Accessing Early Literacy Skills

San Diego quick assessment of reading eligibility.
Different students respond to instruction in various ways and at different rates. Since
teachers must be accountable, they assess students at different times throughout an academic
year. According to Rasinski & Padak 2013, an assessment is “a valid, effective, and efficient
way to monitor and identify potential trouble spots in student’s reading.” The San Diego Quick
Assessment (SDQA) is a form of assessment that seeks to pinpoint the ability of a child when it
comes to reading. It is a list of words that are grouped by grade level. The words are drawn from
different glossaries of basic readers. SDQA is used to identify a student’s reading level and
detect difficulties in analyzing words (Schumm, 2017). It is also used to test a group of students
and then be able to choose reading materials that are suitable for their level. Thus, the assessment
is used to help a teacher define instruction and make informed decisions on the best resources for
the class. SDQA is a first-step screening procedure that cannot serve the same purpose as a
comprehensive assessment (Schumm, 2017). Thus, its intended purpose is to hint at issues that
could be causing a student’s difficulties in reading.
The procedure for administering SDQA is not complicated. I would administer it by
giving a student a list of ten words for them to read. I would then keep track of how they read the
words and only allow five seconds per word. Thus, to administer a list of ten words, I will take
less than one minute per student. If a student makes one or zero error, then that is an independent
student per the grade level. I will then continue with the next level and administer another list.
Once a student makes two errors in one list, then I would call it their instructional grade level.

However, if a student makes three or more errors, then I would consider that a frustration level
and lower the level of the selected words until I can identify the student’s instructional or
independent levels.
The rationale of using SDQA to measure reading eligibility is to provide an estimate,
which is impartially accurate, of a stufent’s ability and level to read. It is a useful “shortcut” that
teachers use to estimate a child’s proficiency in reading (Rasinski & Padak, 2013). Also, it is an
indicator of how well a student is reading at every level and thus can be used as a helpful guide
in selecting materials depending on the level of a child.
I would use SDQA in my classroom to get valuable information about my students. I
would use it to frequently modify instruction based on my knowledge about the progress being
made by a student. I would use this assessment to watch the students for signs of daily
improvement as students move from experiencing difficulty in reading certain words, to reading
them proficiently. Rather than waiting for annual comprehensive assessments, I would use
SDQA regularly to monitor progress. Overall, I would use the information received from
conducting SDA to select instructional materials for my students, depending on their reading
levels and abilities.

References

Rasinski, T. & Padak, N.D. (2013). From phonics to fluency: Effective teaching of decoding and
reading fluency in the elementary school. NJ: Pearson.
Schumm, J. S. (Ed.). (2017). Reading assessment and instruction for all learners. Guilford
Publications.