What Is the Scholastic Reading Inventory Practice Test?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated November 30, 2015

The Scholastic Reading Inventory practice test is a free resource made available by Scholastic Inc. for parents to use to gauge the reading and writing skills of their children. These practice tests are at-home versions of the Reading Inventory assessment that professional educators use, which typically take about 30 minutes for children to take. These tests help judge all levels of reading skills in phonics, grammar and reading comprehension, from kindergarten through college.

The Reading Inventory practice tests and assessments are designed to help identify a child’s strengths and weaknesses in reading and comprehension of texts, as well as identify any learning issues that may need to be addressed. The tests are intended to be administered several times each year throughout a child’s development in order to track progress. Additionally, through regular administration of the tests, the Reading Inventory can help forecast a child’s expected learning trajectory.

Teachers and parents can use the Reading Inventory test results both to determine what sort of additional support a struggling student needs to succeed and to ensure that more advanced students are given appropriately challenging but achievable goals. The ultimate goal of the Reading Inventory is to help prepare all students for college-level material.