Phonics & Early Reading

Proof required

Submit a video or voice recording of the student reading 20 simple CVC words aloud — sounding out each letter and blending — with a parent or teacher note confirming which words were read correctly.

What gets checked

• At least 16 of 20 CVC words decoded correctly using letter-sound blending
• Student sounds out unfamiliar words rather than guessing from context
• Both consonants and all five short vowels (a, e, i, o, u) are represented in the 20 words

Common mistakes

• Memorizing words as whole shapes rather than decoding by sound — test with made-up words (fep, zot, bim) to check if the student is truly decoding or just recognizing familiar words
• Skipping the sounding-out step and guessing from the first letter — 'bat' becomes 'ball' — slow down and require each sound to be said

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• Test with nonsense words (fep, zot, mib) in addition to real CVC words — if the student can decode nonsense words, they're using phonics correctly
• Listen for sounding out, not guessing — 'b...a...t = bat' is correct; 'b...ball!' is guessing
• 16 of 20 correct is the pass bar; below that, identify which vowel sounds are causing errors

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Proof required

Submit a video or audio recording of the student reading at least 4–5 pages of a Level A/B early reader aloud, with a parent or teacher note stating the title of the book and confirming 90%+ accuracy and self-correction observed.

What gets checked

• 90%+ accuracy — no more than 1–2 errors per 20 words
• Self-correction observed at least once — student goes back to fix an error
• Reading sounds connected (not word-by-word, one-at-a-time) by the end of the book

Common mistakes

• Reading only familiar memorized books — choose a new book the student hasn't heard before to test true decoding
• Allowing skipping or substituting words without correction — this builds bad habits; pause and ask 'does that make sense? what sound does that letter make?'

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• Choose a book the student hasn't read before — familiar books can be memorized without decoding
• Count errors per page: 1–2 errors per page is acceptable; 3+ per page indicates the book is too hard or more phonics practice is needed
• Look for self-correction — it shows the student is monitoring comprehension as they read

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Proof required

Submit a video or audio recording of the student reading a complete early reader (or at least 8–10 pages if the book is long), and a parent or teacher note confirming the title, the accuracy rate (90%+), and the answers to 3 comprehension questions.

What gets checked

• 90%+ accuracy across the full reading — 1 error per 10 words or fewer
• 3 comprehension questions answered in own words (who, what happened, what did you think?)
• Book is a Level B, C, or equivalent — not so easy it doesn't test decoding

Common mistakes

• Using a Level A book the student has already read many times — the assessment should test fluency on an unfamiliar or less-familiar text
• Answering comprehension questions with one-word responses — full sentences expected (not required for very young children, but sentences are the target for Grade 1)

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• Choose a book the student hasn't read before — the assessment tests decoding, not memorization
• Count errors: 1 error per 10 words = 90% accuracy on 100-word text means no more than 10 errors
• For comprehension: accept any answer that demonstrates understanding of the basic story (who? what? what did you think?)

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