Assessment is the process of collecting data to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each student and to guide next steps for instruction. Assessment can inform instruction because it provides information about important foundational reading skills. Assessment may be formal or informal and is conducted through a variety of methods: record reviews, interviews, observations, and testing.

Collecting informal assessment data throughout the school year helps to determine how to plan instruction, how to group students for small-group instruction, which students need individual support, and whether instruction is meeting students’ needs. There are three types of formative assessments that are typically used to inform instruction: screening, progress monitoring, and formative diagnostic tests.