There are hundreds of formal literacy tests in the United States. In addition to a periodic national assessment, each state determines what formal assessments its school districts are required to use. School districts often use additional assessment methods, and teachers may use informal methods as well as the required tests to determine the needs of students. Schools report data from formal tests and assessments to state and national databases, where research institutes can access summary information.
Public schools are required to administer and report state standardized tests, the results of which determine federal funding eligibility under the No Child Left Behind Act. Each state has its own test, such as Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards, Virginia's Standards of Learning and California's Standardized Testing and Reporting. These tests all include a reading comprehension component.
The two most common tests required for college admission are the SATs (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Tests) and the ACT (formerly American College Testing) exams. The SAT includes a critical-reading section; the ACT includes a reading segment with comprehension questions. College-bound students generally take these tests in their junior or senior year of high school.
One example of a multicomponent reading assessment is the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS). PALS tests reading comprehension in first- through third-grade students. Students read a passage aloud to a teacher, aide or other assisting adult, then answer a series of multiple-choice questions about the passage. Teachers score the assessments and use the information to determine the areas in which students may need additional instruction. The scores are also reported to the PALS database.
Another example is the Rigby PM Benchmark assessment, used to determine reading levels for elementary school children. To test for comprehension, the child reads a story aloud and then retells it, describing setting, main characters, main ideas and the sequence of events.
The National Center for Education Statistics, under the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences, collects and organizes educational data and produces the annual "Nation's Report Card," also called the National Assessment of Educational Progress.