My school is on the way to understanding the Science of Reading. What assessment to you recommend that is in line with this?

There is no one assessment that will assess everything relating to the five areas of reading.

Teachers must always consider what they are assessing and why they are assessing. We must also get out of our heads that matching a child to a number (as in PM benchmarking) doesn’t actually tell us anything about a student’s reading ability.

It is important to assess the parts (phonological awareness, phonics, fluency and vocabulary) as well as assessing the whole (putting the parts together to achieve reading comprehension).  Therefore, teachers need to understanding the parts. They need to know what and who needs to be assessed when. Utilise formative assessments including checklists, progression markers and observations.

See also:

How does the PM or F&P benchmark fit into the Science of Reading?

What can you suggest as an alternative to a PM benchmark? It is currently a whole school expectation to benchmark K-6

What are your opinions on PM Benchmarking and PROBE as reading assessments?

Relevant Related Content

Primary Reading Pledge: https://fivefromfive.com.au/primary-reading-pledge/

Macquarie University MOTIf home tests: https://www.motif.org.au/home/tests

2021 Term 3 Live Q&A video clip: