Sandbox Reading Assistant What are the components of the Benchmark Assessment?

The Benchmark assessment is composed of up to 12 components: the 11 components of the Dyslexia Screener and an oral reading fluency passage.

Depending on the grade level, the Benchmark assessment can be configured to include the following components:

• RAN

• Word Manipulation

• Nonsense Word Replication

• Letter Sounds

• Word Reading

• Blending

• Nonsense Word Fluency

• Spelling

• Vocabulary

• Listening Comprehension

• Oral Reading Fluency

• Reading Comprehension

For more information on the components of the Dyslexia Screener, which are all of the components except Oral Reading Fluency, please click here.

The Benchmark assessment can be given three times a year. The windows during which Benchmark assessments are administered, along with what components are available to each grade level during the assessment can be configured by an admin.

Some districts may opt to include Dyslexia screening tasks during 1-3 of these assessments as well. To learn more about the Dyslexia assessment, please visit How do I get students ready for the Dyslexia Screener and take a look at our quick video for how to get students ready for assessment.
 

Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)

During the ORF, students are first presented with a passage at their grade level. If they are unable to make sufficient progress on that passage, they may be re-leveled to another story. Students should be prepared to read the story for 4 minutes or until they complete the story - whichever comes first.
 

Before the ORF

Prior to the assessment, explain to students that:

1. Reading Assistant will explain what to do before they begin reading

2. They will be using their computer/iPad and headset/microphone to read aloud a story to Reading Assistant and that the story will appear appear on their screen

3. While they read aloud, Reading Assistant will be listening to them read - they should read quickly and avoid taking long pauses (note: long pauses or distractions will negatively impact scoring)

4. When they are ready to move on to the next page, they will click the green arrow at the bottom of the page - they should not click this arrow until they give that page their best effort. Note: The arrow button will appear gray until some time after the student has started reading, after which the button will turn green.

5. When they are finished reading, Reading Assistant will explain to them that their reading is being saved and that Reading Assistant will take care of logging them out

After the ORF task

The ORF portion of the assessment provides key insights and informs data found on the following reports: 

 
Oral Reading Fluency Passages Throughout the Year
 

Support