Reading Components ^RR

Because proficient readers read effortlessly, it is easy to forget that reading is a skill made possible by several sub skills, or components, working together. The ARCS^RR assessed twelve reading components: phonemic awareness, word attack (phonics), word recognition, spelling, oral reading accuracy, oral reading rate, rapid automatized naming (letters), word meaning (listening), word meaning (expressive), background knowledge, short term memory for numbers, and silent reading (text) comprehension.

On this web site, we have selected five of the components to picture different patterns of reading strengths and weaknesses: word recognition, spelling, word meaning, silent reading (text) comprehension, and oral reading rate. We chose these components because they are major determinates of reading ability and users of this website will be able to find tests to assess them.

Reading components can be divided into two groups:

• Print Skills (Alphabetics)
  
  
• Meaning Skills

Each group has its own section on this website. You will get the most out of the material if you begin with the Print Skills and then view the Meaning Skills.

Click here to begin with "Print Skills."