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Phonics assessment designed to inform instruction

Technology-based and research-proven phonics assessment

Science of Reading research proves that mastering phonics skills is critical for students learning to read. Knowing how well students are developing phonics skills gives teachers the insight they need to guide phonics instruction in grades 1–6, and for students who are struggling at any grade level.

Screen

Measure understanding of the 12 most critical phonics categories.

Diagnose

Diagnose 102 target skills and intervene knowing exactly where a student is struggling.

Analyze

Know which patterns to teach individuals, small groups, classes, and grades.

Instruct

Align results to the scope and sequence of your reading curriculum to gauge progress and needs.

Comprehensive Phonics Assessment

Efficient assessment in minimal time

12

Number of critical, common phonics categories assessed

102

Specific phonics skills assessed within those categories

Under 3

Minutes

Time per student to administer a comprehensive phonics screener

Phonics assessment insights for growth, learning, and support

Administrators: Monitor instruction and resources

Track progress throughout the school year to evaluate resource allocation and determine where phonics instruction may need emphasis or acceleration.

Teachers: Actionable data for instruction

Plan targeted, appropriate instruction for the whole class, small groups, and individual students to meet the needs of all learners.

Families: Track phonics skill development

Understand the letter sounds and phonics patterns your child knows and is learning to help support their further development and growth.

How it works

How does Star Phonics work?

1

Screen

Assess the phonics skills of all students in grades 1–6, or any student struggling with reading, in just 2–3 minutes each.

2

Review

Immediate reports show you where to focus instruction by illustrating which phonics categories are secure and which need additional attention.

3

Instruct

Use the provided instructional insights to know where to intervene and what to teach at the student, group, class, and grade levels.

4

Diagnose

Administered in 2-5 minutes per student, quickly and efficiently identify specific phonics skills and letter sounds that require instruction.

Learn more about Star Phonics assessments

Request a demo

Meet Star Phonics

Explore what makes Star Phonics so effective

Phonics screener data you can use

Focused

Assesses the 12 most critical phonics categories with error-level analysis to ensure students have mastered phonics patterns they’ll need and use the most.

Efficient

With intuitive administration on any device, teachers can complete assessments in 2–5 minutes per student and get instant insights—with no need for manual data entry.

Aligned

Track student learning and grade-level instruction with reports customized to align with the scope and sequence of your phonics curriculum.

Instructional

Immediate, easy-to-read reports provide skill-level insights, patterns of error, and instructional focus that teachers and specialists can use to personalize instruction for students.

Precise

Class, student, and grade-level reports help educators identify which skills to target with an entire grade level, whole class, small groups, and individual students.

The Science Behind Star Phonics

Learn more with the Science Behind Star Phonics, an in-depth and easy to understand look at what makes Star Phonics an effective phonics assessment.

Download the paper

Phonics screening and diagnostic assessments

A closer look at our phonics assessment tool

Grounded in the Science of Reading, the Star Phonics suite of assessments includes both a screener and diagnostic tests to complement your universal screener, providing the in-depth critical insights into student acquisition of phonics skills.

Screener & Diagnostic

Administer remotely or in-person with no need for manual data entry. Use any combination of two devices: desktop computers, laptops, or tablets. Students can also test on smartphones.

Your phonics curriculum

Customizable to any curriculum’s scope and sequence that follows a consistent teaching progression of phonics skills at each grade level.

Screener only

Screen 12 of the most critical phonics categories, ensuring students can decode the words they encounter when reading.

12 phonics categories

Measure understanding of key phonics categories

Diagnostic only

Get specific diagnostic information with error-level insights into which phonics skills need instruction and pinpoint exactly where a student is struggling.

Diagnostic Only screenshot 3

Monitor student progress over time so you can adapt strategies as needs change and students master more phonics patterns.

Research, articles, and more

Recommended research and resources

Phonics assessment based on the Science of Reading

The creator of Star Phonics shares why she developed a technology-based phonics assessment and how it helps educators answer essential questions about reading instruction.

Read more

Selecting a phonics assessment

Use this checklist to help you select a phonics assessment that provides valuable, actionable data to inform phonics instruction.

Use the checklist

Understand the conceptual framework for reading

Understand the conceptual framework for reading

Learn more

Development and research behind the assessment

Learn about the development process and research completed to demonstrate the reliability and concurrent validity of Star Phonics.

Learn more

Learn more about how the Science of Reading empowers student growth

Request a demo

I recommend Star Phonics, which is based on years of research, because it is the best phonics screener and diagnostic assessment available. It provides valuable information about phonics skills essential for instruction, especially for those students struggling to read words, including students with dyslexia.

Dr. Louisa Moats • a leading author of LETRS, consultant, and literacy expert

Star Phonics is built for schools. We are COPPA, FERPA, and CSPC compliant

FERP Logo

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records and allows parents and eligible students certain rights related to review, control and privacy of those records.

COPPA Logo

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Rule designed to provide parents control of personal information collected from their young children online.

CSPC Logo

The California Student Privacy Certification (CSPC) was originally developed to address the concerns of parents, educators and advocates specifically around California student data privacy legislation.

Try Star Phonics for 90 days!

Phonics assessment free trial offer

Explore the only phonics assessment that delivers instructional insights on 12 of the most critical phonics categories and 102 phonics skills with this free trial of Star Phonics. Educators who enroll will have 90-day access to the screening and diagnostic assessments and reports for a classroom of students.

While student data won’t carry over when you upgrade to the full version, you will be able to experience how these brief assessments can help you support students in becoming successful readers.

Free Trial
Basics
Access
90 days
Data
90-day access, no carryover to Premium
Online assessment
USE
Individual teacher use
School and district use
Screening
Measures 12 phonics categories
Reports at class and student levels
Reports at grade level
Diagnostic
12 assessments, one for each phonics pattern
Reports at group and student level
Additional features
Alignment to phonics scope and sequence
Limited
Specialist support for teachers
Rostering integration
Rostering support
Access to school-/district
Ability for Admin to make account/roster changes
Register
Star Phonics
Basics
Access
Year-round
Data
Year-round, continuous access. Data rolls over
Online assessment
USE
Individual teacher use
School and district use
Screening
Measures 12 phonics categories
Reports at class and student levels
Reports at grade level
Diagnostic
12 assessments, one for each phonics pattern
Reports at group and student level
Additional features
Alignment to phonics scope and sequence
Customization options to match your curriculum
Specialist support for teachers
Rostering integration
Rostering support
Access to school-/district
Ability for Admin to make account/roster changes
Request a demo
Free Trial
Star Phonics
Basics
Access
90 days
Year-round
Data
90-day access, no carryover to Premium
Year-round, continuous access. Data rolls over
Online assessment
USE
Individual teacher use
School and district use
Screening
Measures 12 phonics categories
Reports at class and student levels
Reports at grade level
Diagnostic
12 assessments, one for each phonics pattern
Reports at group and student level
Additional features
Alignment to phonics scope and sequence
Limited
Customization options to match your curriculum
Specialist support for teachers
Rostering integration
Rostering support
Access to school-/district
Ability for Admin to make account/roster changes
Ready for Star Phonics?

Find correlations, guidance documents, and other funding resources

Visit Renaissance’s comprehensive funding page for additional support

Learn more

Join our Kindergarten Field Test

Star Phonics is expanding its grade-level coverage by adding kindergarten into the existing product via a field test.

Join now

Want to learn more?

A Renaissance representative can provide you with a more detailed understanding of Star Phonics and help you decide if it’s the right tool for you and your students.

Request a demo

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