Alphabet Knowledge

Children’s understanding of the alphabetic code is measured through Letter Names, in which children identify the names of printed letters, and Letter Sounds, in which children identify the sounds of printed letters.

Phonological Awareness

Phonological awareness is measured through a series of subtests: Syllable Segmenting, in which children divide words into syllables; Beginning Sounds Matching, in which children pair two words beginning with the same sound; Beginning Sounds Expressive, in which children provide the beginning sound of a word; and Phoneme Blending, in which children blend series of individual sounds into whole words.

Language: Passage Comprehension

Passage comprehension is assessed by three subtests relating to the same passage. First, for Passage Retell, a child is read a passage aloud and then retells the passage using the same set of illustrations. Passage Retell is scored on the child’s ability to include story elements and use rich vocabulary and syntax. Passage Retell may reveal a child’s ability to use extended amounts of language to recall details and to organize information. Second, for Expressive Comprehension Questions, children give an oral response to questions about the passage. Third, for Receptive Comprehension Questions, children are presented with four pictures depicting scenes from the passage. They point to the picture that corresponds with a given statement about the passage.

Name Writing

For Name Writing, children write their name on a blank sheet of paper. This writing sample is then scored according to a rubric.

Print Concepts

For Print Concepts, children show the examiner how to turn pages and how a reader should follow words across a page, in addition to other ways that individuals would interact with print.