The Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (SDRT) is a group-administered, norm-referenced multiple-choice test that assesses vocabulary, comprehension, and scanning skills. The SDRT is administered mid-year to students in Grades 4-10. (At Grade 4, only Fluent English Speakers take the SDRT. In 1999-2000, testing was limited to Grades 5-9 and few English learners were tested.) The SDRT provides information on student progress, targets individual students who are in need of additional reading support, and provides data on the effectiveness of support and intervention programs. SDRT test results provide preliminary student placement information.

The SDRT provides a grade-level equivalent for each student's overall reading level and vocabulary, comprehension, and scanning skills. The overall reading level is compared to the student's grade level, including month of instruction, to determine how the student is doing compared to the expected reading level:

• Above, at, or close to grade level: No more than one year below grade level.
• Below grade level: More than one year below grade level, but no more than three years below grade level at grades 6-10 and two years below grade level at grades 4 and 5.
• Significantly below grade level: More than three years below grade level at grades 6-10; more than two years below grade level at grades 4 and 5.

The SDRT summaries for each school and the district indicate how students performed on the SDRT. They display the number and percentage of students at various levels in relation to their expected grade level for each of the applicable Grades 4-10. The first page displays results for all tested fluent English proficient students. The second page breaks out results on the SDRT for English learners with different lengths of district enrollment.

The last administration of the SDRT was in 2003-04. Beginning in Spring 2005, the district replaced the SDRT as the district-mandated reading assessment with the Degrees of Reading Power (DRP).

SDRT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

District Summary