CORE Vocabulary Screening - Teacher Instructions and Scoring Guidance

Sep 28, 2026

113

Core Vocabulary Screening measures students’ understanding of grade-level word meanings through a synonym/near-synonym selection task with no reading-context clues. Designed for Grades 1–8, it can be administered in groups or individually and uses two parallel forms (A and B) for pre-, post-, and progress monitoring. Results report words-correct and categorize performance into Benchmark (75%+), Strategic (50–74%), and Intensive (49% or less), highlighting students needing vocabulary support.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Skill Assessed: What

Reading Vocabulary and Testing Overview

Why Vocabulary Knowledge Matters

Group/Individual and Testing Time

Materials and Teacher Instructions

Sample Item and Student Directions

Score Reporting and Performance Levels

Benchmark, Strategic, Intensive

What’s Next: Vocabulary Development

# CORE Vocabulary Screening SKILL ASSESSED ▶WHAT The CORE Vocabulary Screening measures howwellstudents know the meaning of grade-level words they readsilently.The task involves reading a word in a box and choosingwhich of chree answer choices means about the same as the wordin the box.It is a pure measure of reading vocabulary in that thereis no need to comprehend text in order to complere the task andthere is no context to provide clues to the meaning of the word. Reading Vocabulary Grade Level 1-8 Language English WHY Vocabulary knowledge is critical to understandinggrade-appropriate text.Even students who are good decoders willhave difficulty comprehending what they read if they do not haveadequate vocabulary knowledge.The CORE Vocabulary Screeningcan idenrify students whose vocabulary knowledge is significantlylower than that of their peers. Grouping Group/lndividual Approximate Testing Time 10-20 Minutes Materials HOW Students are tested in groups or individually;theyread a word in a box and choose(by underlining)one of the threeanswer choices which means abour the same as the word in thebox.The words in the boxes were chosen because they typicallyappear in boch literature and instructional text in a given grade.The correct answer is a synonym or near-synonym from a lowergrade.Two forms,Aand B,are provided for each grade level. ·Teacherinstructions (pp.120-122) ·Pencil ·Student Record Forms and Keys(pp.123-146) Author Make a copy of the assessment for each student.Be sure studentshave a pencil or pen to mark their answers.Have students wriretheir names and the date ar the top of the page. Michael Milone,Ph.D Read chese directions to the students:This activity is about wordmeanings.You will read a word in a box andsome other words in thesuame row,Underline the answer that means the same or about thesame as the word in the box.We wvill begin with a sample item.Lookat the sample at the top of the page.Read the word in the box and theother words in the row.Which answer means about the same as the word in the box?(piause)The word in the box is scream.The anstwerthat means about the samze as scream is yell;underline yell.(Allowtime for students to answer.) Now ue will do more items like the sample.For each item,read theword in the box.Tbink about what it means and then read the otherwords in the row.You should choose the ansver that means the sameor about the same as the word in the box;underline the answer youthink is correct.Do youthave any questions?(Answer any questionsstudents have.)You may begin now. Allow tíme for students to fill in their answers.If some studentsare lagging behind the others and need additional time,youmay allow them to complete the assessment on their own at adifferent time. ## The CORE Vocabulary Screening Tests for Grades 1-8 and theAnswer Keys are on the following pages. WHATIT MEANS The results of the readingvocabulary assessment are reported as the number of wordscorrect(see chart below).A student who scores at the Intensivelevel(49%or less correct)may be having significant difficultywith understanding grade-level material because of insufficientvocabulary knowledge.A student who scores at the Strategic level(between 50%and74%correct)may be having some difficultyunderstanding grade-level material because of insufficientvocabulary knowledge.A student who scores at the Benchmarklevel(75%or more correct)has adequate vocabulary knowledgefor typical reading, | CORE Vocabulary Screening Scores | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Performance Level | Proportion Correct | Words Correct | | Benchmark | 75%or more | 23-30 | | Strategic | between 50-74% | 15-22 | | Intensive | 49%or less | 0-14 | For progress monitoring purposes,the vocabulary assessment maybe used more than once if the students receive no feedback abouttheir responses.The two versions(A and B)of the assessment areapproximately parallel forms and can be used for pre-

FAQs

What does the CORE Vocabulary Screening assess?

It assesses how well students know the meanings of grade-level words they read silently by choosing the answer choice that matches the word in the box.

How are students tested and what materials are needed?

Students are tested in groups or individually. They read a word in a box and underline one of three answer choices, using pencil/pen and completing student record forms.

How are results interpreted?

Scores are reported as the number of words correct and mapped to performance levels: Benchmark (75%+), Strategic (50–74%), and Intensive (49% or less).

Can the assessment be used more than once?

Yes. For progress monitoring, the assessment may be administered more than once if students receive no feedback about their responses, using Forms A and B in rotation.

Sep 28, 2026

113

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair