scholarly journals Developing an assessment of oral language and literacy: Measuring growth in the early years

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Cloney ◽  
Kellie Picker
Keyword(s):  
Oral Language ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Quality Measurement ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Item Response Model ◽  
Narrative Approaches ◽  
Future Assessment ◽  
Additional Support

Children develop rapidly in their early years. A crucial component of this development is a child’s ability to learn and use language. Even before they enter formal education, children have learned much about oral language and literacy through meaningful interactions with others, and from their life experiences. Children, however, do not develop at the same pace – some children arrive in early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs more advanced while others require additional support. Recent reviews of the assessment tools available to ECEC educators show a lack of good quality measurement and a reliance on checklist style inventories or narrative approaches. This paper presents a new measure of oral language and pre-literacy specifically designed to be accurate enough to reliably measure an individual child’s growth. Results from a combined calibration of children’s responses using a many-facets item response model show the measure to be reliable, valid and sensitive enough to measure growth within children and between groups of children over time. Implications for future assessment development and for educators’ practice are discussed, including how such measures can provide insight into what children know, understand, and can do (Reynolds, 2020) and what educators can do to support future learning experiences targeted at children’s specific language and literacy needs.

Assessing Language and Literacy Skills of School-Aged Children

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-70
Author(s):  
Jennifer Walz Garrett
Keyword(s):  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Treatment Goals ◽  
Miscue Analysis ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
School Based ◽  
Assessment Procedures ◽  
Tools And Methods

Abstract School-based speech-language pathologists assess students to establish eligibility, collect baselines for treatment goals, determine progress during intervention and verify generalization of skills. Selecting appropriate assessment tools and methods can be challenging due to time constraints, agency regulations, and availability of tests. This article will describe legal considerations, types of assessments, and the factors involved with the selection and use of various assessment procedures and tools. In addition, speech-language pathologists will learn to calculate words correct per minute (WCPM) and perform miscue analysis, which can provide additional language and literacy information about a child's educational needs.

The relevance of oral language skills to early literacy: A multivariate analysis

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
DEBORAH L. SPEECE ◽  
FROMA P. ROTH ◽  
DAVID H. COOPER ◽  
SUSAN DE LA PAZ
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Direct Role ◽  
Oral Language Skills ◽  
Subtype Differences

This study examined relationships between oral language and literacy in a two-year, multivariate design. Through empirical cluster analysis of a sample of 88 kindergarten children, four oral language subtypes were identified based on measures of semantics, syntax, metalinguistics, and oral narration. Validation efforts included (a) concurrent and predictive analyses of subtype differences on reading, spelling, and listening comprehension measures based on a priori hypotheses and (b) a comparison of the teacher classification of the children with the empirical classification. The subtypes represented high average, low average, high narrative, and low overall patterns of oral language skill. The high average subtype received the most consistent evidence for validation. The pattern of validation results indicates that the relationship between oral language and literacy is not uniform and suggests a modification of the assumption that oral language skills have a direct role in reading acquisition.

scholarly journals Improving reading strategies and assessments used by educators to enhance learner academic success

Per Linguam ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veena Loopoo ◽  
Robert Balfour
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Early Years ◽  
School Level ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Professional Success ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
Assessment Strategies

Learning to read is a crucial component of early education. Theorists have found a strong connection between reading skills and the level of academic and professional success enjoyed by an individual. The way an individual learns to read is crucial to achieving academic success; therefore, the methods used to teach reading need to be effective for optimal success. A substantial body of research demonstrates that literacy is fundamental to success in the formal education system and in most cases, the principal site for learning to read and write is assumed to be the primary school, usually in the early years. While there are many perspectives and methods used at school level, teachers will only succeed when they teach explicit strategies to decode words and their meanings and comprehension instruction. Using a mixed-methods approach, this article aimed to identify and explore teaching and assessment strategies employed by educators in Grade R at primary school level pertaining to the teaching of literacy. It emerged that although certain strategies do seem to promote greater acquisition of literacy, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to using literacy to promote the likelihood of achieving academic success.

Leveraging Learner Experience

2021 ◽  
pp. 1342-1369
Author(s):  
Raichle Farrelly ◽  
Iuliia Fakhrutdinova
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Sociocultural Perspective ◽  
Adult Language Learners

This chapter builds on the pedagogical knowledge base of educators who work with refugee-background adult language learners. The chapter introduces refugee-background adults who have experienced interruptions in their formal education. The authors present a framework for pedagogical scaffolding that emerges from a sociocultural perspective on learning. An overview of research underscores the benefits of recognizing and building upon learners' strengths, lived experiences, and oral traditions. Classroom-based approaches that integrate pedagogical scaffolding into meaningful learning opportunities to enhance the language and literacy practices of adult learners are highlighted. The chapter sustains innovation and conversation among educators working with refugee-background adults, ideally in collaboration with the learners themselves, to cultivate pedagogical practices that foster learner success in the classroom and beyond.

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