Reading Grade Level Tests and Diagnostic Phonics Tests

There are a variety of tests you can use to determine reading grade level. There are also some diagnostic tests to determine if phonics training will be helpful. Spelling tests are on another page.

The Miller Word Identification Assessment (MWIA) is a diagnostic test that measures the reading speed and accuracy of 2 different sets of words--sight words and phonetically regular words that are not commonly taught as sight words. If you have a slowdown of more than 10% on this test, you should try our online spelling lessons. For a slowdown greater than 15%, our phonics lessons are recommended. The MWIA is available from Don Potter's Education Page. The MWIA is a very powerful test which you can use to determine if you could benefit from phonics instruction. A much shorter version has been developed and tested, it is the MWIA Version 3. It also has a short version of the original MWIA I called the MWIA 1 short. To help you understand the MWIA scores, 40L has developed a document called Understanding and Using MWIA Scores. You can also watch 40L's YouTube MWIA playlist for more about the MWIA.

The New Elizabethian Test is a diagnostic test created by 40L. It is based on a constructed language. It can determine if phonics training will be beneficial. It can also be used to pinpoint phonetic areas of weakness, and is correlated with 40L's online phonics lessons and spelling lessons to help you pinpoint areas needing further study and send you to our corresponding lessons.

A quick test to determine approximate reading grade level is 40L's Quick Screen Reading Grade Level Test. It tests from 0 - 12th grade level with a quick word list.

A reading grade level test for grade levels 1 - 6 is available at the NRRF. Do part 2 first. Part 2 is reading grade levels. Part 1 shows different areas of phonics knowledge. The NRRF test is based on reading passages.

An extension to the NRRF reading grade level test was developed by 40L for grade levels 8, 10, and 12. This test has not been standardized. Its reading grade levels are based on Fry. It has reading passages for the higher grade levels not tested on the NRRF test. The reading grade level passage test for grades 8, 10, and 12 is linked here.

A 12 minute movie explaining how to use the grade level tests is now available in QuickTime or mp4 format.

40L volunteers are currently working on a movie explaining how to use the diagnostic tests. There are written instructions for using all of the tests.