How to Use Packets as Informal Assessment Tools

When people hear the word assessment in Orton Gillingham, they tend to think of formal evaluations like the Gallistel-Ellis or the Wechsler Individual Achievement Tests.

But in structured literacy, after the initial testing, that’s not where the most helpful information comes from. A good assessment is much simpler than that.

It shows you what a student can do on their own. It shows you where they get stuck. And it tells you what to do next.

That’s really all you need.

Big Assessments vs. Small Assessments

There is a place for larger, formal assessments, and unit tests, benchmarks, and evaluations can give you a general picture of progress.

But they don’t always show you why a student is struggling. That’s where informal assessments come in.

These are the small, everyday moments in a lesson:

• reading a word list
• writing from dictation
• dividing a word
• reading a short passage

These quick checks tell are a great way to know what the student is processing, see what they’re noticing, and watch how they apply what they’ve learned.

Why Packets Work So Well for Assessment

Packets are often thought of as practice, but when they’re structured well, they double as excellent assessment tools.

Take a VCCV packet like Reptile Words, where students are practicing Closed syllables with Magic-E syllables.

You’re not just handing a student a worksheet. You’re giving them repeated exposure to the same pattern, across multiple formats. They see the pattern, hear it, write it, and read it, all in one place.

That matters because students don’t learn words in isolation. They learn patterns.

And when you teach and assess through patterns, everything becomes clearer.

What You’re Really Looking For

When a student is working through something like VCCV words, you’re not just checking for right or wrong answers.

You’re watching how they think.

• Do they know where to divide the word?
• Do they recognize the closed syllable and the magic-e syllable?
• Can they read it once it’s divided?
• Can they write it when they hear it?

Sometimes a student gets the word wrong, ask, what do you hear in this word, as much as what do you see or why did you divide it that way.

How to Use a Packet as an Assessment

Start small. One word list or one worksheet is enough.

Let the student work through it, and resist the urge to move too quickly through each lesson. This is where you observe. Notice hesitation. Notice patterns in mistakes. Notice confidence.

Instead of correcting immediately, ask questions:
“What did you hear?”
or
“How did you decide where to divide that word?”

Dictation is especially helpful here.

When you say a word and have the student repeat it, write it, and read it back, you’re seeing three things at once: what they hear, what they can spell, and what they can read. It’s one of the clearest ways to assess understanding.

You can also use nonsense words to check whether the student truly understands the pattern.

If they can read a made-up word correctly, they’re not relying on memory—they’re applying what they know.

And finally, bring it into connected text.

A short passage with Reptile words shows you whether the student can carry the skill into real reading. That’s where everything comes together.

You can find more informal assessment tools in Packets and Readers.

Spiral vs. Exit Assessments

You don’t need a complicated system to assess progress.

Sometimes you’re simply checking, “Have they mastered this concept?” That’s an exit-type check. A quick word list, a short dictation, or one worksheet can tell you whether the concept is sticking and if it’s time to move to the next place in your scope and sequence.

Other times, you want to know, “Do they still have it later?”

That’s where spiral review comes in. You revisit the same pattern, but mix it with others. Maybe combine Reptile words with Rabbit or Candy words. Now you’re seeing whether the student can hold onto the pattern over time and apply it alongside others.

Why This Approach Works

When you assess this way, you’re not stopping instruction to give a test. You’re building an assessment into the lesson.

The student is seeing the pattern, hearing it, writing it, and reading it, in a natural flow. You’re getting constant feedback without adding pressure or extra steps.

And because everything is tied to patterns, the learning sticks more easily.

Where Packets Fit In

If you’re teaching something like VCCV syllable division, having a structured packet gives you everything in one place, including word lists, worksheets, dictation practice, and passages.

Instead of wondering what to do next, you already have a clear path for both teaching and assessing.

Final Word

Assessment doesn’t have to be formal or heavy.

It can be as simple as listening to a student read, watching how they divide a word, or hearing what they write from dictation.

When you focus on patterns and use tools consistently, assessment becomes part of the learning process—not something separate from it.