Diagnostic Directions During Administration

Read the following paragraph to your student before selecting Begin Test on your device:

All Categories Except Contractions:

"I want you to read some words to me. These are not real words, they are ALL made-up words. I want you to try your best to read each made-up word. You will see a set of words on each screen. Start with the first word and read down the list. Be sure to do your best reading. Any questions? Look at your screen to see the first list. Please begin."

Contractions

"I want you to read some words to me. These are ALL real words. I want you to try your best to read each word. You will see a set of words on each screen. Start with the first word and read down the list. Be sure to do your best reading. Any questions? Look at your screen to see the first list. Please begin."

Scoring

Score only the first response (no self corrections). Must be read as a whole word. Errors must be scored at the letter(s) level.

Correct

• The student must read it as a whole word and NOT sound-by-sound.
• If the student reads it first as a whole word and then sound-by-sound it is marked Correct. Say: "Only read it as a whole word and not sound-by-sound" (as often as needed).
• All sounds in the word must be correct to be scored correct.

Errors

• Mispronunciations, substitutions, or reversals.
• Omitted or skipped sounds.
• Additional sounds.
• Reading sound-by-sound OR sound-by-sound then whole word (use the orange category to mark the word as being sounded out). Say: "Try to read the next word as a whole word and not sound-by-sound" (as often as needed).
• Hesitations with or without a response: wait 3 seconds, mark at least one sound wrong (do not provide the word), and prompt the student to read the next word. Say: "Try the next word" (as often as needed).
• If it is the last word on the screen and the student does not respond within 3 seconds, mark at least one sound wrong and select Next. If the student does not start reading, say: "Try these words."

Skips

• Omitted or skipped words are marked Skip (i.e., no attempt is made to read the word).
• All skipped words will reappear at the end for a second opportunity.
• Omitted or skipped sounds in words are marked as Errors.

Considerations and Prompts

• Students are not penalized for dialect or speech sound production errors.
• Only the first response is scored (no self-corrections allowed).
• If the student is reading too fast, say "It is more important to read it right than to read it fast" (as often as needed).
• If the student reads it first as a whole word and then sound-by-sound, mark it Correct and say "Only read it as a whole word and not sound-by-sound" (as often as needed).
• If the student reads a word sound-by-sound and then reads the whole word correctly, mark it as sounded out using the orange scoring category. Say "Try to read the next word as a whole word and not sound-by-sound" (as often as needed).
• If the student reads the word sound-by-sound or reads it sound-by-sound and then reads the whole word, mark it Incorrect and remind the student not to sound out the word.  Say "Try to read the next word as a whole word and not sound-by-sound" (as often as needed).
• For hesitations with or without a response, wait 3 seconds. Mark Incorrect (do not provide the word), and say "Try the next word" (as often as needed).