Core Phonics Assessment

The Core Phonics assessment is given two or three times during the school year to kindergarten, first, and second grade students.  The purpose of this test is to get an inventory of phonics skills students have mastered. The sub-tests given in each grade level are listed below.

Kindergarten

• Letter Names- Uppercase (26 Possible, 25 Benchmark)
• Letter Names- Lowercase (26 Possible, 25 Benchmark)
• Consonant Sounds (23 Possible, 20 Benchmark)
• Short vowel sounds (5 Possible, 4 Benchmark)
• Long vowel sounds (5 Possible, no benchmark set)
• Reading short vowel CVC words (15 possible, 13 Benchmark)

First Grade

• Letter Names- Uppercase (26 Possible, 26 Benchmark)
• Letter Names- Lowercase (26 Possible, 26 Benchmark)
• Consonant Sounds (23 Possible, 22 Benchmark)
• Short vowel sounds (5 Possible, 5 Benchmark)
• Long vowel sounds (5 Possible, 5 Benchmark)
• Reading short vowel CVC words (15 Possible, 14 Benchmark)
• Consonant blends with short vowels (15 Possible, 14 Benchmark)
• Short vowels, digraphs and -tch trigraph (15 Possible, 13 Benchmark)
• R-controlled vowels (15 Possible, 13 Benchmark)
• Long vowel spellings (15 Possible, 13 Benchmark)

Second Grade

• Letter Names- Uppercase (26 Possible, 26 Benchmark)
• Letter Names- Lowercase (26 Possible, 26 Benchmark)
• Consonant Sounds (23 Possible, 23 Benchmark)
• Short vowel sounds (5 Possible, 5 Benchmark)
• Long vowel sounds (5 Possible, 5 Benchmark)
• Reading short vowel CVC words (15 Possible, 14 Benchmark)
• Consonant blends with short vowels (15 Possible, 14 Benchmark)
• Short vowels, digraphs and -tch trigraph (15 Possible, 14 Benchmark)
• R-controlled vowels (15 Possible, 14 Benchmark)
• Long vowel spellings (15 Possible, 14 Benchmark)
• Variant Vowels (15 Possible, 14 Benchmark)
• Low frequency vowel and consonant spellings (15 Possible, 13 Benchmark)
• Multisyllabic words(24 Possible, 21 Benchmark)

Helping Your Student with Phonics Skills

When your student brings home their daily Saxon Phonics worksheets, take notice of the note to parents at the bottom.  Check your child on the skill they were taught in class and review as needed. You may also wish to visit our Early Literacy Skills page for more suggestions, links, and activities to help your student master phonics skills.