At the beginning of the school year, a second-grade teacher assesses students' word recognition skills. Which assessment tool would be most useful for this purpose?

• A. An analysis of students' writing samples
• B. A vocabulary knowledge rating scale
• C. A sight-word inventory
• D. A spelling inventory

Answer: (C)

Focusing on which common words students can read instantly is essential for understanding early reading fluency. A sight-word inventory provides a quick, practical snapshot of this ability by having students read a list of high-frequency words and marking which ones they recognize on sight. That immediate recognition helps you see who already reads many words automatically and who needs targeted practice, so you can plan instruction and group students accordingly at the start of the year.

Writing samples show spelling and writing quality, not the speed of recognizing words in print. A vocabulary knowledge rating scale measures understanding of word meanings, not the ability to read the words aloud or recognize them instantly. A spelling inventory assesses spelling patterns and orthographic knowledge, which relates to writing and decoding skills but doesn’t directly gauge instant word recognition on the page.