What type of test should the teacher administer to assess Tad’s reading issues?

Administering a phonics test to assess Tad's reading issues is an effective approach because phonics instruction focuses on the relationship between sounds and their corresponding letters or groups of letters. If Tad is experiencing difficulty with reading, a phonics assessment allows the teacher to determine if he struggles with decoding words, which is a crucial skill in early reading development.

Phonics knowledge is vital for developing reading skills since it helps students understand how to sound out words and recognize patterns in spelling. By identifying specific areas of weakness in phonics, the teacher can tailor instruction to improve Tad’s reading fluency and comprehension, ultimately supporting his overall literacy development.

Other assessments, such as vocabulary tests, comprehension tests, or fluency tests, may not pinpoint the foundational decoding challenges that phonics tests address. These other tests can assess different skills and may be useful in a broader evaluation of reading competence, but they do not directly measure Tad's ability to connect sounds with letters, which is essential for reading proficiency.