W.O.R.D. is an acronym for Written Oral Reading Diagnostic Test™.
 
The W.O.R.D. Test is a crucial tool in identifying and addressing phonological deficiencies in students. It measures how well students translate spoken words into sounds and written words into spoken sounds. Spelling is the ability to translate spoken words into sounds and label each sound with its corresponding letter symbol. Reading is the ability to translate written words into spoken sounds and blend those sounds into a sequence representing the same sequence of letters in the printed word. Since spelling and reading are based on sounds, weaknesses in either area usually result from a deficiency or lack of fluency in processing speech sounds. The W.O.R.D. Test detects sound processing deficiencies and helps parents and teachers determine where the weaknesses exist and how they can be fixed. Though the W.O.R.D. Test is not a standardized or norm-referenced test, it can be used to accurately diagnose the existence or severity of any phonological (sound) core deficiencies.
 
The W.O.R.D. Test is, therefore, designed to answer the following fundamental questions:
How strong or weak are the student's foundational sound and word processing skills?
If there are deficiencies in the student's foundational literacy skills, where do they exist, how severe are they, and what must be done to remedy them?
 
The W.O.R.D. Test has three modules: 
The Oral Word Spelling Assessment™
The Oral Word Reading Assessment™.
The Oral Language Assessment
 
 
The Oral Word Spelling Assessment (T.O.W.S.A.)™ measures how well the student can segment spoken words and word parts and write or pronounce them as a series of letters that match the sound sequence in the spoken word.
 
The Oral Word Reading Assessment (T.O.W.R.A.)™ measures how well the student can convert printed letters, word parts, and words into speech sounds and pronounce them as the coherent spoken sound sequences they represent.
 
The Oral Language Assessment (T.O.L.A.)™️ measures how well students can understand oral language and respond to it in spoken and written form.