A reader's ability to use knowledge of sound-spelling correspondences to decode words is a necessary skill to develop as a reader. The SD36 Phonics Survey is a detailed assessment tool to help teachers gain an understanding of what phonics skills children have already mastered while pointing to phonics skills children are in need of systematic, explicit instruction and additional practice. This survey is adapted from the CORE phonics survey, and aligned with the scope and sequence offered HERE.
This phonics survey assesses the phonics and phonics-related skills that have a high rate of application in beginning reading. The survey presents a number of lists of letters and words for the student to identify and decode. Pseudo-words, or made-up words, are included since the student must use decoding skills to correctly pronounce these words and will not have memorized them.
The information gathered through the phonics survey can support educator decision-making around small-group instruction, aligning decodable texts, and specific phonics knowledge to target during instruction and practice.
The SD36 Phonics Survey contains:
- a summary page to monitor skills mastered (proficient) and areas for teaching
- teacher-facing pages with instructions for administering each section of the tool and clearly labelled skills being assessed
- student-facing pages containing the assessment items
Download the entire survey package below. (May 2023 version)
SD36 Phonics Survey Complete Package May2023.pdf
