PALS Assessments, Instructional Resources, and Data

1. PALS Assessments, Instructional Resources, and Data EDIS 5020: Instruction and Assessment Thursday, January 31st Ellen O. Shrum, PhD

2. Agenda • PALS: Origin, purpose, and assessments • PALS-PreK: Administration, scoring, and data-generated reports • PALS-K: Administration, scoring, and data-generated reports • PALS 1-3: Administration, scoring, and data-generated reports • PALS K-3: A screening tool • PALS Quick Checks • PALS: Instructional resources • PALS Website • Formative Assessment: Driving and Monitoring Instruction

3. PALS: Why Was PALS Developed?

4. What Is PALS? The Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) is a research-based organization dedicated to providing instructionally useful literacy assessments on which to plan, implement, and assess instruction and on which to assess and monitor student literacy achievement.

5. PALS Assessments • Criterion-referenced assessment developed by Marcia Invernizzi, PhD, and her colleagues at the University of Virginia. • Used in all fifty states and several foreign countries. • Since 1999 serves as Virginia’s universal screening and diagnostic literacy tool.

6. PALS: Assessments • PALS-PreK • PALS-K • PALS 1-3 • PALS Quick Checks (RtI) • PALS español (in development) • PALS 4-8 (in development)

7. PALS Purpose • Diagnose children’s knowledge of literacy fundamentals • Screen for students who may be in jeopardy of not reading on grade level by the end of third grade • Monitor effectiveness of instruction, and student progress • Plan instruction that targets children’s needs

8. Data You Can Trust • Each task is research-based and measures a component of early literacy development shown by research to predict later reading achievement. • Strong technical adequacy was established by thorough pilot studies with large sample groups. • Most excellent ratings on the National Center on Response to Intervention’s Screening Tools Chart

9. http://www.rti4success.org/screeningTools

10. PALS Assessments:Literacy Skills

12. PALS: Assessments and Web Site Online Score Entry and Reporting System (the PALS Web site) PALS Assessments (PALS Materials)

13. The PALS Web Site, akaThe Online Score Entry and Reporting System • Enter scores into online account • Score entry generates reports for assessing (PreK-3), screening (K-3), diagnosing, and progress monitoring • Resources available for planning instruction • Downloadable progress monitoring assessments (K-3) (Quick Checks)

15. PALS-PreK Assessment

16. PALS-PreK Assessment • Is a developmentally appropriate assessment • Provides critical literacy data upon which to plan instruction • Administer in fall, mid-year, and spring of the 4-year-old preschool year (same form administered each time)

17. PALS-PreK: Materials • Teacher’s Manual • Child Packet • Child Summary Sheet • Class Summary Sheet

18. PALS-PreK: Preparing to Administer

19. Flexible Administration Schedule • Complete PALS-PreK administration within any contiguous two-week period during the four-week window • Fall screening window begins six weeks after the first day of school 1st day of school + 6 weeks = 1st day of your PALS-PreK fall window

20. Calculating Your Assessment Windows

21. How Much Time Is Required to Administer PALS-PreK? • Untimed, varies child to child • Flexible administration – customize to your schedule (for example, administer one task per day to break up the assessment)

22. Who Should Administer PALS-PreK? • Teachers • Reading specialists • Instructional support colleagues

23. To Whom Should PALS-PreK Be Given? • Mandatory for children in Virginia whose PreK enrollment is partially of fully funded by the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) • Optional for all other preschool children

24. PALS-PreK: Task Administration & Scoring

25. PALS-PreK: TasksEach task represents a literacy fundamental that is predictive of future reading success.

26. PALS-PreK Administration • One-on-one administration • Approximately 25 minutes per child • Developmentally appropriate • Flexible administration--Don’t have to administer the entire assessment at one time (For example, one can administer one task to all children on each day for six days.) • Fall, Mid-Year, and Spring recommended assessment windows • Enter scores online via traditional score entry or the Online Assessment Wizard

27. Task: Name Writing I would like for you to draw a picture of yourself, and then write your name. When you are finished, I’d like for you to show me your name. Say, • If the child is reluctant to attempt name writing, encourage the child to “pretend” to write his or her name or collect a writing sample at a more informal time. • Not an all-or-nothing skill – it develops gradually and reveals what students know about early components of literacy.

28. Name Writing: Scoring (Administration & Scoring Guide, Page 14) • Scoring samples demonstrate the continuum of name writing development • Only the written name is scored; it is not necessary for the child to draw a picture • Not scored based on neatness • Question child for clarification on letters if necessary

29. PALS-PreK: Logging Into A Teacher Account

30. Step 1: Go to the PALS Web site. https://pals.virginia.edu

31. Step 2: Place your cursor on the yellow-highlighted area, and move it down to the second link, Virginia PreK. Click here.

32. Step 3: On the Login Page that appears, enter user name and password.

33. Step 4: Upon login, you’re on the ADMINSTRATIVE tab.

34. Child Information: Accommodating Non-Standard Administration NS E

35. Entering Scores

36. Two Ways to Enter Scores for Instant Access to Child Data! • Traditional Score Entry: Record scores on Child • Summary Sheets. Then, after administration, • enter scores into the PALS Web site (aka, The Score • Entry and Reporting System). • Online Assessment Wizard: Enter scores directly • into the PALS Web site during or after administration.

37. Score Entry Option:Traditional Score Entry

38. Step 1: Highlight a child’s name and click the link, “Enter Child’s Scores.”

39. Step 2: Enter scores and click the link, “Submit Scores.”

40. Score Entry Option: The Online Assessment Wizard (OAW)

41. Benefits of “the Wizard” • Efficient • Flexible • Creates item-level reports

42. Efficient • Reduces paperwork (e.g., Student Summary Sheets) • Decreases chance of transfer error during score entry • Guides K-3 assessment process (in fall and spring) • Keeps track of scores • Reduces assessment time

43. Flexible • Use with one or all of your students • Use during or after administration • Use regardless of the score entry school colleagues use

44. Creates Item-Level Reports • Student OAW Report Alphabet Recognition Letter Sounds Print and Word Awareness • Class OAW Report

45. Using The Online Assessment Wizard(OAW)

46. Step 1: Highlight a child’s name and click “Online Assessment Wizard.”

47. Step 2: Review information on Welcome Page; then, click the Continue Icon or the Task Icon. Continue Icon Task Icon

48. Step 3: Select a task.

49. Upper-Case Alphabet

50. Using the Online Assessment Wizard: PALS Practice Accounts