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Instructional Reading Assessments

Assessment Overview

At Reading with Ms. Joy, all assessments are tailored to support each student’s individual reading journey. I use a variety of informal and formal educational screeners to help identify skill gaps, monitor progress, and inform instruction. These tools are designed to support lesson planning and track student growth in areas such as phonological awareness, decoding, and spelling.

Some assessments are included at no additional cost, while others may involve a small fee depending on the student’s needs and the tools required.

⚠️ Please note: These assessments are not formal diagnostic evaluations and do not provide a diagnosis of dyslexia or any other learning difference. They are strictly used for instructional planning and do not replace psychoeducational or neuropsychological evaluations provided by licensed professionals.

My goal is to make effective literacy support accessible and affordable, while empowering families with the information they need to support their child’s learning. I look forward to partnering with you on this personalized learning journey!

The reading abilities of young people in the same grade at school can vary just as much as their shoe sizes. Each student brings different skills, backgrounds, and motivations to the act of reading.

Type: Assessment

Purpose:  Evaluates a student’s proficiency in letter names, letter sounds, and word-level decoding, guiding phonics instruction effectively.

Type: Assessment

Purpose:  Explores an individual’s knowledge of phonemes and single-word coding.

Type: Assessment

Purpose:  Challenges students to decode words with progressively complex phonic elements.

Type: Screener

Purpose: The QPS helps determine which key phonics skills a student knows well or still needs to learn. 

Results from the QPS CANNOT be used to determine a student’s grade-level performance in reading, only their strengths/needs in key phonics skills.

Mastery level is at least 90%.

Type: Screener

Purpose:  Identifies strengths and weaknesses related to decoding and encoding.

Purpose: The Grade-Level Reading Assessment  is a foundational test designed to estimate a child’s reading grade- level/ability. 

 

Purpose:  Assess students’ guided reading levels to estimate Lexile scores and select instructional reading materials. Pairing leveled readers with decodable books offers a balanced approach to reading practice for students.

Administering a qualitative spelling screener is an effective and reliable method for identifying a student’s instructional needs. These screeners evaluate the student's ability to spell common phoneme-grapheme correspondences and orthographic patterns. I use a Basic Spelling Screener for lower elementary grades and an Advanced Spelling Screener for grades 3 and up. Please note that there is a nominal fee for these spelling screenings.

 

Type: Screener

Purpose:  Assesses phonological awareness for 2nd-grade students and above.

C.L.O.V.E.R.- Syllable Screener

Screening is available exclusively on Fridays

Documentation provided:  Each screener includes a printable score card and a concise report to help interpret results and guide instruction.

C.L.O.V.E.R. is the name of the screener and a mnemonic representing the six syllable types. The screener, developed by Reading with Ms. Joy, uses over 100 carefully selected real and nonsense words to evaluate students’ mastery of these foundational patterns. While the word list is original, the screener is informed by Smartt & Glaser’s (2010) evidence-based framework—a structured literacy model that emphasizes explicit instruction in syllable types, systematic practice, and effective decoding strategies.

Research shows that knowledge of these six syllable types enables readers to decode approximately 85% of English words (Reading Rockets, 2023). The word list focuses on regular sound–letter correspondences, which make up about 75–85% of the English writing system, as described by researchers like Louisa Moats. Irregular or ambiguous spellings are intentionally excluded to keep the focus on essential decoding skills.

The screener measures decoding accuracy using both real and nonsense words. Nonsense words ensure students rely on decoding skills rather than memory or guessing. It does not assess reading speed or fluency.

The score card includes a proprietary scoring system that provides percentile rankings by syllable type, helping identify which patterns may need more targeted support. Developed by Reading with Ms. Joy, this system offers clear, actionable feedback to inform instruction.

The importance of syllable type instruction is supported by major education organizations, including the National Education Association (NEA) and the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), which highlight the role of syllable types in effective reading instruction.

For more information, visit the IDA resource:
Effective Reading Instruction for Students with Dyslexia — International Dyslexia Association

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Screening Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy

Please be mindful of your appointment and cancel only if absolutely necessary. Each booking is a commitment to attend the session.

  • Within 24 Hours: No refunds for cancellations made within 24 hours of the session.
  • Within 48 Hours: You may reschedule for another day. Please contact me to arrange a new date.

Why This Policy Matters:  No-shows and late cancellations block time that could be used for other clients. Your commitment to your scheduled screening helps me manage resources and serve everyone effectively.

 

Thank you for your understanding.

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