The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check (PSC) is an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know and can do when blending sounds together to read words.
The short assessment provides teachers with an overview of a student’s progress in phonics. It helps them make decisions during the teaching and learning cycle.
What you need to know
The PSC is an optional online reading and numeracy assessment.
- It’s available to Catholic schools in NSW with a Year 1 student cohort in term 3 each year.
- Registration for participation in the PSC opens in mid-term 2.
How is the PSC administered?
The online assessment takes 5-7 minutes. Teachers assess each student individually.
- The PSC allows schools to enter student information during the first 5 weeks of term 3.
- Teachers use an online NSW Department of Education tool – PLAN2.
- The PSC assessment items use auto-mapping in PLAN2 to the Literacy Progressions and the NSW K-6 English syllabus outcomes. Teachers can access the analysis.
How does this information support teachers?
- The Student Assessment Analysis provided after the PSC assessment assists teachers to make decisions that will help inform the next steps to meet a student’s individual learning needs.
- Teachers can access online professional learning to assist with the administration of the assessment and the analysis of the student's results.
More information
For information regarding Catholic school participation in the PSC assessment, please get in touch with karen.ferrante@csnsw.catholic.edu.au.