: Sit next to the child so they can easily see the text while you mark their progress on a separate copy.
If you are a first-time assessor—whether you are a newly certified teacher, a homeschooling parent, or a volunteer tutor—the Holborn scale is highly advantageous for several reasons:
: It is commonly used for primary school-aged children and as a diagnostic tool for older students struggling with foundational literacy.
For a successful first-time administration, follow these procedural steps:
: Instructional level (needs teacher support). : Sit next to the child so they
Ensure a quiet, comfortable space free from distractions.
The Schonell Reading Test, developed by F.J. Schonell in 1942, is another classic word recognition test that can be found in free formats online. It offers a complementary perspective to the Holborn scale's sentence-based approach.
Free Holborn Reading Scale Manual Test Sheets Programs For First Time
: For first-time teachers, ReadingWise provides a directory of free reading age assessments and comparison tools. 2. Administration Instructions for First-Time Users Ensure a quiet, comfortable space free from distractions
Ensure the child is comfortable. Explain that they will read some sentences aloud, and that the sentences will become progressively harder.
Mark a tick above every word the student reads correctly.
For a more robust digital solution, look for open-source educational software or free trial tiers of speech therapy platforms. These programs allow you to log multiple student profiles, track reading intervention milestones, and generate downloadable PDF reports for parents or school administrators.
The Holborn Reading Scale is a standardised test consisting of 33 sentences that increase in difficulty. It is designed to be read aloud, and its primary purpose is to determine a reading age. The test is simple to administer and provides valuable information about a child's single-word reading accuracy. The assessment measures reading accuracy—the ability to correctly identify words in a text—and reading comprehension, though the focus is primarily on the former. It offers a complementary perspective to the Holborn
Several resources offer free or low-cost access to Holborn Reading Scale manual test sheets and programs for first-time users:
The instruction is to tell students the words they are unable to name, but be careful not to prompt too quickly. Give the student a few seconds to attempt the word before providing assistance.
. For first-time users, several educational platforms provide the manual, test sheets, and instructions for free. Manual & Core Instructions
The test is administered by having the child read sentences aloud until they fail to name four words Anzac Terrace Primary School