District Launches New ROAR Reading Screener for High School Students

This fall, high school students in grades 9–12 will take part in a short reading assessment called the Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR). Developed by researchers at Stanford University, ROAR is a free, game-like online tool designed to measure foundational skills—including word recognition, decoding, and reading efficiency—in a low-stress format.

Here is an overview of how the screening process works:

• When it happens: Students will complete the 5- to 15-minute screener during their regular English class the week of September 21–25.

• Why we use it: ROAR provides teachers with an accurate snapshot of each student’s reading strengths and identifies who may need extra support to read at grade level.

• Our two-step approach: To meet READ Act requirements, our district uses a two-step screening process. If ROAR scores show a student needs additional support, they will take a second assessment called Capti READbasix.

• What Capti READbasix measures: This diagnostic tool looks deeper into six core areas: Word Recognition/Decoding (5–8 min), Vocabulary (5–9 min), Morphology (5–10 min), Reading Efficiency (5–9 min), Sentence Processing (5–9 min), and Reading Comprehension (20–30 min).

• Next steps: Teachers and staff will use the Capti READbasix data to design targeted instruction and track student progress over time using select subtests.

• Privacy and research: Participation in ROAR contributes to national research aimed at improving instruction for diverse learners, including students with dyslexia. All data is strictly protected under legal privacy standards. Stanford receives only fully de-identified data—student names and personal details are removed completely. Families who prefer that Stanford not use or store their child’s de-identified research data can submit a Parent Opt-Out Form directly through Stanford University.

ROAR and Capti READbasix are routine tools to help us deliver the right instruction to every student. No student preparation is necessary for the initial screening.

Families interested in trying sample activities or reading more about the assessment can visit the ROAR Assessment Website.