Phonological awareness assessment template, with a completed example
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
A phonological awareness assessment checks each skill from word awareness to phoneme substitution with a short set of spoken items, usually 10 per skill. Give the subtests in order, stop a subtest after 5 errors in a row, and mark each skill solid, emerging or not yet. The first skill that is not solid is where instruction starts and the goal is written.
This template is an informal, criterion-referenced check. It tells you which skills a student has and which come next. It does not give a standard score, and it does not replace a norm-referenced test when a team needs one for eligibility. An evaluation must use a variety of assessment tools and cannot rest on any single measure.[1]
Use it at the start of intervention, when a student is not responding, or to fill in the present levels for a reading or speech IEP. The skills follow the order on the phonemic awareness continuum. For teaching each skill once you have results, see the pillar on phonemic awareness interventions.
How to give the assessment
- Setting. A quiet spot, 10 to 20 minutes, one student. Split it over two days for young students.
- Practice items. Give 2 practice items per subtest with feedback. Do not score them.
- Say each item once. Repeat once if the student asks. Do not stretch or stress sounds unless the subtest says so.
- Stop rule. Stop a subtest after 5 errors in a row, and stop the whole assessment after two subtests in a row score 3 or fewer.
- Scoring. One point per item, all or nothing. Score the sound the student intends if they have a speech sound error, and note it.
- Response mode. Record how the student answered: speech, pointing, tokens, letter tiles or a device.
- Levels. 8 to 10 correct is solid, 5 to 7 is emerging, 0 to 4 is not yet.
The fill-in template
Copy the two tables into a document or print them.
Part 1: Student information
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Student | |
| Grade and date | |
| Examiner and role | |
| Setting and time of day | |
| Response mode used | |
| Speech sound errors noted | |
| Letter sounds known (count of 26) |
Part 2: Subtests
| # | Subtest | Sample item | Score (of 10) | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Word awareness | "Clap each word: The big dog ran." (4) | |||
| 2 | Rhyme judgment | "Do fan and pan rhyme?" | |||
| 3 | Rhyme production | "Tell me a word that rhymes with bug." | |||
| 4 | Syllable blending | "pen ... cil. What word?" | |||
| 5 | Syllable segmenting | "Clap the parts in basket." (2) | |||
| 6 | Onset-rime blending | "/m/ ... op. What word?" | |||
| 7 | First sound isolation | "First sound in fish?" (/f/) | |||
| 8 | Final sound isolation | "Last sound in cap?" (/p/) | |||
| 9 | Middle vowel isolation | "Middle sound in pin?" (/i/) | |||
| 10 | Phoneme blending | "/s/ /a/ /d/. What word?" | |||
| 11 | Phoneme segmenting | "Say each sound in mug." | |||
| 12 | Phoneme deletion | "Say seat without /s/." (eat) | |||
| 13 | Phoneme substitution | "Change /m/ in man to /f/." (fan) |
Build each subtest from new words, not the sample. Use CVC words for subtests 7 to 11 on a first assessment; add 4-sound words on a later one.
Completed example: Mateo, grade 1
Mateo is a fictional 1st grader referred by his teacher in January for slow progress in phonics. His teacher and the school SLP give the assessment together over two 10-minute sessions.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Student | Mateo R. (fictional) |
| Grade and date | Grade 1, January 12 and 13 |
| Examiner and role | Reading interventionist, with the SLP |
| Setting and time of day | Small office, 9:15 a.m. |
| Response mode used | Speech; tokens on subtest 11 |
| Speech sound errors noted | /r/ distorted; scored as intended |
| Letter sounds known (count of 26) | 21 |
| # | Subtest | Score (of 10) | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Word awareness | 10 | Solid | |
| 2 | Rhyme judgment | 9 | Solid | |
| 3 | Rhyme production | 7 | Emerging | Gave made-up rhymes; accepted |
| 4 | Syllable blending | 10 | Solid | |
| 5 | Syllable segmenting | 9 | Solid | |
| 6 | Onset-rime blending | 10 | Solid | |
| 7 | First sound isolation | 9 | Solid | |
| 8 | Final sound isolation | 6 | Emerging | Gave the last letter name twice |
| 9 | Middle vowel isolation | 3 | Not yet | Confused /e/ and /i/ |
| 10 | Phoneme blending | 7 | Emerging | Lost the first sound on 2 items |
| 11 | Phoneme segmenting | 4 | Not yet | Split as onset and rime: "m ... ug" |
| 12 | Phoneme deletion | 1 | Not yet | Stopped after 5 errors |
| 13 | Phoneme substitution | not given | Stop rule met |
Summary written for present levels: "On an informal phonological awareness check in January, Mateo showed solid skills through first sound isolation. He blended 3-sound words in 7 of 10 items and segmented them in 4 of 10, usually splitting words into onset and rime. He isolated middle vowels in 3 of 10. These skills are the next step for his phonics work, where his teacher reports vowel errors in reading."
Recommendation: teach phoneme segmenting and vowel isolation with letter tiles, 5 to 8 minutes daily; probe weekly with 10 new items. Goal draft: "Given 10 spoken CVC words, Mateo will say each sound in order for 9 of 10 words on 3 consecutive weekly probes." Baseline: 4 of 10. See segment spoken words into phonemes (timed) for a rate-based version and isolate the middle sound for the vowel goal. For more on turning this into present levels, see PLAAFP examples for reading.
What reviewers and parents look for, section by section
| Section | What a reviewer checks | What a parent wants to know |
|---|---|---|
| Student information | Date, examiner and response mode recorded | Who tested my child and how |
| Speech errors noted | Scoring rule for speech errors stated | Whether speech problems lowered the scores |
| Subtest scores | Denominators shown; stop rule applied the same way | What the numbers mean in plain words |
| Levels | Clear cut points | Which skills are strong, which are next |
| Summary | Data, not labels; matches the scores | What this means for reading |
| Recommendation | Ties to one or two skills and a probe plan | What happens next and how they will hear about it |
Avoid grade-equivalent language in the summary. "Segments 4 of 10 CVC words" tells everyone more than "at a kindergarten level."
How to measure phonological awareness over time
The template is a snapshot. To measure growth, pick the first skill that is not solid and probe only that skill, weekly, with 10 new items. Graph the scores. For segmenting, a 1-minute timed probe that counts correct sounds is also common and works well on a rate per minute graph.
The National Center on Intensive Intervention publishes a tools chart that rates screening and progress monitoring measures, including early literacy measures, on reliability and validity.[2] Check it before choosing a published probe set. The What Works Clearinghouse RtI guide also recommends screening all K to 2 students for reading risk and monitoring those who receive intervention.[3]
Score weekly probes on the opportunity trial data sheet. IEP goals must say how progress will be measured,[4] so name the probe and the item count in the goal itself. For more on choosing probes, see reading progress monitoring tools.
From results to goals
Write the goal at the first emerging or not-yet skill in the sequence, unless an earlier one is far weaker. Skip rhyme goals for students who are solid at the phoneme level. Full goal wording for every subtest is on the phonological awareness goals page, and worked examples are on phonemic awareness IEP goals. SLPs can pair results with a speech plan using phonological awareness in speech therapy.
Frequently asked questions
How do you assess phonological awareness?
Give short sets of spoken items, about 10 per skill, from word awareness through phoneme substitution. Stop a subtest after 5 errors in a row. The first skill the student cannot do reliably is where instruction starts.
Is an informal phonological awareness check enough for eligibility?
No. It is useful for planning instruction and writing present levels, but an evaluation must use a variety of tools and cannot rely on one measure. A norm-referenced test may also be part of the evaluation.
How often should phonological awareness be reassessed?
Give the full check at the start of intervention and again when the student meets a goal or stalls. Between those points, probe only the target skill weekly with 10 new items.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Phonological awareness goals (reading)
- Phonological awareness in the IEP glossary
- Criterion-referenced test in the IEP glossary
- Opportunity trial data sheet
- Rate per minute measurement
Related guides
- Phonemic awareness interventions for students with IEPs
- Phonological awareness vs phonemic awareness vs phonics
- Phonological awareness in speech therapy: an SLP's plan
- Phonemic awareness IEP goal examples
- The phonemic awareness continuum: how the skills develop in order
Sources
- 34 CFR §300.304: Evaluation procedures, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
- Intervention & Assessment Tools Charts, National Center on Intensive Intervention
- Assisting Students Struggling with Reading: Response to Intervention (RtI) and Multi-Tier Intervention in the Primary Grades, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
- 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.