Reading & Literacy

What Is ‘Encoding’? Test Your Knowledge About a Core Element of Literacy

By Marina Whiteleather — April 17, 2023 1 min read
Young writer looking at a flash card showing a picture of a dog and writing various words that begin with a "D" like dog, donut, duck and door.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

What is encoding? And is it as important to the science of reading as its counterpart, decoding? Test your knowledge by taking our quiz.

Once you complete the quiz, you can see how your score compares to your peers’, get detailed explanations of the correct answers, and find additional reading and resources on the topic.

For more reading on the place of writing instruction in elementary literacy, read our special report, The Science of Reading ... and Writing.

Related Tags:

Coverage of students with learning differences and issues of race, opportunity, and equity is supported in part by a grant from the Oak Foundation, at www.oakfnd.org. Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

Events

Webinar Supporting Older Struggling Readers: Tips From Research and Practice
Reading problems are widespread among adolescent learners. Find out how to help students with gaps in foundational reading skills.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Improve Reading Comprehension: Three Tools for Working Memory Challenges
Discover three working memory workarounds to help your students improve reading comprehension and empower them on their reading journey.
Content provided by Solution Tree
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Reading & Literacy Opinion How Should Teachers Deal With Problematic Language in Literature?
Offensive prose does show up in books. Ignoring it doesn't help students.
10 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Novels vs. Excerpts: What to Know About a Big Reading Debate
Here are three core things to keep in mind about new evidence on the texts used in reading classes.
3 min read
Timothy Rimke reads during Casey Cuny's English class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2025.
Timothy Rimke reads during Casey Cuny's English class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2025. Some observers of English/language arts curriculum fear that several growing in popularity subordinate the reading of novels and whole texts to shorter excerpts, but the evidence is still sketchy.
Jae C. Hong/AP
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Quiz
Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Building Strong Writers?
Answer 7 questions about the key strategies and foundations for building strong writers.
Reading & Literacy These Teachers Have Their Students Read Multiple Novels a Year. How They Do It
Making time for reading, checking for understanding, and presenting works in context are top priorities.
5 min read
Students in Saxon Brown's 9th grade English class take turns reading as the different characters in To Kill A Mockingbird during class at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024.
Students in Saxon Brown's 9th grade English class take turns reading as the different characters in <i>To Kill A Mockingbird</i> during class at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024. Teachers say several tips help them build the scaffolding and stamina kids need to tackle complex novels like Harper Lee's masterpiece.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week