The Phonics Advantage Reading Assessment (PARA) is an online assessment designed to identify each student's current Reading Milestone and monitor progress towards the next. The assessment consists of 50 reading items, referred to as challenges, organized into the ten Reading Milestones. The challenges are aligned with the foundational reading outcomes found in the curricula of most states and provinces, providing teachers with reliable evidence to guide instruction.
PARA is administered individually, with the teacher or educational assistant sitting beside the student. Each challenge is presented through a series of short activities that increase in difficulty, allowing teachers to determine whether the skill is not yet evident, emerging, mastered, or demonstrated with confidence. Most students complete a monthly assessment in about 10 to 15 minutes.
As teachers record student performance, results are entered directly into the online system and analyzed immediately. Classroom and school reports provide an up-to-date picture of each student’s progress, helping teachers identify students who require additional support, students progressing as expected, and students who are ready to work toward the next Reading Milestone.