High Frequency Word Evaluation
October 2021
What is the High Frequency Word Evaluation?
The High Frequency Word Evaluation is an assessment that takes inventory of your child's knowledge of the some of the most frequently used words in our language.
How the test is administered:
Students will be shown words from the list and asked to read them by sight. Students will NOT need to write the words but will need to be able to say them without sounding them out.
This is a promotion standard for first grade. There will be three opportunities to pass this promotion requirement. Students who do not meet the 80% passing requirement in November, will take it again in February and for a third time in May if needed.
Administration 1 November 1-19, 2021
Administration 2 January 31, -February 11, 2022
Administration 3 May 9- 20, 2022
If not showing 80% mastery of these words, the student will be required to attend summer school where a 4th and final assessment will be offered.
Flashcards
The flashcards provided are taken directly from the list given to us by the Houston Independent School District. The list is based on the Fry sight word research. The Fry sight words are the most common words used in English. We have taken the words and divided them into six groups utilizing common phonetic patterns.
Other Important Notes:
- There are 150 words on the list. The students are not tested on all 150 words. They will be tested on only 75 of the words but we are not given access to this list until the day of your child’s assessment.
- Why is the list we sent home color coded? This is primarily a management system for us. The 150 words given to us by the district were organized into these six groups based on both phonetic patterns and frequency within texts. The purple words are the easiest, and they get progressively harder as the work up to the red words. As your child is learning the words, focus on one color group at a time, until mastery is achieved. Then you can progress to the next color. It is also a good idea to review the words occasionally once mastered.
- We are also including a fun and simple game that can be played at home and helps to learn the sight words. The game is called “Roll-Say-Keep” and a PDF version of the game is below. You may want to put this game in a page protector or a Press-N-Seal bag to protect it as you play. It would also be a great idea to keep the High Frequency Words in a Press-N-Seal bag or other container so that they are not lost.
Other Activities to Try
Video Pronunciations of Each Color Group
Below you will find videos that Ms. Simone created for each color group. In each video, the words are pronounced twice. You can have your child listen to these videos to help them become more familiar with the words.