The Schonell Reading Test

The child should read the words left to right. When a word that gets a little difficult, ask the child to sound it out. If the child can't say what the word is, then go on to the next one.

The person supervising the test will give one mark for each word correctly pronounced - even if the reader self corrects. The supervisor will not suggest corrections. No prompting. No hurrying. If the reader mis-pronounces slightly as in postage with a short 'o', the first time, then ask for the word again, marking it correct if the reader has self corrected. Otherwise, do not ask for a word to be re-read.

If you do not give away the pronunciation of words that the reader does not know, then this same test may be used again at a later date to assess progress as a result of a teaching program.