FastBridge’s reliable reading assessment tools provide accurate insights into students’ reading skills to drive equitable, science-based reading instruction.
FastBridge offers reading assessment tools that are grounded in Science of Reading research. Our CBM and CAT reading assessments identify the specific literacy skills causing a student to struggle and provide evidence-based recommendations on how to close skill gaps.
Accelerate literacy with reading assessment data
FastBridge combines computer-adaptive tests (CAT) and curriculum-based measures (CBM) for screening and progress monitoring, so educators get deep visibility into the reading strengths and needs of their learners.
After a brief and accurate screening, teachers know where to focus whole group reading instruction, the specific skills causing students to struggle, and the right reading intervention to support each learner.
Valid and reliable progress monitoring helps measure whether reading interventions are effective for learners and whether to continue, adjust, or fade supports.
CAT AND CBM READING ASSESSMENT TOOLS IN ONE PLATFORM
FastBridge reading assessment suite
FastBridge’s unique FASTtrack screening removes confusion about what to administer by providing easy access to recommended assessments for each grade level, based on their capacity to predict future student reading performance. It also indicates what type of reading instruction is needed.
aReading
Universal Screening | Grades K–12 | Computer-Based | Computer-Adaptive Test | Time Required: 15–40 min | Included in FASTtrack Reading
aReading is a computer-administered adaptive screener that measures broad reading ability. Developed for students in grades K–5, it targets concepts of print, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension and aligns with national reading standards. It also provides student Lexile® scores derived from a large-scale Lexile® linking study.
The FastBridge adaptive assessments produce a highly accurate indicator of overall performance with as few as 25 items. This reduces testing time up to 50% compared to traditional fixed-form assessments.
Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring | Grades K–12 | Computer-Based | Curriculum-Based Measure | Time Required: 2–6 min | Included in FASTtrack Reading
AUTOreading emerged from years of research as a fully automated, computer-administered measure of decoding, word identification, spelling, and vocabulary. It includes eight individual subtests of 30 items, with two to four subtests recommended per grade level, to measure students’ accuracy and automaticity.
Subtests include: letter names, letter sounds, encoding, word identification, vocabulary, matching synonyms, decoding, morphology.
Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring | Grades 1–8 | Teacher-Administered | Curriculum-Based Measure | Time Required: 1–3 min | Included in FASTtrack Reading | Available in both English and Spanish
CBMreading is a research-based assessment offered in English for grades 1–8 as well as in Spanish for screening in grades 1–6 and progress monitoring in grades 1–5.
CBMReading aligns with skills included in the National Reading Panel Report (2000) and the national standards for English and Language Arts (2010). By listening to a student read, a teacher can assess key skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency.
Substantial research evidence demonstrates that CBMreading is a robust indicator of reading development and a useful predictor of student performance on state tests.
Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring | Grades 1–8 | Teacher-Administered | Curriculum-Based Measure | Time Required: 5–10 min | Lab Status*
CBMcomp is a supplemental assessment to CBMreading that measures oral reading fluency and students’ ability to recall information from passages of connected text in two parts:
CBMcomp Recall provides standardized prompts to the student to recall the story. The teacher marks each of approximately 17 important details as the student recalls them to define the thoroughness of the recall.
CBMcomp Questions provides directions and 10 standardized, passage-specific comprehension questions with answers. Comprehension accuracy is reported on a scale from 0 to 100% and takes approximately one minute to administer and score online.
*The assessment has been researched and verified in controlled studies and is now available to districts for a limited, trial use to gather feedback.
COMPefficiency
Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring | Grades 2–8 | Computer-Based | Curriculum-Based Measure | Time Required: 7–12 min | Lab Status*
COMPefficiency measures the quality and efficiency of the comprehension processes that occur during reading (e.g., main ideas, sequence of events, literal and inferential comprehension) and the quality of the comprehension after reading (e.g., qualities of the mental representation).
Students read sectioned text passages with brief true-false questions that measure literal and inferential comprehension. After reading the entire passage, students respond to multiple-choice questions designed to evaluate understanding of the main idea, sequence of events, and reasonable inferences that can be drawn from the passage.
*The assessment has been researched and verified in controlled studies and is now available to districts for a limited, trial use to gather feedback.
earlyReading
Universal Screening and Progress Monitoring | Pre-K–1 | Teacher-Administered | Curriculum-Based Measure | Time Required: 1–4 min | Included in FASTtrack Reading | Available in both English and Spanish
earlyReading is a suite of CBM assessments measuring essential reading skills that typically develop in grades K–1. It can also be used as a valid screener in pre-K programs and to support students at-risk above Grade 1.
The assessment suite includes a continuum of 13 subtests that is typical of early reading skill development for most students. Based on research, FastBridge recommends four subtests (three for Spanish) that vary across grades K–1 for screening. Remaining assessments may be used to further evaluate skill deficits.
Drive literacy instruction and intervention with reading assessment insights
FastBridge provides insights into the specific reading skills causing students to struggle. As a result, teachers can easily and efficiently leverage Science of Reading research to help struggling students catch up and ensure all students achieve literacy.
Concepts of Print
Proficiency includes an understanding that English words are composed of letters, and sentences are composed of words.
Phonemic Awareness
Proficiency includes an understanding that there are individual sounds in words, and words can be split apart into their individual sounds.
Phonics
Proficiency includes an ability to connect speech sounds to letters and make them accessible by sight.
Fluency
Proficiency includes reading text accurately, automatically, and at a rate that allows comprehension.
Vocabulary
Proficiency includes an ability to build, store, and retrieve words and background knowledge.
Comprehension
Proficiency includes using phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary to understand written words and making sense of what one reads.
UNDERSTANDING READING ASSESSMENTS
Reading assessment FAQs
How do you assess a student’s reading level?
The best way to assess a student’s reading level is to conduct universal screening three times a year (e.g., fall, winter, spring) for the purpose of identifying students who may benefit from additional instructional support. The earlier a reading difficulty is identified, the easier and more effective it is to provide intervention. After identifying students not on track to meet reading benchmark goals, the screening data can be compared with other sources of information to plan instruction. As needed, additional screeners, such as the Star Phonics phonics screener, can be used to provide more specific information about student reading skills.
What makes a quality reading assessment tool?
A quality reading assessment should be grounded in Science of Reading research to identify the specific literacy skills a student is struggling with and offer evidence-based recommendations on how to close skill gaps. Quality reading assessments should also be proven valid, reliable, and have multiple sources of high-quality research indicating that they help teachers identify and solve reading problems that students have in schools.
What are some reading assessments?
In addition to universal screening and progress monitoring, other reading assessments include:
Classroom Formative: Classroom formative assessments confirm that specific learning has taken place and provide data to inform instruction that follows. They are used continually and routinely (often on a daily basis) to monitor student learning, identify where students struggle, and understand where misconceptions exist, so that teachers can take the right next step to move learning forward for each student. DnA is an example.
Diagnostic Assessment: Diagnostic assessment is the process of using multiple measures and reports to identify student strengths and needs in specific skill areas, so teachers can provide instruction to address learning needs. FastBridge’s combination of CBMs and CATs can provide diagnostic reporting to better understand the specific skills causing students to struggle. Diagnostic assessments, such as Star Phonics, are designed to provide even greater specificity into student needs to more accurately target instruction.
Summative Assessment: Summative assessment is the process of evaluating or certifying learning at the end of a specific period of instruction. Summative assessments are often used for grading students and can be used to measure growth or change in student learning. They’re typically administered at the end of the year, end of course, or end of term. Examples include high-stakes state standardized assessments, the SAT, and the ACT. Additionally, DnA supports classroom summative assessments, such as district-wide end of year exams.
