Free Dyslexia Test for Kids

The Lexercise Dyslexia Z-Screener^TM is an online test of a student’s ability to decode simple but unfamiliar words. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) include decoding regularly spelled, single-syllable words with short vowel sounds under Foundational Skills at a Kindergarten level.

The Dyslexia Z-Screener^TM uses nonsense words in order to provide an assessment of how well a student is able to sound out novel words that they have not memorized. Students with decoding difficulties like dyslexia may have memorized many common words but have persistent difficulty decoding unfamiliar words, especially those with so-called short vowels. The Dyslexia Z-Screener^TM was developed to specifically address this pattern.

Using words that start with -z- puts the focus on pronouncing the vowel sound and the following consonant or consonants, which is known to be particularly difficult for students who have processing difficulties like dyslexia. The simple nonsense words in this assessment increase the complexity in 9 bands labeled A through I. The assessment automatically stops when the student makes 5 errors in a band because it is unlikely the student will have success in the higher complex bands.

Thus, the Dyslexia Z-Screener^TM can be useful in describing the decoding patterns common in dyslexia but missed in reading assessments that use only real words that bright dyslexic students may have memorized as whole units.

There are many factors that contribute to how well a child comprehends and applies what he or she reads. While no single test can adequately capture that whole, complex picture, the Grade-Level Word Reading Assessment (SDQA) in combination with the Dyslexia Z-Screener^TM has proven to be a quick and reliable way to identify students who are struggling with reading words.