ESL Phonics Progress Log (Free PDF)

A progress log for English learners that scores decoding and vocabulary separately, so a child isn't marked down for not knowing a word's meaning.

What’s inside

• An instructions page: test decoding with made-up words first (like "vop"), then the same patterns with real words, each out of 10.
• A log page with columns for date, pseudo-word score, real-word score, the gap between them, self-corrections and notes.

How to use it

1. Test every 6–8 weeks, not more often.
2. Score the made-up words first — they show pure decoding.
3. Score the real words; a big gap means vocabulary, not phonics, needs work.
4. Note self-corrections — they're a sign of growing skill.

Watch out for

• A child may decode a word perfectly without knowing what it means — that's why real and made-up words are scored separately.
• Testing more often than every 6–8 weeks mostly measures the test, not progress.
• Accent differences aren't errors; mark a word right if the sounds are correct for the child's accent.

Who it’s for

Teachers and parents of ESL learners aged 4–10.

Where it fits: Stage 2 — The Rest of the Alphabet

Goes well with

• Phonics for ESL Kids: Adapting Synthetic Phonics for Non-Native Speakers