Free Phonics Assessment for Beginning and Struggling Readers

Have your child or student read the sentences on the assessment pages out loud to you. Each page corresponds to a phonics rule, presented in sequential order.

If the child makes more than three mistakes on a page, that phonics rule needs to be reinforced or taught. If the child does not know a rule at all, it will usually be obvious.

Use the results to decide where to begin. A child who misses short-vowel words needs a different starting point than a child who reads short vowels but has trouble with blends, digraphs, or long vowels.

How to use the assessment results

• If your child does not know short vowels, work in Steps to Reading Short Vowels.
• If your child does not know blends, work in Steps to Reading Blends.
• If your child does not know digraphs, work in Steps to Reading Digraphs.
• If your child does not know long vowels, work in Steps to Reading Long Vowels.