Assessment & Reading Plan

First understand where your child is, then decide where to go

An assessment is not "over when the test ends"—it is the starting point for the next step in teaching. Through an interview, an unseen text and a set of work samples, we give a starting-point recommendation and an actionable reading plan.

Book a Reading Ability Assessment View a reading plan sample

What We Assess

What a complete reading ability assessment includes

Mentor interview

We learn about reading history, interests and family reading habits; and observe the child's initiative, pronunciation, and listening and speaking responses.

Unseen text

Using a text the child has not read before to test their true level: comprehension rate, quality of retelling, and whether they can answer questions using textual evidence.

Oral language & phonics

Observing phonics transfer ability, speech flow and willingness to express—this determines how much "speaking" support is needed in class.

Writing sample

From sentences to paragraphs, looking at structure, word choice and willingness to revise. Work is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for advancement.

The early years (ages 2–6) do not aim at standardised tests. At this stage we prioritise building the sound–meaning connection, shared-reading interest, interactive habits and phonics readiness. Let language grow naturally first, and talk about test performance later.

Lexile Measure

How to understand Lexile measures

Think of a Lexile measure as a reading on an outdoor thermometer: just as you can use the temperature to decide which coat to wear, a Lexile measure can be used to judge how difficult a book is relative to a child's reading ability.

When a child's reading level falls within a book's Lexile range, they can finish the book confidently and comfortably— challenged, but not frustrated, and not bored.

Scholastic Literacy Pro reading assessment

The child reads a series of short passages drawn from books and informational materials, completing one cloze sentence after each; it is done on a computer or tablet and takes about 20 minutes. Results are presented as a Lexile readability measure.

About 20 minutes Computer / tablet Lexile result

How to use the results

Choosing booksChoose books within a range from about 50L above the current Lexile to about 100L below.
After readingComplete a short comprehension quiz after each book to confirm real understanding.
TrackingKeep recording reading volume and quiz performance, and the Lexile measure rises along with it.
ReminderA Lexile measure cannot replace interest, background knowledge, critical thinking and expression.

Language levels, text difficulty and test scores come from different measurement systems. We treat them as reference benchmarks and never write any two measures as mechanically equivalent.

Reading Plan

What a reading plan looks like

Every child receives a reading plan of their own: goals, text selection, recommendations for reading outside class, and things the family can start doing right away.

Part 1

Reading (learning) goals

Language levelWord decoding, vocabulary and structure building, and language use (communicative).
Reading levelLexile measure and recommended reading range; the corresponding book levelling system.
Target skillsMaintaining focus and patience, letting a finger linger for a moment, observing pictures, summarising, inferring, contrasting and comparing.
Target strategiesTelling stories and noticing details, sequencing, using body language, "guess if you don't know", and reviewing earlier text.

Part 2

Reading text selection

Genre	Ratio	Reading goal
Fiction	60%	Enhancing perception and expressive ability, expanding vocabulary
Non-fiction	40%	Mainly natural science with art topics added; sparking subject interest, detailed knowledge, challenge and awareness

The ratio references the US RENAISSANCE big-data report on children's reading "What Kids Are Reading", the US Common Core State Standards, and the "Reading Guidance Catalogue for Primary and Secondary Students".

Part 3

Recommendations for reading outside class (three months)

Fiction

The Big Dinosaur Day! The Magic Pot Small Treasures Our Tree House We are going on a nature hunt The Three Billy Goats Gruff A Jigsaw Jones Mystery Journey to the Volcano Palace The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury

Non-fiction

Biology · Koalas Biology · Fur, Feathers, Fins Biology · How Plants Grow Physics · Water Detective Physics · Can It Float? Physics · Baby Loves Thermodynamics! Geography · Seasons Geography · Spring Surprises Astronomy · Daytime and Nighttime Astronomy · Night Shift

The book list is an example; actual recommendations are adjusted month by month according to the child's Lexile range and interests.

Four Touchpoints

Four assessment touchpoints

Every piece of evidence can be turned into teaching action.

Touchpoint	What we collect	What it's used for
Entry placement	Mentor interview, unseen text, oral language / phonics and writing sample	Deciding the starting point and support approach
Process records	Observation each lesson, work from each unit, strategy use and error correction	Reinforcing promptly, without waiting until term end
Periodic review	Before-and-after sample comparison, reading assessment, oral / written projects	Seeing genuine growth in ability
Advancement decision	Meeting the standard twice in a row + work evidence + attendance and completion	Deciding on advancement, extension or personalised acceleration

The table can be scrolled left and right on narrow screens.

A Letter Home

After the assessment, we send parents a letter

Without piling up jargon, it makes three things clear: the child's current state, what to do next, and how the family can help.

The child's stateThe measured Lexile value, the reference range for the child's grade, and what this result means.
Next stepsThe recommended reading range (about 50L above the current level to 100L below), the range for choosing books, and class priorities.
What you can do at home20 minutes of reading a day, a mix of fiction and non-fiction, conversations before, during and after reading, and noting new words and using them in expression.
Keep in touchMentors keep recording the child's reading volume and quiz performance, and parents can reach out directly with any questions.

Book an assessment for your child View the FAQ