The PALS PREK ASSESSMENT Make it work harder

The PALS PRE-K ASSESSMENT: Make it work harder for you Adapted from: Texas Family Literacy Resource Center

Objectives • Understand why to assess at the early preschool level • Identify and understand the benefits of implementing the entire assessment • Review the procedures for administering the assessment • Understand how to administer each part of the assessment • Discuss and identify supporting activities

Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening • A tool that measures young children’s understanding of emergent literacy fundamentals • A direct method of matching early literacy instruction to specific literacy needs • A way to recognize those children who are relatively behind in their emergent literacy development

So why administer the whole assessment? • To identify general degree of literacy development for the children in your class • Guide classroom instruction – identify specific areas that may need increased attention • For the class • For individual students • Identify children at risk for future reading difficulties • Integrate info. obtained into parenting ed and ILA

Parts of Assessment • Section I: Name Writing • Section II: Alphabet Knowledge – Part A: Upper-Case Alphabet Recognition – Part B: Lower-Case Alphabet Recognition – Part C: Letter Sounds • • Section III: Beginning Sound Awareness Section IV: Print and Word Awareness Section V: Rhyme Awareness Section VI: Nursery Rhyme Awareness

Name Writing – why is it important? • Highly correlated with letter recognition, print knowledge, and concept of word • Practice with name writing allows child to see that a group of letters can refer to people and objects • Reading and writing are interrelated & develop concurrently

Why is alphabet recognition important? • Early literacy research suggests that accurate, rapid naming of the letters of the alphabet is the single best predictor of early reading achievement. • An essential tool in connecting print and speech • Alphabet knowledge is currently viewed as one of the most accurate identifiers of a young child’s later risk for reading difficulties

Elements of Phonological Awareness – why are they important? • These three areas of the PALS Pre-K are basic parts of phonological awareness: – Beginning Sound Awareness – Rhyme Awareness – Nursery Rhyme Awareness • Awareness of speech at the individual sound level is essential to learn sounds and match speech to print.

Print and Word Awareness – why is it important? • Familiarity with books is an important precursor to learning to read • Children need to know that: – stories and other texts are written left to right – spaces between words matter – and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the words on a page and the words the reader says

The Building Blocks of Literacy Concepts Of Print How to “use books & print Alphabet Knowledge The shapes & sounds of letters Oral Language Talking & listening Phonological Awareness The sounds of spoken language

Sequence of PALS Pre-K Tasks • Can be administered in suggested order or in order most convenient for teacher • Suggested order for entire assessment: • • • * I. Name Writing II. Alphabet Knowledge III. Beginning Sound Awareness * IV. Print and Word Awareness V. Rhyme Awareness * VI. Nursery Rhyme Awareness Do not administer III. And V. consecutively (in order to avoid confusion)

Administration & Scoring • Time Required – No time limit – Usually 20 -25 minutes • Administration Management – Recommend administered by classroom teacher – If each section done separately, entire assessment should be completed in two weeks

MODIFICATIONS • Pre. K Bilingual Program – be aware if child is in Pre. K Bilingual – Assessment administered in English – Response in English expected – if child responds in another language they are still displaying letter recognition – Differentiate correct responses in English and those in another language on Summary Sheet for scoring later

Assessment Procedures Before the Assessment • Familiarize yourself with contents of the instrument and manual & watch the video • Complete name/date on form • Set up the testing area – Quiet location – All materials needed are available and ready to use – Minimize interruptions

Assessment Procedures During the Assessment • Introduce the task right before you ask the child to complete it • Administer practice items (more than once if needed) • Monitor child carefully – offer encouragement • If task too difficult and child frustrated – stop administration & indicate “task discontinued” on form • Score each item – See next slide!

Section I: Name Writing • Administration notes – Ask child to write their name – Ask child to draw a picture of themselves • Instructions – What to say – Where - Child Summary Sheet (back page) • Scoring – Minimum score: 0, Maximum Score 7 – Don’t score the drawing

Section II: Alphabet Knowledge • Part A: Upper-Case Alphabet Recognition – Administration Notes • Show one row or one letter at a time • Ask child to touch the letters or you can point to letters – Instructions • Tell child to put his/her finger on the first letter top of the page • Say…(see script in teacher’s manual – pg. 15) – Scoring at the • Score responses on Child Summary Sheet & enter total number of correct responses in score box. • Self-corrections are counted as correct answers. • Must score 16 or more to continue to Part B.

Part B: Lower-Case Alphabet Recognition • Administered only if scored 16 or more in upper-case – Instructions • Tell child to put his/her finger on the first letter at the top of the page • Say…(see script – pg. 16) – Scoring • Score responses on Child Summary Sheet & enter total number of correct responses in score box. • Self-corrections are counted as correct answers.

Part C: Letter Sounds Administered only if scored 9 or more in lower-case letters • Instructions • Say…(see script on pg. 17) • Note: Pronunciation Guide (not looking for long vowel sound) • Scoring • Mark slash through incorrect answers • Count correct answers • Enter score in score box

Reminder: Pals Pre. K Process Alphabet Knowledge Part A Uppercase Letters Scored 16 or more correct answers? No Discontinue Testing Yes Continue to Part B Lowercase Letters Scored 9 or more correct answers? No Discontinue Testing Yes Continue to Part C Letter Sounds

Section III: Beginning Sound Awareness • Administration Notes – Goal: for child to produce a beginning sound – Task can be used as a teaching exercise – whether responds correctly or not – tell child what correct answer was as you sort the picture cards • Instructions – Show picture of target word child repeats word ask child to produce first sound (teacher sorts cards) – Practice items can be repeated – Administer assessment – script (pg. 19) – If letter given – refocus to sound

Section IV: Print and Word Awareness • Administration Notes – While reading book – ask questions in script – Familiarize yourself with the ten items in the task – Script – pg. 24 • Scoring – Enter + or – on scoring sheet – Enter number of correct answers in score box

Section V: Rhyme Awareness • Administration Notes – Do practice items – use as teaching exercise (give correct answer only here) – Child can say the word or point to picture – If child says another word that rhymes – redirect to choose from pictures on page • Instructions – Guide through practice items – Administer test (repeat directions at any time)

Section VI: Nursery Rhyme Awareness • Administration Notes – Nursery rhymes read aloud and child gives missing word – Practice items only time practice together • Instructions – Do practice items – Administer assessment – If child doesn’t say missing word after 5 seconds – provide the correct word and go to the next item.

FAQ’S • Can I administer the assessment or instructions in Spanish? – No, the test is to be administered in English. • What if the child responds to letter names with letter sounds? Is it correct? – No, if the child gives the sound only, redirect them to provide the letter NAME. If they give both the sound and the correct letter name – it is correct.

FAQs, cont. • What if the child responds to letter names and/or sounds in Spanish or other language? – Yes, if they respond correctly in Spanish or other language for letter name or sound – it is correct. It is still letter recognition. • If a child is frustrated by PALS, may I stop administration? – If a child is clearly frustrated by a task, you may open up the task. • For example, a child who struggles with alphabet recognition may be shown the entire alphabet recognition sheet and asked to identify any known letters.

Teacher’s Manual Chapter 3, Page 34

Now What? !

Now… • Use the PALS Pre-K results and data to guide and plan your literacy curriculum!

Linking assessment with curriculum • When developing a curriculum, it is important to identify the goals one has for children’s learning • Assessment information is a starting point for curriculum development • The use of assessments (especially ongoing) provides the tools to realign the curriculum the

Supporting Activities • PALS Pre. K website – http: //pals. virginia. edu/PALSInstruments/PALS-Pre. K. asp • Activities, lesson plans, parent’s corner • Colorín Coloradό – http: //www. colorincolorado. org/educators/questions/earlyl it • A bilingual site for families and educators of English Language Learners • Get Ready to Read! – http: //www. getreadytoread. org/content/view/69/321/ • Free, downloadable resources for the Get Ready to Read! Skillbuilding activity cards (English/Spanish)

References & Resources • • http: //pals. virginia. edu/PALSInstruments/PALS-Pre. K. asp Ivernizzi, M. Using PALS Data to Plan Multi-tiered Intervention in Virginia. Retrieved July 10, 2007 from http: //pals. virginia. edu. Justice, L. M. , Pence, K. , Bowles, R. , & Wiggins, A. (2006). An investigation of four hypotheses concerning the order by which 4 -year-old children learn the alphabet letters. Retrieved July 6, 2007 from http: www. sciencedirect. com. PALS and Reading First. Retrieved July 10, 2007 from http: //pals. virginia. edu/Reading-First/PALS_ and_Reading_First. pdf.