Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE-2) Kit

Ages: 6-0 through 24-11 years, Testing Time: 5-10 minutes, Administration: Individual

The Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE) is a quick and reliable way to assess efficiency of sight word recognition and phonemic decoding in children and adults. Its purpose was to provide professionals in schools and clinics with a reliable and valid measure of fluency and accuracy of print-based word-reading skills.

The Test of Word Reading Efficiency-Second Edition (TOWRE-2) is a measure of an individual’s ability to pronounce printed words (Sight Word Efficiency) and phonemically regular nonwords (Phonemic Decoding Efficiency) accurately and fluently. Because it can be administered very quickly, the test provides an efficient means of monitoring the growth of two kinds of word reading skill that are critical in the development of overall reading ability.

Uses for the TOWRE-2 The current edition of the TOWRE has been widely used for three different purposes:

1. Early identification. The TOWRE-2 can be used in identifying children in the early elementary grades who will require more intensive or explicit instruction in word reading skills in order to make adequate progress in learning to read.
2. Diagnosis of reading disabilities. The test is also being widely used as part of a battery of tests for diagnosis of specific reading disabilities in older children and adults. The TOWRE-2 can be used either as a replacement for or as a supplement to standard diagnostic tests of context-free word reading ability currently in use.
3. Research. Since its publication in 1999, the TOWRE has been widely used in research as a quick and reliable assessment of word-level reading skills in both large and small research populations.