What "verified" means on the Skills page
Verified, checked, practicing and coming up: what each word on your child's Skills page means, and why a skill can go back to practicing.
Updated November 2, 2026 · 2 min read
Your child's Skills page uses four words. Each one is decided by what your child did, never by a guess.
The four words
| Word | What happened |
|---|---|
| Verified | Your child passed a check on the skill with no hints, including two made-up words, and then got it right again in a review a week later. |
| Checked | Your child passed the check. The review a week later decides whether it counts as verified. |
| Practicing | Your child has had the lesson and is practicing the skill in lessons and books. Mistakes here are normal. |
| Coming up | Not taught yet. Books avoid these sounds until they are. |
Why the check has made-up words
A child can remember a word without being able to read the pattern in it. Two made-up words (like "shup") show whether the pattern itself is known. The check is six items: three words from lessons, one real word your child has not seen, and the two made-up words. It passes at five of six, and both made-up words must be right.
Why a skill can go back
Skills come back for short reviews after 7, 21 and 60 days. If two reviews in a row go badly, the skill quietly goes back to practicing and the next lessons include it again. Your child is never told.
When a skill is taking longer
If a skill has been practicing for a while without settling, you will see a note on the Skills page that says so and what the next lessons do differently. It is not a diagnosis of anything. If your child has a teacher, it is worth sharing; schools can run a reading screening, and this note is not one.
What the numbers are not
Everything on the Skills page is a practice measure: it tells you what is working this week. It is not a reading level, a grade or a ranking against other children.
Still stuck?
Write to us with what you were trying to do and what you saw on screen.