Sight Word Assessment

Sight Word AssessmentAssessment and Progress Monitoring for the Dolch 220 Sight Words

What are sight words? Sight words are words that are used frequently in reading and writing. Because these words are used so often, it is important that readers are able to recognize them quickly without having to sound them out. It is estimated that these words make up between 50-70% of the words we encounter in text.

Assessing sight words Before beginning instruction, it is important to know which sight words the student(s) area able to indentify. Student assessment forms as well as the Dolch sight word lists (220 Dolch sight words divided into 9 lists) are provided. First choose the appropriate assessment form. For students just learning words, you may wish to use only the assessment form and materials for lists 1-3. For older students, use the assessment materials for all 9 lists. Simply point to the word on the list and put a + in the square on the form if the student was able to say the word. If the student hesitates for more than 3 seconds before providing the word, sounds out the word, or provides an incorrect word, put a - in the square. If the student identifies less than half the words on a given list, consider stopping the assessment. When the assessment is completed, count the number of correct words and record the date and the number of words on the progress summary form. Tracking student progressStudent progress can also be tracked on the graphs provided. First you will need to choose thecorrect graph for the student. For students just learning sight words, you will want to use thegraphs for lists 1-3 only. Record the date at the bottom of the graph. Provide your student witha crayon and have him/her color the column up to the number of correct words.