The TERA-3 is a direct measure of the reading ability of young children ages 3.6-8.6 years. Rather than assessing children’s readiness for reading, the TERA-3 assesses their mastery of early developing reading skills.
- Includes three subtests: Alphabet, which measures knowledge of the alphabet and its uses; Conventions, which measures knowledge of print conventions; and Meaning, which measures the construction of meaning from print. An overall Reading Quotient is also produced.
- Can be used to identify children who are significantly below their peers in reading development, identify the strengths and weaknesses of individual children, document a child’s progress as a consequence of early reading intervention programs, serve as a measure in reading development research, and serve as an adjunct to other assessments.
- Normative information is stratified by age relative to geography, gender, race, residence, and ethnicity. Reliability is consistently high, with nearly all coefficients approaching or exceeding .90. Validity studies have shown that the test is valid for a wide variety of subgroups as well as for the general population.