New Hampshire Foundations of Reading Practice Test

During which stage do readers begin to use a combination of reading strategies to decode texts?

1. Fluent reading

2. Transitional reading

3. Emergent reading

4. Early reading

The correct answer is: Early reading

The correct answer, early reading, refers to a stage in a child's reading development where they begin to engage with texts more independently and apply a variety of decoding strategies. At this stage, children typically start to recognize sight words, use picture clues, and apply phonetic skills to sound out unfamiliar words. During early reading, children transition from learning to read to reading to learn, allowing them to combine different strategies that support their understanding of the text. This is a crucial moment in literacy development as children develop confidence and competence in their reading abilities, making it an essential foundation for fluent reading later on. In contrast, the other stages each have distinct features: emergent reading focuses primarily on pre-reading skills such as understanding print concepts, transitional reading involves a greater proficiency and confidence in reading but may still rely on some simplistic strategies, and fluent reading indicates a high level of reading skill and comprehension, where strategies are employed fluidly and without conscious effort.