What is a Diagnostic Reading Assessment?

The Diagnostic Reading Assessment is administered on an individual basis to young students and adults alike. The Diagnostic Reading Assessment is untimed and approximately 40 minutes long. The diagnostic accuracy of the test is founded upon the expertise of reading clinicians and specialist who have the right credentials and training to identify where deficiencies in these key areas lie. The diagnostic test is administered in an ungraded design, with both scoring and administration occurring at the same time.

The aim of the assessment is to determine what the taker’s primary strengths and weaknesses are in nine key reading areas. No matter what the age of the test-taker is, this test can be a reliable way to examine where the biggest areas for improvement are in individuals’ reading comprehension skills.

Some of the key areas that the comprehension test examines are literary analysis, phonological detection, word recognition, oral reading accuracy and general fluency. Through the collaboration of multiple specialists, both adult-oriented and child-focused reading programs alike can formulate the right kind of reading skill education to facilitate better literacy education paradigms.

Addressing Undiagnosed Reading Issues

While there are many students who have marginal room for improvement in terms of the accuracy of their grammar, certain students may have a more pronounced need than others to have their unknown problem areas targeted. This comprehensive examination can be useful for helping students who may not have the most overtly apparent reading skill problem areas proactively addressed.

By proactively identifying students who have difficulties in any one of the key areas, teachers are better able to ensure that all members of the class are able to stay on the same page in terms of their progression through the course. In the event that certain target area challenges can’t be addressed at the same pace as other students, and special accommodations can be made in a timely manner.

Individualized And Group-Based Attention

Different students who share similar key reading area challenges can be put into special groups that are designed for the purpose of helping them break through these challenges in an organized fashion, simultaneously giving them social support through cooperation with other students who share their challenges.

Whether the student is being held in a group setting or on a one-on-one basis, the program can be both personalized and individualized to meet the specific needs of those that it helps make it through their particular key reading areas with better support. This diagnostic assessment makes accommodations not only for those who have challenges with specific key reading areas, but also those who may have different challenges related to their general learning abilities.

Students with learning disabilities or attention control challenges can be met with the same level of care as those who are more well-adjusted in areas outside of their key reading skills. In addition to making accommodations for participants who are involved in formal Adult Literacy Programs, this diagnostic test also takes heed of individuals who are in Title 1 reading proficiency programs.