There are two general types of reading assessment: assessment that provides general information about the skill level of a student and assessment that provides specific detail about reading strengths and weaknesses. There are many good assessment materials available. The choice of tests and materials should be guided by what use will be made of the information.

If a comprehensive developmental reading program is involved, one that involves two or more teachers a test/reading program might be chosen. If an individual secondary teacher, with little reading experience, launches a program that teacher might also select a test/reading program. In both cases training and support should accompany the instillation of a program from the program’s publisher or the school district.

If the purpose of assessment is to determine how a student fits in a content area class an assessment of general reading level including general vocabulary level will be a place to start. Next, the teacher, through teacher-based assessment, will need to determine the specific reading skills required in the class, the match between demand and individual student skills, and strategies by which a student with low skills can be assisted to achieve within the class.

Teachers who are knowledgeable and skillful in reading assessment and instruction can choose a diagnostic assessment that assists them tailor a program to meet specific student needs. The program should involve the good practices suggested earlier and described in Curtis & Longo (1999).

It is important that participants have “hands-on” experiences with assessment materials throughout this module. When participants actually try different test they come to appreciate the variety of ways that publishers assess different reading elements. Participants can also appreciate that different publishers use different strategies to test the same reading element and their results may tap different student skills.

1. Woodcock Diagnostic Reading Battery (Riverside Publishing),
2. Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (Psychological Corporation)
3. Test of Reading Comprehension (TORC-3, pro-ed),
4. Diagnostic Assessment of Reading with Trial Teaching Strategies (Riverside Publishing Co.),
5. Wide Range Achievement Test (widerange.com),
6. Lexia Quick Reading Test (Lexia Learning Systems, Inc.),
7. STAR Reading Test (10 minute computer test—Renaissance Learning).