FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ACADIENCE

1. WHat is acadience? 

• Acadience is a research-based assessment tool used to measure and track a child’s progress in key literacy skills. It provides quick and reliable data that helps educators and parents understand where a child is in their learning and how well interventions, like the Barton tutoring program, are supporting their development. Acadience will allow us to know where your child is relative to grade level and how well our interventions are working to close the gap!  

2. Why is LDAM implementing Acadience into its Barton programming? 

• Our goal is to provide the best possible support for your child’s learning. Having the most accurate, up-to-date information about how your child is progressing in their literacy skills is essential. Acadience will help us gather that information, giving us clear insights into how well the Barton tutoring program is working for your child. By using Acadience screenings, we can track your child’s reading development over time ensuring that they are getting the right support for their learning needs. 

3. What types of skills will be assessed?  

• Acadience measures student use of the 7 essential literacy skills. These skills are: 

  • Phonemic Awareness  

  • Accurate and Fluent reading of text  

  • Alphabetic Principle and Basic Phonics 

  • Vocabulary and Oral Language  

  • Advanced Phonics  

  • Listening comprehension  

  • Reading Comprehension  

 Your child’s grade level will determine which skills are assessed. For example, a kindergarten student will focus on phonemic awareness, while an older student will be assessed on fluency and comprehension.  

4. Is there a cost to have my child screened? 

• No, there is no cost to have your child participate in the Acadience screening and progress monitoring. 

5. How often do Acadience benchmark assessments take place?  

• Acadience assessments happen three times a year (called "benchmark assessments") and focus on essential literacy skills such as phonemic awareness, reading fluency, and comprehension.  

• Our benchmark assessments will take place: 

  • Benchmark 1 - between January and March

  • Benchmark 2 - between April and June  

  • Benchmark 3 – between September and December.   

6. How Does Acadience Assess These Skills?  

• Depending on your child's grade, they will be assessed on: 

• First Sound Fluency (FSF) 

• Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) 

• Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) 

• Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF) 

• Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) 

• Oral Reading Fluency including retells (ORF) 

• Maze 

7. Are assessments mandatory for Barton students? 

• Acadience is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended. These assessments provide important data about your child’s literacy skills and information that can allow you to advocate for them in a school setting. 

8. Can Acadience detect a Learning Disability (LD)? 

• While Acadience is not a diagnostic tool for learning disabilities, it can highlight risks for reading and spelling challenges that are often associated with LDs. This early information can help you decide if you should seek a formal LD evaluation. 

9. How long will the screening appointment take? 

• Each screening appointment takes about 30 minutes, although the exact time may vary depending on your child’s grade. 

10. Where do screenings take place? 

• Acadience screenings will take place at our office located at 623 Erin Street.  

11. Who will receive the results? 

• Results will be shared with parents/guardians and your child’s tutor. With your permission, we are able share the results with your child’s teacher or resource team. 

 12 How do I book an appointment? 

• All appointments are scheduled through our booking site.  Before, each benchmark window opens, we will send out a reminder email. We ask that you schedule appointments with enough time between each benchmark assessment (at least 3 months apart). This ensures accurate tracking of your child’s progress.