Education is a journey, and every student embarks on this journey with unique strengths and challenges. To ensure that every student gets the support they need, the Intervention Literacy Screening Test has been introduced for Grades 7 and 8. This test is designed to assess students’ literacy skills and identify those who may benefit from additional support.
Understanding the Test Materials
The Literacy Screening Test comprises three main materials:
- Instructions for Test Administrators: This document provides detailed guidelines on how to administer the test.
- Student Score Sheet: Each student requires one copy of the score sheet. All score sheets should be retained by the test administrator and submitted for results analysis.
- Student Test: A few copies for each test administrator are recommended. The sheet can be reused for multiple students and should be retained by the test administrator.
The Three Tasks of the Literacy Screening Test
The Literacy Screening Test consists of three tasks:
- Reading High Frequency Words: This task assesses students’ accuracy and automaticity of word recognition. The words have been selected from a list of 200 English words most frequently encountered in the school years. Students who score less than 14/15 can be selected for the Intervention Camp.
- Reading Nonsense Words: This task assesses students’ decoding skills and knowledge of basic sound-letter patterns in English. These are not real words. Students who score less than 4/5 can be selected for the Intervention Camp.
- Reading a Text Aloud: This task assesses if the student can read a short text accurately and fluently. Students who have difficulty with more than 10 words can be selected for the Intervention Camp.
Administering the Test
Administering the Literacy Screening Test involves a series of steps:
- Prepare copies of all test materials.
- Allow 5-7 minutes per student for testing.
- For each student, write the student ID and current school grade at the top of the Student Score Sheet.
- Provide the student with the Student Test.
- Begin the test. Read the instruction at the start of each section.
- Score each task as per the instructions and circle whether a student has been selected for the Intervention Camp.
Conclusion
The Literacy Screening Test is a powerful tool in the hands of educators. It allows them to identify students who may need additional support in their literacy journey, ensuring that every student gets the help they need to succeed. By understanding and effectively administering this test, we can make a significant difference in the lives of our students.