Which assessment strategy would most effectively determine a second grader's phonics application?

Determining a second grader's phonics application requires an approach that directly assesses their ability to use phonetic skills in a productive manner. When the teacher dictates a set of words for students to write and analyzes their encoding of different sounds, it provides a clear insight into how well the student understands phonics. This method allows the teacher to evaluate how accurately the student can identify and use sounds to construct words, which is a fundamental aspect of phonics instruction.

This dictation approach reflects the students' active engagement with the sounds of language and their ability to translate auditory information into written form. It not only assesses their understanding of phonetic principles but also highlights their spelling strategies and the application of phonics in real-time writing tasks. Such an assessment can yield rich information about a student's strengths and areas for improvement in their phonics skills, making it a highly effective strategy for evaluating phonics application.