Online Structured Literacy Approach for Children with Reading Challenges, Including Dyslexia

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Instructional Reading Assessments

Assessment Overview

Reading with Ms. Joy administers a variety of informal educational screeners and assessments. In general, these are used to support placement, guide core instruction, monitor progress, and provide formative reading checks to share with families when needed.

These tools focus on areas such as phonological awareness, decoding, and spelling. Not every screener or assessment is used with every student.

⚠️ 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

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  • About CLOVER: C.L.O.V.E.R. is a well-known mnemonic for the six syllable types used in structured literacy. Reading with Ms. Joy compiled a screener of over 100 real and nonsense words to assess mastery of these patterns, along with a proprietary scorecard to report results. This approach is informed by Smartt & Glaser’s (2010) structured literacy framework, which emphasizes explicit, systematic instruction in syllable types and decoding.
  • What it measures: Decoding ability across the six syllable types, like a temperature reading; a high error count shows exactly where to focus. It’s not a diagnosis; it’s a precise, actionable snapshot of where to start.
  • What’s included: A printable scorecard and a concise report to guide instruction.
  • Why syllable types matter: Knowledge of the six syllable types helps readers decode most English words, since regular sound-letter patterns make up the large majority of English spelling (Moats). Irregular spellings are intentionally excluded to keep the focus on core decoding skills.
  • How it works: Real and nonsense words measure decoding accuracy; nonsense words ensure students are decoding, not guessing from memory. It does not measure speed or fluency.
  • Scoring: Reading with Ms. Joy’s proprietary scorecard reports accuracy by syllable type to pinpoint where support is needed most.
  • Recognized approach: Syllable type instruction is recognized by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) as part of effective reading instruction. Learn more from IDA

Read more about CLOVER

© 2024 Reading with Ms. Joy. All Rights Reserved. The word list compilation and scorecard are proprietary to Reading with Ms. Joy and may not be reproduced, adapted, or used without written permission.

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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