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!
Label the back of each of the word lists with their corresponding grade level so they will be easy to identify later.
In the charts below, mark a check for every word she pronounces correctly without your help.
Stop the test when she misses 3 words in a particular level.
Where possible, determine a student’s Frustration, Instructional, and Independent Levels.
Thus, each student will likely have a Frustration level, an Instructional level, and an Independent Level.
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:
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 | |
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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 | |
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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 | |
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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 | |
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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 |