Digging Deeper with Nonsense Word Assessments

Nonsense Word assessments can be a highly effective screener when identifying students on the spectrum (that's right spectrum) of dyslexia. Timed assessments enable teachers to more clearly identify students that may struggle in reading.

Why timed? I get this question a lot and the answer is simple. We need to know how automatic students are applying decoding skills. The more automatic, the faster the rate....the faster the rate, the more successful the comprehension....YES it all comes back to reading comprehension.

So why Nonsense Words? It strips away context and prevents students who are adept at "word calling" from avoiding using their phonics skills.

But there is more! After we give the assessments we have to analyze the results. This is where we make the connection between assessment and instruction. In order to make meaningful instructional decisions, then we need to properly evaluate students' performance on assessments. Here are some tips and questions to help you dig deeper:

Follow me @simply_for_teachers on IG for more tips and resources.

Thank You!

Kristin

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