Creative Ways to Assess Sight Words for Nonverbal Elementary Students

Hi Amy! Assessing sight words for a nonverbal student requires shifting our focus from expressive language (speaking the word) to receptive language (identifying or demonstrating understanding of the word).

Here are several actionable strategies and ready-to-use assessment frameworks you can use to track progress effectively.

1. Receptive Identification (Field of Choice)

This is the most common method. You provide a set of words, and the student points to or selects the one you name.

• How to do it: Place 3–5 word cards on the desk. Say, "Point to 'the'."
• Data Tracking: Record whether they selected the correct word independently, with a gesture prompt, or incorrectly.

Ready-to-Use Assessment Sheet:

2. Word-to-Picture Matching

This assesses if the student understands the meaning of the sight word (for nouns/verbs) or can distinguish the visual form of the word.

• The Task: Give the student a card with the word "jump." Ask them to match it to one of three pictures showing different actions.
• Activity Idea: Create a "Matching Board" where words are on Velcro on one side, and the student moves them to the corresponding picture or icon.

3. AAC Device Integration

If the student uses an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device (like Proloquo2Go, TouchChat, or a GoTalk), use it for "reading."

• How to do it: Show the student a flashcard of a sight word. Ask them to find and press that word on their device.
• Benefit: This bridges the gap between seeing the printed word and "saying" it through their voice output system.

4. Sight Word Sorting (Visual Discrimination)

This checks if the student can recognize the unique visual features of a word compared to "foil" words.

• The Task: Create a sorting mat with two categories: "Is the word YOU" and "Is NOT the word YOU."
• Materials: Give the student a pile of cards containing "you," "your," "yes," and "to." The student sorts them into the correct piles.

5. Eye-Gaze Assessment

For students with limited motor control, use an eye-gaze board (E-Tran frame).

• How to do it: Tape four sight words to the corners of a clear plexiglass board or even a large piece of cardboard with the center cut out.
• The Assessment: Ask the student, "Where is the word 'go'?" and observe their eye gaze. If they hold their gaze on the correct word for 3 seconds, mark it as a correct identification.

6. Digital Assessment via "Hotspots"

Using a tablet or touchscreen computer can be highly engaging and provides a clear "click" or "touch" response.

• Tool Tip: You can create interactive slides where clicking the correct word triggers a fun sound or animation.
• Pro Tip: If you'd like to create a visual presentation for these assessments, you should use Alayna's AI Slides Generator for Google Slides. It can be installed from the Google Workspace Marketplace and accessed directly from within Google Slides via Extensions → Alayna AI for Google Slides™. You can prompt it to "Create a 5-slide presentation with one large sight word per slide and three distractor images."

Sample "Sight Word Mastery" Checklist for Hrishi

You can print this and use it to keep a running record of the student's receptive vocabulary.

Student Name: ____________________
Skill: Receptive Identification of Dolch Pre-Primer Words

Key: Check off each successful trial. 3/3 indicates mastery for that session.

Do you have a specific list of sight words you are working on right now? I can help you build a custom data sheet for those specific words!