San Diego Quick Assessment1

The San Diego Quick Assessment is very quick word list test that a teacher can use to tentatively identify a student’s current independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels to help select text of appropriate level for guided or directed reading and to encourage a student to read independently.  Administering the Test  1. Hand the student the Student’s Copy of the test and ask him to read aloud each word from a list at least two years below his grade. If the student misses any words, go to easier lists until they make no errors. This is the student’s base reading level.  2. Ask the student to read each word in a list in sequence. Write phonetically what the student says for each word he misreads. Be sure to have the student read every word so you can assess his decoding strategies.  3. Stop the assessment on the list at which the student misses at least three words.  Scoring the Test  Identify the student's independent reading level as the grade level of the list on which he misreads one or fewer words.  Identify the student's instructional reading level as the grade level of the list on which he misreads two words.  Identify the student's frustration reading level as the grade level of the list on which he misreads three words. 

1 This copy of the San Diego Quick Assessment was retrieved from 

http://content.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/b/building_fluency_checkup.pdf, September 11, 2009. The original source is La Pray, Margaret and Ramon Ross. (1969). The Graded Word List: Quick Gauge of Reading Ability. Journal of Reading, 12(4), 305‐307. 

Teacher’s Copy

Preprimer

see

play

me

at

run

go

and

look

can

here

Primer

you

come

not

with

jump

help

is

work

are

this

Grade 1

road

live

thank

when

bigger

how

always

night

spring

today

Grade 2

our

please

myself

town

early

send

wide

believe

quietly

carefully

Grade 3

city

middle

moment

frightened

exclaimed

several

lonely

drew

since

straight

Grade 4

decided

served

amazed

silent

wrecked

improved

certainly

entered

realized

interrupted

Grade 5

scanty

business

develop

considered

discussed

behaved

splendid

acquainted

escaped

grim

Grade 6

bridge

commercial

abolish

trucker

apparatus

elementary

comment

necessity

gallery

relativity

Grade 7

amber

dominion

sundry

capillary

impetuous

blight

wrest

enumerate

daunted

condescend

Grade 8

capacious

limitation

pretext

intrigue

delusion

immaculate

ascent

acrid

binocular

embankment

Grade 9

conscientious

isolation

molecule

ritual

momentous

vulnerable

kinship

conservatism

jaunty

inventive

Grade 10

zany

jerkin

nausea

gratuitous

linear

inept

legality

aspen

amnesty

barometer

Grade 11

galore

rotunda

capitalism

amnesty

risible

exonerate

superannuate

luxuriate

piebald

crunch

Student’s Copy

PP see play me at run go and look can here

P you come not with jump help is work are this

II road live thank when bigger how always night spring today

II our please myself town early send wide believe quietly carefully

III city middle moment frightened exclaimed several lonely drew since straight

IV decided served amazed silent wrecked improved certainly entered realized interrupted

V scanty business develop considered discussed behaved splendid acquainted escaped grim

VI bridge commercial abolish trucker apparatus elementary comment necessity gallery relativity

VII amber dominion sundry capillary impetuous blight wrest enumerate daunted condescend

VIII capacious limitation pretext intrigue delusion immaculate ascent acrid binocular embankment

IX conscientious isolation molecule ritual momentous vulnerable kinship conservatism jaunty inventive

X zany jerkin nausea gratuitous linear inept legality aspen amnesty barometer

XI galore rotunda capitalism amnesty risible exonerate superannuate luxuriate piebald crunch