The Best FREE Progress Monitoring Assessments in Reading for Students with Learning Disabilities

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The Best FREE Progress Monitoring Assessments in Reading for Students with Learning Disabilities


A curated list of powerful, no-cost tools to help educators track and support reading growth in students with learning disabilities and challenges, including Dyslexia.

When it comes to teaching reading to students with learning disabilities, targeted interventions are essential - but targeting just one area of reading isn’t enough. Research consistently shows that an intervention focused solely on a single component (like phonics or fluency) is far less effective than one that addresses all five pillars of reading.

So, what does this mean for how we teach reading?

It means our approach must be comprehensive. To ensure meaningful growth, interventions and progress monitoring alike must cover all five core areas of reading:
  • Phonemic Awareness
  • Phonics
  • Fluency
  • Vocabulary
  • Comprehension
This is especially critical for students with reading disabilities. When we monitor only one or two components, we miss key indicators of their true progress—and where they still need support.

Why Progress Monitoring Matters

Progress monitoring isn't just a box to check. It provides real-time data to drive instruction, adjust interventions, and celebrate growth. For students with learning disabilities, it helps ensure they’re not falling through the cracks.

And the good news? You don’t need a huge budget to get started. There are free, research-based tools available for each reading component.

Best FREE Tools for Monitoring All 5 Pillars of Reading

Here’s a breakdown of effective, free tools you can start using today:

🔸 Phonemic Awareness:

Tool: PAST (Phonological Awareness Skills Test)
  • Measures students’ ability to manipulate sounds—critical for decoding.
  • Great for K–2 and struggling older readers.
Download the PAST HERE

🔸 Phonics:

Tools:
  • Quick Phonics Screener (QPS)
  • CORE Phonics Survey
  • DIBELS Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF)
These tools assess decoding at different levels and help pinpoint where students need instruction.

QPS is especially helpful for identifying gaps in basic phonics knowledge. 
  • Download the QPS HERE
The CORE Phonics Survey determines if a student can accurately decode words by applying their knowledge of sound-letter correspondences.
  • Download the CORE Phonics Survey HERE
DIBELS NWF is quick and reliable for assessing decoding automaticity.
  • Download DIBELS HERE
🔸 Fluency:

Tools:
  • DIBELS Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)
  • Word Reading Fluency (WRF)
  • Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)
Fluency bridges the gap between decoding and comprehension. These tools help track rate, accuracy, and expression.
  • Download DIBELS HERE
🔸 Vocabulary:

Tool: CORE Vocabulary Screener

The CORE Vocabulary Screener measures understanding of high-utility academic words. Use it to monitor students’ ability to understand and use essential vocabulary. Remember - a strong vocabulary supports both fluency and comprehension.
  • Download the CORE Vocabulary Screener HERE
🔸 Comprehension:

Tools:
  • DIBELS Maze Passages
  • Cloze Measures
  • CUBED - Language Dynamics NLM (Narrative Language Measure)
These assess a student’s ability to understand and make meaning from text—a skill that brings all the other components together.
  • Download DIBELS HERE
  • Download the CUBED pencil and paper version HERE

✅ Why These Tools Work for Students with Learning Disabilities

  • They’re short, frequent, and focused - perfect for tracking small but significant gains.
  • Designed for precision, they help educators quickly adjust instruction.
  • They’re free and accessible, eliminating barriers for schools and teachers.
📥 👉 Click HERE to access progress monitoring tools!

If we want students with learning disabilities to become successful readers, our interventions and progress monitoring must be just as comprehensive as the science of reading demands. Using free, research-backed assessments for all five pillars of reading ensures that every student gets the support they truly need.

Let’s teach smarter, intervene stronger, and progress monitor better - together.

Happy Teaching!
Miss Rae






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