Functional Literacy Assessment Tool (FLAT)
Hello my name is _____________________ and I am working as Brigada Pagbasa
Program Learning Facilitator working to do a short fun assessment about reading.
This information will help the program team to better understand children’s
experiences with reading in this area. I will not be writing down your name and this
will not affect your school grades, if you are in school – it’s not a test. It will take
about 10 minutes to do. Would you like to try it?
Consent given
If no, thank the child and move onto the next child
Talk to the child and build rapport. Take your time. Tell the child some things about yourself (number
of children and their ages, what animals / sports / hobbies you like). Ask the child something about
themselves, e.g. what do you like doing when you are not in school? Do you have brothers and sisters?
Ask the child the relevant questions to complete the form
 How old are you?
 Are you sponsored by World Vision? (Validate by asking for RC # or country of sponsor)
 Are you enrolled in school?
 When was the last time you attended? (ascertain if currently attending)
 If yes:
o What grade are you in?
o What kind of school do you go to? Is it a government school, private school,
religious school, community managed school...etc?
o
START – give the child the first card with the paragraphs and story. Say: “Now I am going
to give you something to read for me. Can you choose one of these two paragraphs
and read it aloud for me?”
Mark mistakes with a slash (/). If the child reads a word or letter incorrectly but then self-corrects, circle
the slashed word, so it is counted as correct. Use a clean form for every child or erase prior marks well!
Give the child more than one chance to read the text. Progress up or down depending on the
child’s abilities to find the highest level of reading the child can comfortably do.
FLAT Rating Scale
Can read nothing
Fewer than 4 out of 5 letters
Can read letters
4 out of 5
Can read common words
4 out of 5
Can read a paragraph of 4 simple sentences
No more than 3 mistakes
Can read a story
No more than 3 mistakes
Can read and understand a story
No more than 3 mistakes. Plus 2 out of 3
questions must be answered correctly
Can read and understand local material
2 out of 3 questions must be answered correctly
FLAT Tool Enumerator front page introduction and scoring guide
School Name:________________Community: _________________Date:___________Enumerator’s Name: ____________________
Functional Literacy Assessment Tool (FLAT)
General Information
#
School
Name
Class
Name or #
Age
Years
Sex
M=1
F=2
Structured learning environment
Information
WV
Sponsorship
Y=1 N=0
Currently
attending
Y=1 N=0
‘Currently’ means
was at school on
most recent school
day school open.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
TOTAL
F
Grade
Type
1= govt.
2=private
3=religious
4=community
5=other
Literacy level
Reading level
0= nothing
1= letter
2=words
3=paragraph
4=story
5 = story + 2 comprehension
6= local material + comprehension
Reading
Assessment (1)
Paragraph
START HERE. Ask child to choose one paragraph to read.
Paragraph
This is a big monkey.
He lives on a tree.
He likes to jump.
He also likes bananas.
Paragraph
Peter is six years old.
He loves to study.
He also likes to play.
Peter goes to school.
FLAT Enumerator Tool
If the child CAN read either paragraph
with less than 3 mistakes, then ask the
child to read the story
Story
A big tree stood in a
garden. It was alone
and lonely. One day a
bird came and sat on
it. The bird held a seed
in its beak. It dropped
the seed near the tree.
A small plant grew
there. Soon there were
many more trees. The
big tree was happy.
3
Reading Assessment (2)
If the child CANNOT read either
paragraph with less than 3 mistakes, then
ask the child to read any 5 words
If the child CANNOT read at least 4 out
of 5 words, then ask the child to read
any 5 letters
Words
Letters
both
step
m
t
z
cup
out
rope
dog
hat
key
wish
doll
FLAT Enumerator Tool
f
o
k
a
v
r
p
4
Comprehension Questions
Story comprehension questions:
1. Why was the tree sad?
a. it lost its friend
b. it was alone and lonely
c. there was no sun
d. don’t know
If the child can read the STORY with
less than 3 mistakes, then read the story
comprehension questions out loud to
the child and ask the child to answer
2. What did the bird drop near the tree?
a. a tree branch
b. a piece of bread
c. a seed
d. don’t know
3. Why was the tree happy at the end of the story?
a. it was not alone/many trees
b. the sun came out
c. it rained
d. don’t know
FLAT Enumerator Tool
5
Reading Assessment (3)
If the child can answer at least two of the three story comprehension questions correctly, then
ask the child to read the local material out loud and answer the comprehension questions.
Insert local material here, such as a passage from an informational leaflet, newspaper article, or other local language material.
Insert three comprehension questions about the local material.
FLAT Enumerator Tool
6