Test a child's reading grade level using the Gunning's Fog Readability Formula. Choose a reading passage with approximately 100 words and count both the number of sentences and words in the text material.
Divide the number of words by the number of sentences in the reading passage. This figure is commonly referred to as the Average Sentence Length figure, or ASL. Count all of the words with three syllables or more in the text, but omit proper nouns. Words with at least three syllables are considered "hard" words for elementary readers. Typically, hyphenated words and words which would have only been two syllable words if an "ed" or "es" ending was not present are not counted.
Divide the "hard words" figure by the total words in the passage to determine the PHW, Percentage of Hard Words. Add the PHW and the ASL together. Multiply the new total by 0.4. The answer to the mathematical equation is the student's reading grade level. The typical scores for advanced high school students and adults on the Fog Index is a 7 or 8.
Create flash cards or a list of the Dolch Sight Words to test student spelling skills. Approximately 220 words which cannot be "sounded out" phonetically and must be memorized. The Dolch list also contains 95 nouns that are not typically used for evaluation purposes by teachers, but can be included if you choose.Study the words with the child to teach correct pronunciation and spelling. Allow the child to trace or write the letters onto a separate sheet of paper. The word lists can be printed from online education websites in grade level sets.
Read the word to the child, repeating it twice and using it in a full sentence. Instruct the child to write the words down. Review the spelling of each word and tally the number of correct responses to determine if the child accurately spelled at least 85 percent of the words appropriate for the specific grade level. The Dolch list is designed with words deemed appropriate for first through high school grade levels.