1st Grade Reading Assessment: How Help Your Child to Prepare

Getting Your 1st Grader Ready for Reading Assessments

What's on a 1st Grade Reading Assessment?

Reading assessments in the 1st grade may address everything from the alphabet to number words to colors. Often, simple vocabulary, syllables, root words, word parts and letter blends will be covered. Basic reading comprehension and fluency skills are also typically addressed.

Most 1st grade reading assessments are designed to determine your child's level in relation to other students. This information can be used to determine class placement, evaluate progress and to decide if your child needs remedial or advanced instruction.

Preparing by Reading

When reading to your child, he or she not only learns about the text's topic, but also develops his or her reading fluency and comprehension skills. If you read to and with your child, he or she will often be ahead of the curve when it comes time for assessment.

To help with reading fluency, read the same books to your child multiple times. Move his or her finger across the passages as you read and have your child read along. Focus on phrases, words and letters that your child might be tested on.

Simply discussing books and other texts with your child will help him or her with reading comprehension. Ask your child for his or her opinion about the book and the characters. Also, discuss what might have happened if the main characters had made different decisions.

Practice Tests

To acquire practice tests, talk to your child's teacher and other reading professionals at your child's school. Your state's Department of Education may also provide practice tests.

Many tests cover a wide range of reading skills, so you can pick and choose which parts you want to administer to your child. For example, your child may already be able to recognize the letters of the alphabet, so you might stick to comprehension-based questions.

Test-taking is a learned skill. Administering practice tests at home will get your child ready to take assessment exams in the real world. Sit your child down in a quiet, uncluttered environment. Give him or her a practice exam and time your child as he or she works. Go over the answers and focus on the areas that your child needs the most help with.