Each letter of the alphabet has an oral language sound that is most commonly associated with that letter. Some letters have multiple sounds.
For example, vowels have short sounds and long sounds. Some letters such as ‘y’ represent other sounds such as the long ‘e’ sound in baby.
One of the first requirements for learning how to read is to recognize all the letters of the alphabet in both lower case and upper case and to correctly associate the most common language sound, or phoneme, with each letter. This is part of the Common Core Standard for kindergarten. At this stage it does not include complex codes and long vowel sounds, only the short vowel sounds. These sounds and code are introduced in grade 1.
The Letter/Sound Evaluation plays each of the 26 sounds twice and gives students a choice of letters to select, once in lower case and once in upper case. The test only takes about five minutes to complete. A report is available through the school’s administrative system which lists what letter was selected for each sound played.
Teachers can quickly identify which students have not mastered this standard and determine patterns of incorrect choices. This helps teachers to develop a reading plan for each child to focus where they need the most help.
The Program also provides a training module to help train the letters and sounds.
The administrative system provides reports for schools to help meet district and state reporting requirements.
Letter/Sound Tutorial
There is also a tutorial available under the Resource Tab when a student logs into the training area.
This tutorial allows a student to practice each sound as needed.