PALS Assessments, Instructional Resources,

and Data

EDIS 5020: Instruction and AssessmentThursday, January 31st

Ellen O. Shrum, PhD

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

PALS: Why Was PALS Developed?

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.

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.

PALS: Assessments

• PALS-PreK

• PALS-K

• PALS 1-3

• PALS Quick Checks (RtI)

• PALS español (in development)

• PALS 4-8 (in development)

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

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

http://www.rti4success.org/screeningTools

PALS Assessm

ents:Literacy

Skills

PALS-PreK

PALS-K

PALS1-3

Print and Word Awareness ✓

Nursery Rhyme Awareness ✓

Name Writing ✓

Rhyme Awareness ✓ ✓

Beginning Sound Awareness ✓ ✓

Alphabet Knowledge ✓ ✓ ✓

Letter Sounds ✓ ✓ ✓

Concept of Word ✓ ✓

Blending ✓ ✓

Sound-to-Letter ✓ ✓

Spelling/Phonics ✓ ✓

Word Recognition in Isolation ✓ ✓

Oral Reading in Context (accuracy, fluency, WPM/rate, and comprehension)

✓

PALS: Assessments and Web Site

PALS Assessments (PALS Materials)

Online Score Entry and Reporting System

(the PALS Web site)

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)

PALS-PreK Assessment

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)

PALS-PreK: Materials

• Teacher’s Manual

• Child Packet

• Child Summary Sheet

• Class Summary Sheet

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PALS-PreK: Preparing to Administer

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 school1st day of school + 6 weeks = 1st day of your PALS-PreK fall

window

Calculating Your Assessment Windows

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)

Who Should Administer PALS-PreK?

• Teachers

• Reading specialists

• Instructional support colleagues

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

PALS-PreK: Task Administration & Scoring

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

Task IncludesName Writing

Alphabet Knowledge Upper-Case Alphabet RecognitionLower-Case Alphabet RecognitionLetter Sounds

Beginning Sound Awareness

Print and Word Awareness

Rhyme Awareness

Nursery Rhyme Awareness

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

Task: Name Writing 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.

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.

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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

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PALS-PreK: Logging Into A Teacher Account

Step 1: Go to the PALS Web site.

https://pals.virginia.edu

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

Click here.

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

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

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Child Information: Accommodating Non-Standard

Administration

NS

E

Entering Scores

Two Ways to Enter Scores forInstant 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.

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Score Entry Option:Traditional Score Entry

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

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

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Score Entry Option:

The Online Assessment Wizard

(OAW)

Benefits of “the Wizard”

Efficient Flexible Creates item-level reports

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

Flexible

Use with one or all of your students

Use during or after administration

Use regardless of the score entry school colleagues use

Creates Item-Level Reports

Student OAW Report Alphabet Recognition Letter Sounds Print and Word Awareness

Class OAW Report

Using The Online Assessment Wizard(OAW)

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

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

Continue Icon

Task Icon

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Step 3: Select a task.

Upper-Case Alphabet

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Using the

Online Assessment

Wizard:PALS

Practice Accounts

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PALS-PreK Data Generates

Reports

Child Summary Report

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Individual Task

Growth Report

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Class Summary Report

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