1. A Comparison of Three Language Assessment Tools
Laura Wrobel
Washington University-Central Institute for the Deaf

2. Introduction
Language assessment tools allow deaf educators to assess the language of their students.
Based on the results of the assessment, educators can:
select Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) objectives
plan instruction to promote language acquisition
monitors progress of language acquisition
aids in reporting

3. Introduction
The following assessment tools have been developed to aid in assessing language:
The Teacher of Grammatical Structures (TAGS)
The Teacher Assessment of Spoken Language (TASL)
The Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language, and Speech (CASLLS)

4. Purpose To analyze the similarities and differences among the 3 tools
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses
Discover which is the most concise, simplest to administer, and easiest to explain

5. Method Manuals and evaluation forms were obtained, read, and analyzed
Spontaneous language samples were collected
Child #1 at 2-3 word level
Child #2 at 4-5 word level
After the language samples were analyzed using the evaluation forms, conclusions were drawn

6. TAGS Manual
Provides a detailed rationale and description of its rating forms
Explains how to determine where to begin when analyzing a child’s language
Provides norms of language development in children with normal hearing and no language delay
May be used to evaluate sentence structure for children who use sign language
Explains language competency levels

7. TAGS Manual
Each competency level is rated. The rater decides if the level of competence:
has not been demonstrated
is emerging
is acquired
Explains dotted (x’s) and half dotted (x’s)
Explains solid (x’s) and half (x’s)

8. TAGS Evaluation Forms Assesses language at three levels
Lists grammatical categories
Provides sample acceptable productions on the form

9. Advantages of the TAGS Developed by experienced deaf educators
Manual and forms simply written
Lists acceptable and unacceptable productions on the form and in the manual
Provides norms of language development in children with normal hearing without a language delay to use as a guide
Allows teacher creativity

10. Limitations of the TAGS
Criteria for mastery is very stringent
Criterion of acquiring any competency level is the teacher’s decision
Difficult to distinguish between prompted and spontaneous productions

11. TASL Manual
Assesses language of those who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, and /or with a language delay
May be used to evaluate language of those who use sign language
Evaluates written language
Explains how to determine where to begin when evaluating a child’s language
Describes syntactic elements and sentence types

12. TASL Manual Each sentence type or syntactic element is rated as:
emerging
acquired
Dotted (x’s) and half dotted (x’s) are used to indicate that a sentence type or element is selected as an objective
Solid (x’s) and half (x’s) are used to indicate an emerging or acquired skill

13. TASL Evaluation Forms Five sentence levels
Hierarchial sequence of language development
Syntactic Types
Syntactic Elements
Reference Form
Examples of acceptable productions are written on the forms

14. Advantages of the TASL Developed by experienced deaf educators
Less stringent criteria
Avoids controversy between prompted and spontaneous productions
Concise evaluation forms
Allows teacher creativity

15. Limitations of the TASL
An inexperienced teacher may need a more stringent criteria
Easy to be too lenient about what is considered “acquired”
Geared toward experienced deaf educators

16. CASLLS Manual Comprehensive
Provides suggestion of how to obtain language samples and construct activities
Provides a rating system
emerging
mastered in some contexts
generalized
Language is evaluated at five levels
Evaluation forms have acceptable productions written on them

17. CASLLS Evaluation Forms
Provides acceptable sentences on the form itself
Hierarchial sequence of language development
Age norms are written above each grammatical category

18. Advantages of the CASLLS
Provides a review of language acquisition in a concise manner
Useful to inexperienced teachers or those who do not have a strong language background
Comprehensive
Has a pre-verbal level that would be beneficial for birth to age three programs

19. Limitations of the CASLLS
Manual was overwhelming
Contains unnecessary information for experienced teachers
Six evaluation forms
Norms are written on the evaluation forms
Evaluation forms required frequent references to the manual
Written by a linguist
Does not distinguish between a selected objective versus an acquired objective versus an emerging objective

20. Conclusion
The TAGS is the oldest of the three assessment tools and proved to be the easiest to understand, use, and explain
Provided the most specific criteria and left minimal questions when assessing language
TASL is very similar to the TAGS, therefore, transition from the TAGS to the TASL would not be difficult
Perhaps the CASLLS would have been easier to administer if the evaluator observed a demonstration and/or video