San Diego Quick Assessment
A Word Identification Test
About the Assessment
Are you in need of a useful, reliable, and accurate measure to pinpoint a student's overall reading ability?
Then this article about the San Diego Quick Assessment is just the thing! The norm-referenced San Diego Quick Assessment has been used by teachers, tutors, and parents for decades to quickly ascertain a student’s grade level. One can use the Assessment both to inform instruction and to serve as a first-step screening tool.
Even though it's from 1969, this public domain, norm-referenced assessment is still fairly accurate for today's readers! The San Diego Quick Assessment measures a student’s recognition of words in a list format. Generally, proficient readers read as accurately both in and out of context. Given that word recognition is highly related to reading achievement, this quick measure can serve as a handy proxy for overall reading achievement.
Word recognition tests identify strengths and needs in two areas:
sight vocabulary, the set of words that a child can immediately recognize without the use of decoding strategies because they have been orthographically mapped, and
decoding strategies, how sound-symbol relationships are used to read a word.
Listen in as Jennifer Nowicki, Reading Simplified’s Content Manager and Literacy Specialist, explains tips for using this remarkably simple tool!
- Print or copy the word lists below (or request a PDF version from us on this page).
- Begin with a list that is 2 or 3 grades below her current grade level. (Or begin with Pre-Primer for K students.)
- Show your student(s) only one list at a time so she won’t get overwhelmed.
- Ask her to read the words if she can. (If she's not sure, encourage her to attempt the word: then record her misreading so you have more data about her approach to attacking unknown words.)
Tip:
Label the back of each of the word lists with their corresponding grade level so they will be easy to identify later.
Scoring the Assessment
In the charts below, mark a check for every word she pronounces correctly without your help.
- If she corrects herself after about 5 seconds or less, score it as correct.
- If she pauses for longer than 8 seconds before reading the word, say, “Please try the next one.”
Stop the test when she misses 3 words in a particular level.
About Scoring:
Where possible, determine a student’s Frustration, Instructional, and Independent Levels.
- Frustration = 3 errors ____________________ Level
- Instructional = 2 errors ____________________ Level
- Independent = 1 error ____________________ Level
Thus, each student will likely have a Frustration level, an Instructional level, and an Independent Level.
How to Apply the Assessment
We use the San Diego Quick Assessment as part of a streamlined system to quickly diagnose, group, and instruct students of all ages. This data–along with our Reading Simplified Snapshot Informal Assessment and a measure of oral reading fluency (for those above the mid-1st grade reading level)–help us differentiate for individual learners or small groups to:
- Choose a Reading Simplified Streamlined Pathway,
- Select a graded text passage to get a fluency reading rate and/or authentic texts for students to read during lessons, and
- Jump right into efficient, effective instruction with our 3-component lesson for any age learner who still needs a stronger foundation in sound-based decoding and fluency!
You’ll find more information about assessment on our website at the following links:
see
play
me
at
run
go
and
look
can
here
| Pre-Primer | |
|---|---|
| see | |
| play | |
| me | |
| at | |
| run | |
| go | |
| and | |
| look | |
| can | |
| here |
you
come
not
with
jump
help
is
work
are
this
| Primer | |
|---|---|
| you | |
| come | |
| not | |
| with | |
| jump | |
| help | |
| is | |
| work | |
| are | |
| this |
road
live
thank
when
bigger
how
always
night
spring
today
| First | |
|---|---|
| road | |
| live | |
| thank | |
| when | |
| bigger | |
| how | |
| always | |
| night | |
| spring | |
| today |
our
please
myself
town
early
send
wide
believe
quietly
carefully
| Second | |
|---|---|
| our | |
| please | |
| myself | |
| town | |
| early | |
| send | |
| wide | |
| believe | |
| quietly | |
| carefully |
city
middle
moment
frightened
exclaimed
several
lonely
drew
since
straight
| Third | |
|---|---|
| city | |
| middle | |
| moment | |
| frightened | |
| exclaimed | |
| several | |
| lonely | |
| drew | |
| since | |
| straight |
decided
served
amazed
silent
wrecked
improved
certainly
entered
realized
interrupted
| Fourth | |
|---|---|
| decided | |
| served | |
| amazed | |
| silent | |
| wrecked | |
| improved | |
| certainly | |
| entered | |
| realized | |
| interrupted |
scanty
business
develop
considered
discussed
behaved
splendid
acquainted
escaped
grim
| Fifth | |
|---|---|
| scanty | |
| business | |
| develop | |
| considered | |
| discussed | |
| behaved | |
| splendid | |
| acquainted | |
| escaped | |
| grim |
bridge
commercial
abolish
trucker
apparatus
elementary
comment
necessity
gallery
relativity
| Sixth | |
|---|---|
| bridge | |
| commercial | |
| abolish | |
| trucker | |
| apparatus | |
| elementary | |
| comment | |
| necessity | |
| gallery | |
| relativity |
amber
dominion
sundry
capillary
impetuous
blight
wrest
enumerate
daunted
condescend
| Seventh | |
|---|---|
| amber | |
| dominion | |
| sundry | |
| capillary | |
| impetuous | |
| blight | |
| wrest | |
| enumerate | |
| daunted | |
| condescend |
capacious
limitation
pretext
intrigue
delusion
immaculate
ascent
acrid
binocular
embankment
| Eighth | |
|---|---|
| capacious | |
| limitation | |
| pretext | |
| intrigue | |
| delusion | |
| immaculate | |
| ascent | |
| acrid | |
| binocular | |
| embankment |
conscientious
isolation
molecule
ritual
momentous
vulnerable
kinship
conservatism
jaunty
inventive
| Ninth | |
|---|---|
| conscientious | |
| isolation | |
| molecule | |
| ritual | |
| momentous | |
| vulnerable | |
| kinship | |
| conservatism | |
| jaunty | |
| inventive |
zany
jerkin
nausea
gratuitous
linear
inept
legality
aspen
amnesty
barometer
| Tenth | |
|---|---|
| zany | |
| jerkin | |
| nausea | |
| gratuitous | |
| linear | |
| inept | |
| legality | |
| aspen | |
| amnesty | |
| barometer |
galore
rotunda
capitalism
prevaricate
visible
exonerate
superannuate
luxuriate
piebald
crunch
| Eleventh | |
|---|---|
| galore | |
| rotunda | |
| capitalism | |
| prevaricate | |
| visible | |
| exonerate | |
| superannuate | |
| luxuriate | |
| piebald | |
| crunch |
