York Assessment of Reading Comprehension (YARC)
The York Assessment of Reading Comprehension (YARC) is a standardised assessment used to measure reading comprehension. It investigates the oral decoding (reading accuracy), fluency (reading rate) and text comprehension skills (reading comprehension concerning literal and inferential meaning). The passages included in the YARC tap into a range of skills: word-level decoding, reading fluency, vocabulary knowledge, grammar, ability to make inferences, knowledge of the world, knowledge of story structure and text format, and comprehension monitoring and error-correction strategies. Additional questions in the secondary version of YARC assess the pupil’s ability to identify the main points of the passage. The tasks take approximately 30 minutes.
Age range
There are two versions: for primary-age (4–11 years old) and secondary-age (11–16) children.
Who can use it?
Teachers.
How is it used?
The York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension: Early Reading and Passage Reading Primary (YARC Primary) includes an early years suite comprising four short tests specifically designed for 4–7 year-olds or older children with reading difficulties. The tests are as follows:
- Letter Sound Knowledge
- Early Word Recognition
- Sound Deletion
- Sound Isolation.
These tests for beginner readers may be administered as a set or in different combinations up to three times during a school year, or at key points during a period of learning or intervention.
Passage reading tests are used for primary- and secondary-age children.
In the primary version of YARC, children are required to read two passages out loud, and each passage consists of two parts: a text passage (to measure accuracy and rate) and eight comprehension questions.
In the secondary version of YARC, the passages are read silently. Each passage consists of three parts: a text passage, 13 comprehension questions and one summary block. The second passage is determined by the accuracy of the first passage.
What can it tell us?
A standard score, percentile ranks and age-equivalent scores for reading accuracy, rate, comprehension and single-word reading (SWRT). This means that the child’s score can be compared with that of hearing children of their age.
Pros
- Option to retest in 12 weeks, ie to show short-term progress after intensive support.
- Standardised assessment.
- May be useful in highlighting specific structures with which a child is having difficulty (e.g. decoding skills).
- Can be used to inform access arrangements.
- The useful online Score Conversion Tool changes raw scores into standardised scores and percentiles and produces clear printable report.
- The British Abilities Scale, Third Edition, has been co-normed with the YARC. As the same population is used and standardised in both tests, this means that any discrepancies between cognitive abilities and reading comprehension can be identified and compared.
- As it is not a written test, many parts of the YARC can be completed using Sign Supported English (SSE). However, if the test is given in such a way then the standardisation information is invalid.
Cons
- Scoring duration relatively long and requires careful attention.
- Each pupil tested individually so very time-consuming for a group of children.
- Text passages can be difficult for children to access.
- No pictures and large areas of text.
Is there a cost?
Yes.