Assessing Letter Sound Knowledge: A Comparison of Letter Sound Fluency and Nonsense Word Fluency

Abstract

This article compares 2 fluency-based assessments of letter sound knowledge: letter sound fluency and nonsense word fluency (NWF). Ninety-one children were administered both assessments 5 times during the second half of kindergarten. The assessments were comparable for concurrent and predictive criterion-related validity at single points. The ability to accurately identify which students were at risk for reading difficulty using a single assessment point was examined using established and modified benchmarks. Additionally, 2 scores were analyzed for NWF: total number of sounds and number of sounds blended together in words. Students' responses to NWF varied within and across assessment points. This variability should be considered when NWF is used to make progress monitoring decisions about beginning readers.