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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

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

11. 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)

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

13. MODIFICATIONS
PreK Bilingual Program – be aware if child is in PreK 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

14. 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

15. 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!

16. 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

17. 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 at the top of the page
Say…(see script in teacher’s manual – pg. 15)
Scoring
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.

18. 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.

19. 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

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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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)

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. Teacher’s Manual Chapter 3, Page 34

28. Now What?!

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

30. Linking assessment with the 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 re-align the curriculum

31. Supporting Activities
PALS PreK website
Activities, lesson plans, parent’s corner
Colorín Coloradό
A bilingual site for families and educators of English Language Learners
Get Ready to Read!
Free, downloadable resources for the Get Ready to Read! Skill-building activity cards (English/Spanish)

32. References & Resources
Ivernizzi, M. Using PALS Data to Plan Multi-tiered Intervention in Virginia. Retrieved July 10, 2007 from
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
PALS and Reading First. Retrieved July 10, 2007 from
and_Reading_First.pdf .