Actionable data
Root Compass tracks 497 sub-skills and concepts across screening and diagnostic workflows.
For a complete domain map and sample reporting views, request the full framework from our team.
Request full sub-skill frameworkRoot Compass is an evidence-based tool built upon the Science of Reading. While most schools use universal screening to identify which students are at risk for reading difficulties, Root Compass is designed to follow those screeners and pinpoint exactly where support is needed within foundational literacy.
A screener tells you who is at risk; Root Compass helps clarify why. It illuminates specific foundational literacy gaps in decoding and word recognition that prevent a student from reaching word-level fluency. By targeting the Word Recognition strands of Scarborough's Reading Rope, Root Compass helps teams prioritize instruction with greater precision.
Reading comprehension can be understood through the Simple View of Reading model (Gough & Tunmer, 1986):
RC = D x LC
RC (Reading Comprehension) = D (Decoding/Word Recognition) x LC (Language Comprehension)
Students need both accurate word reading and language understanding for comprehension to occur. English is morphophonemic, meaning the writing system represents both sound (phonemes) and meaning (morphemes).
Root Compass is designed to maximize the decoding variable through a systematic assessment approach.
Root Compass tracks 497 sub-skills and concepts across screening and diagnostic workflows.
For a complete domain map and sample reporting views, request the full framework from our team.
Request full sub-skill frameworkA dedicated portal captures stroke formation and line placement for letters and numbers as trackable data.
Letter naming, sequencing, and accurate letter/number identification across varied fonts.
Letter-sound correspondence, irregular high-frequency words, and basic/advanced phonograms.
Syllable types, spelling concepts, and morphology (common prefixes and suffixes).
To isolate and measure decoding ability, words are presented in isolation using both real and nonsense words in one-syllable and multisyllabic structures. The model is intentionally rapid for teachers and precise for students.
1. The Pulse
A rapid, three-part assessment that typically takes less than five minutes:
2. The Precision
Students flagged by the screener move to 33 discrete diagnostics that pinpoint the exact sub-skill breakdown.
Each diagnostic includes four equivalent forms (A-D), supporting valid progress monitoring while reducing test familiarity effects.
Many students can mask decoding gaps by relying on memory, visual cues, or guessing strategies. Nonsense words remove those safety nets and require direct sound-symbol mapping.
For example, a student may read "bat" accurately but misread a comparable nonsense word like "jad." That pattern suggests memorization rather than transferable decoding mastery.
This approach helps teams identify where orthographic mapping is breaking down so instruction can be targeted with greater accuracy.
Root Compass was built from direct instructional need and refined through a six-month beta partnership with The Compass School in Kingston, RI, across K-8 instructional tiers.
Development was informed by classroom teachers, specialists, and special educators who completed over 100 hours of professional training and coaching in the Science of Reading with Root Literacy Design.
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