Caveat Lens · Methods
How the scoring
works.
Every threshold behind every band, where the numbers come from, and what the screeners can and cannot tell you.
The principles
- Screening, not diagnosis. A screener points to whether a closer look is worth it; only an evaluation can say why a skill is hard.
- No norms, so no standard scores, percentiles, age equivalents or grade equivalents. Caveat Lens has not been tested on a large, representative group of children, and we do not pretend otherwise.
- Three bands: On track, Watch, and Talk to the school or an evaluator. The cutoffs are Caveat's own screening thresholds, printed below and next to every result.
- Published benchmarks only where they exist: reading rate is compared with oral reading fluency benchmarks (Hasbrouck and Tindal). Nothing else is.
- When in doubt, the thresholds lean toward a closer look. A Watch that turns out fine costs less than a missed concern.
How a screener's overall band is set
Each screener shows a band for every part it checks. Its overall band is the most concerning band among those parts: if any part is "Talk to the school or an evaluator," so is the screener. Parts that were not given, or a reading rate with no published benchmark, are left out.
How the report finds patterns
The summary report looks across screeners for combinations that commonly lead evaluators to look further: word reading and spelling (with sound skills and naming speed as support) for dyslexia; writing fluency and sentences for written expression and dysgraphia; computation and word problems for math; understanding that lags behind accurate word reading for language; and slow naming plus another slow timed task for processing speed. A pattern needs at least one part in "Talk to the school or an evaluator," or two parts in Watch, except the language and speed patterns, described above. Patterns are worded as reasons to ask, never as conclusions.
Oral reading: reading rate (words correct per minute)
| Grade | Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Not banded (no published benchmark) | On track 16+; Watch 9 to 15; under 9: talk | On track 34+; Watch 18 to 33; under 18: talk |
| Grade 2 | On track 36+; Watch 23 to 35; under 23: talk | On track 59+; Watch 35 to 58; under 35: talk | On track 72+; Watch 43 to 71; under 43: talk |
| Grade 3 | On track 59+; Watch 40 to 58; under 40: talk | On track 79+; Watch 62 to 78; under 62: talk | On track 91+; Watch 63 to 90; under 63: talk |
| Grade 4 | On track 75+; Watch 60 to 74; under 60: talk | On track 95+; Watch 71 to 94; under 71: talk | On track 105+; Watch 83 to 104; under 83: talk |
| Grade 5 | On track 87+; Watch 64 to 86; under 64: talk | On track 109+; Watch 84 to 108; under 84: talk | On track 119+; Watch 102 to 118; under 102: talk |
| Grade 6 | On track 112+; Watch 89 to 111; under 89: talk | On track 116+; Watch 91 to 115; under 91: talk | On track 122+; Watch 91 to 121; under 91: talk |
| Grade 7 | On track 102+; Watch 79 to 101; under 79: talk | On track 109+; Watch 88 to 108; under 88: talk | On track 123+; Watch 98 to 122; under 98: talk |
| Grade 8 | On track 106+; Watch 77 to 105; under 77: talk | On track 115+; Watch 84 to 114; under 84: talk | On track 124+; Watch 97 to 123; under 97: talk |
The On track cutoff is the 25th percentile and the Watch cutoff is the 10th percentile of the published benchmarks for that grade and season. Grades 1 to 6 use Hasbrouck and Tindal (2017); grades 7 and 8 use Hasbrouck and Tindal (2006), because the 2017 update covers grades 1 to 6. The benchmarks come from standardized passages; ours are original passages written for the grade band, so a result within a few words of a cutoff is best read as Watch.
Oral reading: accuracy and understanding
| Measure | On track | Watch | Talk to the school or an evaluator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accuracy (words read correctly) | 95% or more | 90% to under 95% | under 90% |
| Understanding (8 questions) | 75% or more | 50% to under 75% | under 50% |
Accuracy and understanding use the same cutoffs for every grade, because the passages are written for each grade band. The 95 percent accuracy line reflects the common guidance that text read below about 95 percent accuracy is hard for that reader.
Sounds and speed
| Grade band | Hearing and changing sounds (24 items) | Repeating numbers (longest set) | Repeating made-up words (10) | Naming speed, letters and numbers (40 items) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 1 and 2 | 70%+ / 50%+ | 4+ / 3 | 60%+ / 40%+ | 45 s or less / up to 60 s |
| Grades 3 and 4 | 80%+ / 60%+ | 5+ / 4 | 70%+ / 50%+ | 35 s or less / up to 48 s |
| Grades 5 and 6 | 75%+ / 55%+ | 5+ / 4 | 70%+ / 50%+ | 30 s or less / up to 40 s |
| Grades 7 and 8 | 80%+ / 60%+ | 5+ / 4 | 75%+ / 55%+ | 27 s or less / up to 36 s |
Each cell gives the On track line, then the Watch line; anything past the Watch line is "Talk to the school or an evaluator." Naming speed is the average time of the letters and numbers grids. Grades 1 and 2 also name colors and pictures: On track at 60 seconds or less, Watch up to 80 seconds. More than 4 naming errors on a grid makes that result at least Watch.
Word reading and spelling
| Measure | On track | Watch | Talk to the school or an evaluator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real words (20: 10 that follow common patterns, 10 irregular) | 80% or more | 60% to under 80% | under 60% |
| Made-up words (12) | 70% or more | 50% to under 70% | under 50% |
| Spelling (10) | 70% or more | 50% to under 70% | under 50% |
Words read correctly but slowly count as correct; the report also shows how many were read right away. A spelling that keeps every sound, such as "sed" for "said," is not correct, but the report counts these separately because they point somewhere different than missing sounds.
Learning skills check
| Measure | On track | Watch | Talk to the school or an evaluator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math computation (10) | 70% or more | 50% to under 70% | under 50% |
| Math reasoning (6) | 70% or more | 50% to under 70% | under 50% |
| Writing sentences (3 sentences, 9 points) | 70% or more | 50% to under 70% | under 50% |
| Reading comprehension (5) | 70% or more | 50% to under 70% | under 50% |
| Grade | Writing fluency: On track | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 12 words or more in 3 minutes | 8 to 11 words |
| Grade 2 | 20 words or more in 3 minutes | 13 to 19 words |
| Grade 3 | 28 words or more in 3 minutes | 18 to 27 words |
| Grade 4 | 34 words or more in 3 minutes | 22 to 33 words |
| Grade 5 | 40 words or more in 3 minutes | 26 to 39 words |
| Grade 6 | 45 words or more in 3 minutes | 29 to 44 words |
| Grade 7 | 50 words or more in 3 minutes | 33 to 49 words |
| Grade 8 | 55 words or more in 3 minutes | 36 to 54 words |
Writing fluency counts every word written in three minutes, spelled right or not. Fewer words than the Watch line is "Talk to the school or an evaluator."
Giving the screeners
- Oral reading: words read correctly per minute is words reached at the one-minute mark minus errors in those words; if a passage is finished in under a minute, it is words correct times 60 divided by seconds. The two passages are averaged. Errors are misread, skipped or supplied words (after about three seconds); self-corrections are correct.
- Repeating numbers stops when both tries at one length are missed; the score is the longest length with at least one try right.
- Naming speed uses grids of 40: five symbols, eight to a row, five rows, in a fixed order with no symbol twice in a row.
- Math answers are checked by value, so equal forms count. Word problems may be read aloud by the adult; reading them is not what is checked.
- Writing sentences: three checks per sentence (a complete sentence that makes sense; it does what the direction asked; capital letter and end mark).
Limits worth knowing
- A parent giving a screener at home is not a trained examiner in a controlled setting. Fatigue, mood, distractions and familiarity with the device all move results.
- Short screeners have few items, so one or two answers can change a band.
- Our passages and lists are written for each grade band, but they are not equated to any published test.
- A child learning English, or with a vision, hearing or attention difficulty, may score lower for reasons the screener cannot separate.
- A result in On track does not rule anything out. If you are worried, ask for an evaluation anyway.
Sources
- Hasbrouck, J., and Tindal, G. (2017). An update to compiled ORF norms (Technical Report No. 1702). Eugene, OR: Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon. Used for the reading-rate band, grades 1 to 6.
- Hasbrouck, J., and Tindal, G. A. (2006). Oral reading fluency norms: A valuable assessment tool for reading teachers. The Reading Teacher, 59(7), 636 to 644. Used for the reading-rate band, grades 7 and 8.
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act regulations, 34 CFR Part 300: Child Find (300.111), initial evaluations and the 60-day timeline (300.301), parental consent (300.300), prior written notice (300.503) and independent educational evaluations (300.502). Used for the letter and the next steps, in general terms.
- All other thresholds are Caveat's own screening thresholds, set for these items and grade bands. They are not norms.
Caveat Lens screeners are screening, not diagnosis. They do not diagnose dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, a language disorder, ADHD or any other condition, and they do not replace an evaluation by a licensed psychologist, a neuropsychologist or a school evaluation team. There are no norms behind them; the bands are Caveat's own screening thresholds. If you are worried about your child, ask for an evaluation anyway.
The other branches
One brand. Seven branches. Every grade, every next step.
For teachersCaveat ClassroomResources made to order, free tools, professional development, certification prep.
For studentsCaveat AcademySelf-paced courses for grades 6 to 12, from full-year classes to AP and SAT prep.
For parentsCaveat Co-OpHomeschool from kindergarten to grade 12, courses for parents, and plans with your Caveat advisor.
For college-bound students and familiesCaveat CollegeCollege credit in high school, the college list, applications, paying for college and the move to college.
For social-emotional learningCaveat CaresFeelings, friendships and self-regulation, for students, families and teachers.
For career exploration and readinessCaveat CareersA free Career Explorer, career pathways and electives, and getting ready for a first job.
Caveat Lens screeners are screening, not diagnosis. They do not diagnose dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, a language disorder, ADHD or any other condition, and they do not replace an evaluation by a licensed psychologist, a neuropsychologist or a school evaluation team. There are no norms behind them; the bands are Caveat's own screening thresholds. If you are worried about your child, ask for an evaluation anyway. The letter to the school uses general federal terms and is not legal advice; states add their own rules and timelines. Caveat Academic Services is independent and not affiliated with any school district or test publisher.