Instruments
English Language Arts
Reading is a complex skill comprising several interconnected sub-skills. Development follows a somewhat predictable sequence that begins with pre-language skills in infancy and extends into complex text interpretation and meaning-making skills, which continue to develop through adulthood. The CCSS offers one potential learning progression for Reading. EdInstruments has adopted Common Core’s English Language Arts standards framework by including Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language as domains within this category.
CCSS believes that students who are able to successfully meet the English Language Arts standards should possess the following general abilities as well:
- Demonstrate independence
- Build strong content knowledge
- Respond to varying demands of audience, task, purpose and discipline
- Comprehend as well as critique
- Value evidence
- Use technology and digital media strategically and capably
- Come to understand other perspectives and cultures
If you would like to learn more about CCSS in English Language Arts or grade-level specific standards, please visit the Common Core website.
Choosing the Right Measurement Tool
English Language Arts assessments can serve a range of purposes for researchers and practitioners. These uses may include individual diagnostics, universal screening, progress monitoring, accountability, academic research, and/or evaluation, among others. As such, content coverage of a given assessment will vary depending on its intended purpose and use. Users should carefully consider their needs and ensure alignment with the intended purpose of the assessment, as well as the appropriate grade-level learning objectives.
Abecedarian Reading Assessment
The Abecedarian Reading Assessment is a comprehensive test that covers the 6 essential domains for reading. The test consists of the decoding, vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, phoneme awareness, and knowledge of the alphabetic principle subtests.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Academic Competence Evaluation Scales (ACES)
The Academic Competence Evaluation Scales (ACES) are questionnaires evaluating social, behavioral, and academic skills related to learning in school. Specifically, ACES measures academic skills in reading, language, mathematics, and critical thinking as well as academic enablers such as motivation, interpersonal skills, engagement, and study skills.
ACES has three versions: ACES-Teacher Form (ACES-TF), ACES-Student Form (ACES-SF), and ACES-College Form (ACES-CF). ACES-TF is for grades K-12 and consists of 73 items using a 5-point Likert scale. ACES-SF is for grades 6-12 and consists of 68 items. The ACES-CF is for students enrolled in colleges or technical schools and consists of 66 items.
As of 2022, ACES-2 is in the process of development and validation, see more details here.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts, Math
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
aimswebPlus Reading
The aimswebPlus reading subtests screen and monitor the reading skills of PreK–12 students. aimswebPlus also has add-on screeners for behavior and dyslexia.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Bader Reading and Language Inventory (BRLI)
The BADER Reading and Language Inventory was constructed for use by teachers of K–12 and adult students to determine students' literacy levels, plan instruction, and make referrals to appropriate specialists. Portions of this test can also be used for quick screening or initial placement for students.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
BRIGANCE Inventory of Early Development (IED) III - ELA
The Inventory of Early Development III (IED III) is a comprehensive tool that contains over 100 assessments (including literacy assessments) that are aligned to state and national standards as well as IDEA requirements. The tool can be used to provide ongoing assessment, monitor progress, and write IEPs for students from birth to grade 8. The IED III offers both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced measures.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: < 3 Years, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing, Second Edition (CTOPP-2)
The Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing Second Edition (CTOPP-2) is an assessment that focuses on measuring the phonological processing abilities of students grades PreK-12. The CTOPP-2 contains several composites: phonological awareness, phonological memory, rapid symbolic naming, rapid non-symbolic naming, and alternate phonological awareness.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) 8th Edition
The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) 8th Edition is an assessment that can be used for benchmark screening and monitoring growth of students in grades K-8.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K:2011) Reading Assessments
The ECLS-K:2011 is a longitudinal study, with the same children followed from kindergarten through the fifth grade. The direct cognitive assessments were designed to measure children's knowledge and skills, as well as track their academic growth in different subject areas. Among these subjects included reading.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade
Early Reading Assessment (ERA)
The Early Reading Assessment (ERA) is an assessment for children in grades K-2 that helps educators identify students with delays in reading abilities. Teachers, special educators, speech pathologists, and school psychologists can administer the test. The ERA, which takes 10-15 minutes to complete, contains the written word vocabulary, rapid orthographic naming, and silent orthographic efficiency core subtests that combine to create the Early Reading Index.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade
FastBridge aReading
aReading, or Adaptive Reading, is an assessment that measures the reading skills of students grades K-12. The test can be used to screen and identify students at risk for academic delays, but is not meant for progress monitoring. aReading is computer adaptive and contains both multiple choice and open response questions.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
FastBridge CBMreading
FastBridge CBMreading is an assessment that can be used for screening and monitoring the progress of students in grades 1-12. CBMreading is an index of word reading efficiency, and can be administered in one minute per assessment. The test can be used up to five times per year to screen students and is available in both English and Spanish.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
FastBridge earlyReading
The earlyReading assessment is used to monitor the progress of and screen students in grades PreK-1 but can be administered to students up to grade 3. The earlyReading tool can be used up to five times per year to screen students, and is available in both English and Spanish.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests, 4th Edition (GMRT-4)
GMRT-4 measures overall reading achievement spanning each important stage along the reading continuum—from oral language to mature reading comprehension. The underlying foundation of GMRT is that it is useful for teachers and schools to know the general level of reading achievement of individual students throughout their entire school careers.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Gray Oral Reading Test | Fifth Edition (GORT-5)
The GORT-5 is an individually administered assessment of oral reading sold by Pearson.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE)
The GRADE (Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation) is a reading assessment for students from grade PreK to adult. For grades PreK-3, the diagnostic test measures reading skills that are consistent with the National Reading Panel and Reading First. The GRADE can be used with an RTI program to identify strengths and weaknesses and to track student growth.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
HMH Reading Inventory
The HMH Reading Inventory, an adaptive test of reading comprehension developed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), consists of two subtests: the Foundational Reading Assessment and the Reading Comprehension Assessment.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Iowa Assessments - ELA
The Iowa Assessments replaced the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and Iowa Test of Educational Development (ITED) in 2011-2012 to align with the Iowa Common Core Standards. The assessment can be administered to students in grades K-12 and can be used for monitoring student growth, making relative comparisons, predicting future performance, and identifying students who may need intervention. The Iowa Assessments measure students' abilities in reading, language, mathematics, social studies, and science.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
i-Ready - ELA
i-Ready is a system that provides assessments to identify strengths and weaknesses of students in grades K-8. i-Ready offers a Diagnostic test that adapts to student responses and measures skills that fall below and above the student's grade level. The Standards Mastery test assesses grade level standards and helps educators measure and monitor growth for each student.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
ISIP Reading
ISIP is a computer administered assessment of reading ability. ISIP Early Reading is inteded for use with children in grades K-3 and can be administered to an entire classroom in a 30 minute time frame. ISIP Advanced Reading is meant to be used with students grades 4-8 and can also be administered to an entire class in a 30 miniute time frame.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth - Reading
MAP Growth is a comprehensive assessment that focuses on tracking the growth of students in grades K-12 through the school year. The computer adaptive assessment is aligned with the Common Core State Standards generates a personalized assessment to measure student growth.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Reading Fluency
MAP Reading Fluency is an assessment for students in grades K-5 that tests their reading fluency, comprehension, and foundational skills.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test | Fifth Edition (PPVT-5)
The PPVT-5 is an individually administered measure of receptive vocabulary based on words in Standard American English sold by Pearson.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Phonological and Print Awareness Scale (PPA Scale)
The PPA scale is an individually administered assessment of phonological and print awareness. The examiner reads items from an easel stimulus book, and the examinee provides nonverbal responses.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS)
The Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) is a tool that focuses on fundamental literacy skills. The assessment offers instruments for PreK-3, with a Spanish version available as well. PALS is the state-provided screening assessment for Virginia's Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI). PALS Plus can be used for grades 4-8.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
Predictive Assessment of Reading (PAR)
The Predictive Assessment of Reading (PAR) can be used to measure a student's reading level, identify skills in need of intervention, monitor progress, and predict future reading achievement. The assessment contains four reading subtests that can be administered to special needs, gifted, ELL students, and developing students in grades PreK-3.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
ReadBasix
ReadBasix is a web-administered reading assessment for students in grades 3–12. ReadBasix measures foundational reading skills including word recognition & decoding, vocabulary, sentence processing, reading efficiency, and other skills involved in reading comprehension via separate subtests. The assessment has multiple forms and is vertically scaled, allowing it to be used for progress monitoring, measuring student growth, or detecting changes in reading as a result of intervention.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Stanford Achievement Test-Tenth Edition (SAT10): ELA
The SAT10 reading subtests are specifically aligned with IRA/NCTE standards, state standards, and the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). The standardized assessment can help monitor students' progress and also identify strengths and areas in need of support for placement and instructional planning. The test is sold only to accredited schools and districts. Aprenda-3 is the Spanish version that allows educators to test Spanish-speaking students in their native language.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Star Early Literacy
Star Early Literacy is a comprehensive assessment that quickly measures early literacy and numeracy skills for students in grades K-3. It allows educators to identify strengths and weaknesses, set goals for students, and identify students who are not on grade-level. Star Early Literacy offers assessments in both English and Spanish and is computer adaptive.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Star Reading
Star Reading is a comprehensive assessment that guides literacy growth for K-12 students. This progress-monitoring and screening assessment helps teachers and educators measure student performance on state standards within a short amount of time. STAR Reading offers assessments in both English and Spanish and are computer adaptive.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
TerraNova3 - Reading
TerraNova 3 reading assessments are designed to measure important higher order thinking skills as well as basic and applied skills. These assessments include norm-referenced achievement scores, criterion-referenced objective mastery scores, and performance-level information.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Test of Early Reading Ability-Fourth Edition (TERA-4)
The TERA-4 is an individually administered assessment of early reading mastery.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Test of Reading Comprehension - Fourth Edition (TORC-4)
The TORC-4 assesses students' silent reading comprehension. It can be used to identify students in need of targeted reading intervention, monitor student progress, and serve as a research tool. The assessment measures word identification and contextual meaning across five subtests for students in grades 1-12.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Test of Silent Contextual Reading Fluency-Second Edition (TOSCRF-2)
The TOSCRF-2 is an assessment of reading comprehension and general reading ability.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (TOSREC)
The TOSREC is a test of silent reading efficiency and comprehension designed for screening and progress monitoring.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency-Second Edition (TOSWRF-2)
The TOSWRF-2 is an assessment designed to measure the ability to recognize printed words accurately and efficiently.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI)
TPRI was created to assesses student progress in critical reading domains, including phonemic awareness, graphophonemic knowledge, word reading, comprehension, accuracy, and fluency.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Fourth Edition (WIAT-4) - ELA
WIAT-4 is an achievement test that can be used in a multitude of settings by a wide range of professionals. It assesses individual's academic achievement (or ability to apply cognitive skills and learned knowledge to grade-level expectations) in reading, math, and written and oral language. It can also be used to support diagnoses of specific learning disabilities, academic program placement, and Dyslexia screening and evaluation.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Wide Range Achievement Test, Fifth Edition (WRAT5) - Reading
The Wide Range Achievement Test Fifth Edition (WRAT5) assess students in several areas including reading and spelling, as well as assessment of math skills. These assessments can also be used to identify possible learning disabilities.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary
Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests | Third Edition (WRMT-III)
The WRMT-III are individually administered assessments of reading readiness and reading achievement.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Woodcock-Johnson IV - ELA
The Woodcock-Johnson IV contains three co-normed batteries that measure strengths and weaknesses and diagnose learning abilities. The WJ IV is an individually-administered comprehensive assessment suite that can identify patterns of strength and weaknesses in cognitive, language, and academic abilities. In addition to oral language, reading, and writing, the WJ IV also assesses mathematics.
Category: Academic Knowledge and Skills
Sub-Category: English Language Arts
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, Post secondary