The San Diego Quick Assessment (SDQA) is a quick, one-on-one reading test that takes 3 to 5 minutes to complete. It estimates a student’s reading grade level by measuring their sight vocabulary and decoding skills using word recognition out of context.

• Format: Uses graded word lists from Pre-Primer up to grade 11 (with 10 words per level).

• Time: Takes about 3 to 5 minutes to complete.

• Goal: Identifies sight vocabulary and decoding skills without relying on contextual clues.

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.

Because the SDQA’s norms are older, we don’t recommend treating the resulting “grade level” as a precise modern standardized score. We use it as a quick estimate of word-identification ability and a potential proxy for overall reading achievement amidst a broader reading assessment.

The San Diego Quick Assessment (SDQA) 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:  

1. 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 

2. decoding strategies, how sound-symbol relationships are used to read a word.

Listen in as Jennifer Nowicki, Reading Simplified’s Content Expert and Literacy Specialist, explains tips for using this remarkably simple tool!