web-based application uses several different formulas to give you information about the readability of a text. Go to: Web based tool

Oral Reading Fluency

What is Oral Reading Fluency and why is it important?
Read this paper to find out how to assess Oral Reading Fluency: Rasinski Paper

Hasbrouck-Tindal Updated Table of Oral Reading Fluency Norms
The Hasbrouck-Tindal table shows the oral reading fluency rates of students in grades 1 through 8. Teachers can use this table to draw conclusions and make decisions about the reading fluency of their students. Go to the research article to find out more about this updated measure: Research Article or access the table here: Oral Reading Fluency Norms: Hasbrouck-Tindal Table

Reading Research & Summaries

The National Reading Panel completed a comprehensive review of the research on different approaches to reading instruction. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has formed a partnership with the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to work on continued dissemination and implementation of the NRP Report.

Summary Report (April 13, 2000)
This is a 33-page summary of the report of the National Reading Panel. It is written to be accessible to a broad audience.

Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (September 2001) This 58-page teacher's guide provides a framework for using the findings of the National Reading Panel in the classroom. It describes the NRP findings and provides analysis and discussion in five areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. Each section also suggests implications for classroom instruction with examples of how the findings can be implemented.

Report of the National Reading Panel Subgroups (April 13, 2000)
Includes detailed reports of the National Reading Panel subgroups in five areas, including: (1) Alphabetics (2) Fluency (3) Comprehension (4) Teacher Education and Reading Instruction (5) Computer Technology and Reading Instruction.

Teaching Children to Read—Video, 2nd Edition (April, 2002)
The "Teaching Children to Read" video highlights the main points of the National Reading Panel's comprehensive report on reading instruction. The video explains research-based findings through classroom applications with real students. It also contains clips of NRP members explaining the rationale behind their conclusions. This video is ideal for parents, teachers, and anyone concerned about reading instruction and how to better teach children to read. It is available either as a streaming video or as a downloadable video file.

Put Reading First: Helping Your Child Learn to Read (September 2001) This 8-page brochure, designed for parents of young children, describes the kinds of early literacy activities that children need to experience at home and at school to help them learn to read successfully. The brochure’s recommendations are based on the findings of the National Reading Panel.

References in Reading Assessment

Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Chard, D. & Dickson, S. (1999). Phonological Awareness: Instructional and Assessment Guidelines. Intervention in School and Clinic, 34, 261-270

Deno, S. L. (1985). Curriculum-based measurement: The emerging alternative. Exceptional Children, 52(3), 219- 232.

Deno, S. L., & Fuchs, L. S. (1987). Developing curriculum-based measurement systems for data-based special education problem solving. Focus on Exceptional Children, 19(8),1-16.

Deno, S. L., Mirkin, P. K., & Chiang, B. (1982). Identifying valid measures of reading. Exceptional Children, 49(1), 36- 45.

Fuchs, L. S., & Deno, S. L. (1991). Paradigmatic distinctions between instructionally relevant measurement models. Exceptional Children, 57(6), 488-500.

Howell, K. W. (1986). Direct assessment of academic performance. School Psychology Review, 15(3), 324-335.

Pikulski, J.J., & Chard, D.J. (2005). Fluency: Bridge between decoding and reading comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 58(6), 510–519.

Shinn, M. R. (Ed.). (1989). Curriculum-based measurement: Assessing special children. New York: Guilford Press.

Stanovich, K. E. (1986). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21(4), 360-406.

White, O. R., & Liberty, K. A. (1976). Behavioral assessment and precise educational measurement. In N. G. Haring & R. L. Schiefelbusch (Eds.), Teaching special children (pp. 31-71). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Williams, G. J., Haring, N. G., White, O. R., Rudsit, J. G., & Cohen, J. (1990). Early identification and remediation of learning problems: The PIRL project. Teaching Exceptional Children, 22(3), 58-61.

Yopp, H. K. (1988). The validity and reliability of phonemic awareness tests. Reading Research Quarterly, 23(2), 159- 177.

Zeno, S. M., Ivens, S. H., Millard, R. T., & Duvvuri, R. (1995). The educator’s word frequency guide. New York: Touchstone Applied Science Associates.