Phonics Survey

 Grades: K – 12
 Grouping: Individual assessment
 Approximate Time: 10 – 15 min
 Materials: pencil, Student Pages, CORE Phonics Survey adapted to align
Teacher Record Form, blank paper with SD36 Phonics Scope & Sequence

What?
This phonics survey assesses the phonics and phonics-related skills that have a high rate of
application in beginning reading. The survey presents a number of lists of letters and words for the
student to identify and decode. Pseudowords, or made-up words, are included since the student
must use decoding skills to correctly pronounce these words and cannot have memorized them.
This survey can be used as a screening measure, and also as an outcome measure, providing data
about growth and mastery at the end of an instructional period. As a diagnostic, it can indicate
whether or not a student needs instruction in selected phonics concepts, or if further assessment is
needed. It may also be used to track progress from earlier skills to grade level mastery.

Why?
A student’s ability to use knowledge of sound/letter correspondences (phonics) to decode words
determines, in large measure, his or her ability to read individual words. A detailed assessment of a
student’s phonics skills points to areas in which the student is likely to benefit most from systematic,
explicit phonics instruction. Also, knowing the skills that the student does possess will help in selecting
reading tasks that offer the most effective reinforcement of those skills.

How?
Instructions for administering each part of the survey are included on the Teacher Record Form.
Students read from the Student Pages. When using this survey as a specific skills test or screening
measure, do not discontinue testing if a student does not do well on one of the sections. Instead,
move to the next section and continue testing. If the student was able to read most of the single
syllable real and pseudowords, also administer the multisyllabic section.
To focus the student’s attention on the part of the survey being given, cover the other parts of the
page with a piece(s) of blank paper. The Teacher Record Form shows the same material that
appears on the Student Pages, in a reduced size, so that you may easily record the student’s
responses. Be aware of the student’s behaviour during the survey. If a student is tiring or making
many consecutive errors, discontinue testing at that time.
Following administration, score each part of the survey, and transfer the results to the first page
on the Teacher Record Form under Skills Summary.
When?
The following chart lists suggested administration times for the different sections of the survey.

Fall Winter Spring

Kindergarten
Letter Sounds X X X
CVC words X X
Grade 1
Letter Sounds If indicated
CVC words X X X
All other sections X X
Multisyllabic words X
Grade 2
All other sections If indicated
Multisyllabic words X X

Grade 3 and Up
All sections If indicated

What it Means?
This survey is a mastery assessment. It is expected that students will ultimately get all the items
correct. Score each section completed as show below. Identify areas as ‘Proficient’ or as a
‘Teaching Focus’ on the Skills Summary page.
Letter 10 items 15 items 20 items 24 items
Sounds
Benchmark 52 (all) 9 – 10 14 – 15 18 – 20 21 – 24
Strategic 41 – 51 6–8 10 – 13 13 – 17 15 – 20
Intensive 0 – 40 0–5 0 – 12 0 - 12 0 – 14

What is Next?
Students who score at Strategic or Intensive levels will benefit from targeted and intensified
instruction and extensive practice in the phonics concepts indicated. An analysis of individual errors
can give more specific information about phonic elements that need instruction.
Older struggling readers who score at Intensive levels will need basic phonics instruction, possibly
including instruction in phonemic awareness and sound/spelling correspondences. Students at all levels
need repeated opportunities to develop automaticity through practice in reading words in isolation
and in appropriately decodable text.
Assessment: Date:
 Beginning __________________
 Middle __________________
 End __________________
Phonics Survey
CORE Phonics Survey adapted to align
with SD36 Phonics Scope & Sequence
Revised: May 10, 2023

Name: __________________________________________ Grade: _____ Div: ______

Skills Summary
Alphabet Skills Proficient Teaching Focus
__ / 14 Consonant sounds – high utility  
__ / 14 Consonant sounds – mid utility  
__ / 14 Consonant sounds – low utility  
__ / 5 Long vowel sounds  
__ / 5 Short vowel sounds  

Reading and Decoding Skills Proficient Teaching Focus

__ / 15 Short vowels in CVC words  
__ / 20 Consonant clusters with short vowels  
__ / 15 Short vowels, digraphs, and -tch  
__ / 4 Final silent E  
__ / 15 Long vowel spellings  
__ / 15 r-controlled vowels  
__ / 15 Complex vowels and diphthongs  
__ / 10 Less common long vowels  
__ / 15 Low frequency spellings  
__ / 24 Multisyllabic words  

Instruction Notes
 1. Consonant sounds – High Utility
Say to the student: Look at these letters. Can you say the sound each letter makes? If the sound given is
correct, do not mark the Record Form. If it is incorrect, write the sound the student gives above each
letter. If a letter frequently represents multiple sounds, prompt the student to say any additional sounds
they know for the letter. If no sound is given, circle the letter. If the student cannot say the sound for
three or more consecutive letters, say: Look at all of the letters and tell me which sounds you do know.
Optional: Say to the student: Can you tell me the names of these letters? If the student cannot name
three or more consecutive letters, say: Look at all of the letters and tell me which ones you do know.

__ / 7 lower case m s p t n b c
/m/ /s/,/z/ /p/ /t/ /n/ /b/ /k/,/s/
__ / 7 upper case S T N B C M P
/s/,/z/ /t/ /n/ /b/ /k/,/s/ /m/ /p/
2. Consonant sounds – Mid Utility

__ / 7 lower case f h d r g l k
/f/ /h/ /d/ /r/ /g/,/j/ /l/ /k/
__ / 7 upper case H G F L R K D
/h/ /g/,/j/ /f/ /l/ /r/ /k/ /d/
3. Consonant sounds – Low Utility
__ / 7 lower case w j x v qu y z
/w/ /j/ /ks/ /v/ /kw/ /y/,/ī/,/ee/ /z/
__ / 7 upper case Y Z X W J V QU
/y/,/ī/,/ee/ /z/ /ks/ /w/ /j/ /v/ /kw/
4. Vowel Sounds
Ask the student: Can you say the sounds of each letter? If the student names the letter, count it as the
long vowel sound. Then ask: Can you tell me the other sound(s) for the letter? The student should name the
short vowel sound. Record any additional sounds that are known.

a __ __ e __ __ i __ __ o __ __ __ u __ __ __
/ă/ /ā/ /ĕ/ /ē/ /ĭ/ /ī/ /ŏ/ /ō/ /oo/ /ŭ/ /ū/ /oo/
NOTE: A, U & I spell more than two sounds, however, early readers are less likely to encounter
__ / 5 long __ / 5 short them until they are reading multisyllabic words. Record any additional sounds that are known.
Reading and Decoding
For items 5 through 12, students must read both real and pseudowords (made-up words). For the first line of real
words, tell the student: Please read these words. If the student cannot read two or more of the real words, do
not administer the line of pseudowords. Go to the next set of items. Before asking the student to read the line of
pseudowords, say: Now, please read some made-up words. Do not try to make them sound like real words.

5. Short vowels in CVC Words

sip mat let muck hog (real)
__ / 15 rut tick bat hot set (real)
nop sut dit pem fap (pseudo)
6. Consonant Clusters with Short Vowels

stop trap quit spell plan (real)

__ / 20
stig brab queb snop dran (pseudo)
silk fast sank lump held (real)
nast dilt wunk cang kimp (pseudo)
7. Short Vowels, digraphs, and -tch trigraph

when chop thin shut wing (real)

__ / 15 dodge rash rink then match (real)
dath vong wheck phid futch (pseudo)
8. Final Silent E

cap tot cub kit (warm-up)

__ / 4 cape tote cube kite (assess)
 9. Long Vowel Spellings
tape few cute by cue (real)
__ / 15 leap boat sigh ray blow (real)
reet hine meap faim soat (pseudo)

10. R-Controlled Vowels

harm dirt form fern surf (real)

__ / 15 core pear earn dare soar (real)
nerm sirt karf murd gair (pseudo)

11. Complex Vowels and Diphthongs

new down moon walk coin (real)

__ / 15
glue cook loud haunt soup (real)
voot nall fout zoy bawk (pseudo)

12. Less Common Long Vowels

key mind child field toe (real)

__ / 10
wild pie find gold chief (real)

13. Low Frequency Vowel and Consonant Spellings

kneel cent type ghost wrist (real)

__ / 15 giant sweat gnat bomb gym (real)
bice knog dimb wress loe (pseudo)
14. Multisyllabic Words
Administer this item if the student is able to read most of the single-syllable real and pseudowords in the
previous items. Say to the student: Please read down the first column of words. Each of the real words in this
column has two syllables. Point to the first column. If the student can read at least three out of eight of the
words in this column, say: Please read some made-up words. Do not try to make them sound like real words.
Point to the second column. Repeat the same procedure for the third column.

NOTE: The following made-up words can be pronounced in two ways: sunop (su-nop or sun-op);
wopam (wo-pam or wop-am); potife (po-tife or pot-ife); zuride (zu-ride or zur-ide); and zubo
(zu-bo or zub-o).

(real) (pseudo) (pseudo)

Closed-closed kidnap pugnad quibrap
Closed silent e compete slifnate prubkine

Open or closed depend sunop wopam

Open or closed zero zubo yodu

Silent e locate potife zuride

Consonant + le stable grickle morkle

R-Controlled further tirper pharbid

Vowel team outlaw doipnoe loymaud

__ / 24
 Phonics Survey
Adapted from: CORE Phonics Survey
Revised: May 10, 2023
1. Letter sounds

m s p t n b c
S T N B C M P
f h d r g l k
H G F L R K D
w j x v qu y z
Y Z X W J V QU
a e i o u
1. Reading and Decoding

sip mat let muck hog

rut tick bat hot set
nop sut dit pem fap

stop trap quit spell plan

stig brab queb snop dran
silk fast sank lump held
nast dilt wunk cang kimp

when chop thin shut wing

dodge rash rink then match
dath vong wheck phid futch

cap tot cub kit

cape tote cube kite
tape few cute by cue
leap boat sigh ray blow
reet hine meap faim soat

harm dirt form fern surf

core pear earn dare soar
nerm sirt karf murd gair

new down moon walk coin

glue cook loud haunt soup
voot nall fout zoy bawk

key mind child field toe

wild pie find gold chief

kneel cent type ghost wrist

giant sweat gnat bomb gym
bice knog dimb wress loe
2. Multisyllabic Words

kidnap pugnad quibrap

compete slifnate prubkine

depend sunop wopam

zero zubo yodu

locate potife zuride

stable grickle morkle

further tirper pharbid

outlaw doipnoe loymaud