Elementary Reading: Online Assessment and Exam Info

Online Information for Reading Assessments

Typical Test Content

Standardized reading tests usually require your child to read short passages of fiction, poetry or informational text and answer multiple-choice and short-response questions. Most elementary reading assessments test students' ability to make inferences and support them with details from the text. Your child may also be asked to identify the main idea and distinguish fact from opinion, as well as use context clues to determine the definitions of vocabulary words.

Standardized Reading Tests Online

Most states conduct annual standardized reading tests, and many states post tests from previous years on their websites for use as practice tests. Most of the state websites also offer information about their tests and provide links to their curriculum frameworks.

The National Center for Education Statistics allows you to locate actual test questions that were used on standardized elementary assessments across the U.S. This user-friendly site allows you to see actual assessment questions, statistics about each question and scoring information.

EDinformatics offers downloadable standardized reading tests from most states, as well as sample assessment questions, testing documents, templates and more. This website also provides links to educational databases where you can learn about the assessment process and locate curriculum standards from your state. A few states, including Texas, Illinois and Virginia, have online versions of their tests.

Online Reading Assessment Practice

To help your child prepare for an upcoming assessment, you can find reading comprehension activities online. For instance, RHL School has reading comprehension worksheets with poems, stories, biographies and informative articles. By completing these worksheets, your child will gain experience using context clues, drawing conclusions and finding the main idea of a text.

Englishforeveryone.org has a variety of reading comprehension worksheets sorted by grade and ability level. After your child peruses the reading passages, he or she can answer questions that require knowledge of deductive reasoning, logic and scope.