Letter Sounds

JM 809
Letter Sounds Assessment

Place the Student Page in front of the student. Ask them to say the sounds that each letter or digraph represents on
their page. For correct responses, put a checkmark next to the letter. For an incorrect response, mark what they say
next to the letter. When they don't respond or say they don't know, mark the box with a dash.

Correct Incorrect Don't Know

a b d c -

Basic Consonants

t r d v c
n s j g m
z p f y w
b x h k l
____ / 20

Vowels

short e o i u a
long e o i u a
____ / 10

Digraphs

ch qu ck th wh ng sh
____ / 7

© 2024 Julia Shayto. All rights reserved. Phonics & Stuff

 Letter Sounds
JM 809
Letter Sounds Assessment - Student Page

Consonants

t r d v c
n s j g m
z p f y w
b x h k l

Vowels

e o i u a

Digraphs

ch qu ck th wh ng sh

© 2024 Julia Shayto. All rights reserved. Phonics & Stuff

Letter Sounds Assessment - Instructions
Preparation

1. Materials Needed: Ensure you have two sheets ready - one for the student, and the matching record
page. Check the code in the upper right corner to be sure the pages match.
2. Setting: Choose a quiet, comfortable location free from distractions. Both the teacher and the student
should sit facing each other with the student's sheet easily visible to the student. The teacher may
wish to put the record page on a clipboard, or put it behind a screen so the students cannot see what
they are writing.
3. Briefing the Student: Explain to the student that they will be looking at letters and telling you what
sound we say for each one. Assure them that it's okay if they don't know the sounds for some of the
letters, and encourage them to do their best.

During the Assessment

1. Starting the Assessment: Ask the student to look at the first letter on their sheet. Encourage them to
say the sound that each letter or digraph represents. If the student hesitates for more than 3 seconds,
gently prompt them to move on to the next letter.
2. Letter Names: If the student says the letter name instead of the sound for the letter, you may tell
them, “That’s the name of that letter. Can you also tell me the sound we say for it?”
3. Alternate Sounds: We would like the student to know the most common sounds associated with the
letters “c” and “g”: /k/ and /g/. Only these sounds should be counted as correct for these letters. If the
student responds with the alternate sounds (/s/ or /j/) you may tell them, “That’s one sound we say
for that letter. Can you tell me another one?”
4. Recording Responses:
o If the student says the correct sound for the letter, place a check mark next to the
corresponding letter on your recording sheet.
o If the student provides an incorrect response or only knows the name instead of the sound,
write down exactly what the student said next to the corresponding letter on your recording
sheet. To indicate that a student said the name of the letter instead of the sound, write the
letter in quotation marks like this: “s”.
o If the student does not know the sound, mark it with a dash to indicate no response was given.

Tips for the Teacher

• Maintain a Positive Tone: Offer encouragement throughout the assessment, regardless of the
student's performance.
• Corrections: Avoid correcting the student's responses during the assessment. The goal is to gauge
their current knowledge, not to teach them during the assessment.
• Follow-Up Assessments: Consider administering the assessment periodically to monitor the
student's progress over time. Use an alternate version with the letters in a different order each time.

© 2024 Julia Shayto. All rights reserved. Phonics & Stuff