Executive Summary of
Phonological Awareness Literacy
Screening (PALS)
A Reference Guide for Building Leaders
Audrey Wittry, M.Ed.
Coordinator of Data Management
1200 Lakeview Dr., Suite 350, Wausau, WI 54403
Phone: 715-261-1980, Fax: 715-261-1981
www.mcspecialeducation.com
[email protected]
INDEX
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
G)
H)
I)
Background ................................................................................................. 3
Administration ............................................................................................ 3
Data Entry ................................................................................................... 4
PALS and Standard C ................................................................................. 4
RtI for General Education ........................................................................... 4
Special Education ........................................................................................ 4
Communication with Parents ...................................................................... 5
Resources Available Online from PALS .................................................... 5
Websites ...................................................................................................... 5
APPENDICES
Appendix A ............................................................................................................. 6
Appendix B ............................................................................................................. 8
Appendix C ........................................................................................................... 12
Appendix D ........................................................................................................... 14
Appendix E ........................................................................................................... 20
Appendix F ............................................................................................................ 30
Appendix G ........................................................................................................... 33
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Background
● PALS stands for Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening and is a research-based screening,
diagnostic, and progress monitoring tool.
● The purpose of PALS is to identify students at-risk of developing reading difficulties, diagnose
students’ knowledge of literacy fundamentals, monitor progress, and plan instruction that targets
students’ needs. This assessment was chosen in response to Governor Walker’s Read to Lead
initiative.
● PALS was developed by the University of Virginia under the guidance of Dr. Marcia Invernizzi.
● There is variation of the required tasks between grade levels. See Appendix A for details.
● The summed score of PALS cannot be used measure growth. However, teachers could use a
specific task to measure growth. For example:
○ Alphabet Knowledge - Compare the number of letters identified in the fall to spring.
○ Spelling - Compare the percentage of words spelled correctly from fall to spring
● See the PALS grade level-specific benchmarks for more information (Appendix B).
Administration
● All students in grades 4K-2nd grade are given the PALS assessment in both the spring and
the fall. The calendar for screening can be found at http://www.palswisconsin.info/
● Each teacher will need an administration guide or set, but all other materials are downloaded from
https://wi.palsk8.com.
● While there are some group tasks, the majority of the PALS assessment is administered one-toone.
● Students “identified” as being/becoming an at-risk reader by PALS, will have a red ID icon
next to their name on the class summary report.
● Students “identified” as being/becoming an at-risk reader by PALS Espanol, will have a green ID
icon
next to their name on the class summary report.
● Identified students should also be given the mid-year assessment, but the entire class does not
need to take it. Teachers may also choose to assess students they feel are struggling, but may not
have been identified by PALS. These are the suggested guidelines for the mid-year assessment.
Giving the mid-year assessment is not a requirement.
● A high benchmark icon is possible for students in the spring of 1st grade or the fall of 2nd grade
who score significantly above grade level.
○
This high benchmark icon indicates that the student reached high benchmark in the
spring of 1st Grade. Students who reach high benchmark in the spring of 1st grade still
need to take the test in the fall of 2nd grade. This policy is specific to Wisconsin.
○
This high benchmark icon indicates the student reached high benchmark in the fall
of 2nd grade. Students who reach high benchmark in the fall of 2nd grade do not need
need to take the PALS assessment in the spring of 2nd grade.
○
This high benchmark icon indicates the student reached high benchmark in both
spring of 1st grade and the fall of 2nd grade. Students with this icon do not need to take
the assessment in the spring of second grade.
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● The icon will appear next to the student’s name on the class summary report. See the “PALS 1-3
High Benchmark Designation, Wisconsin Policy” (Appendix C) for more information.
● There is a Spanish version of PALS available for PALS-K and PALS 1-3. A Spanish version for
PreK will be piloted in the fall of 2015.
Data Entry
● There are three forms of data entry: the traditional method, the Online Assessment Wizard
(OAW), and the PALS Mobile Assessment Wizard (MAW) iPad app.
● Using the Online Assessment Wizard or the Mobile Assessment Wizard will give teachers an item
analysis for some tasks.
PALS and Standard C
● Students in grades 5K through 2nd grade who are identified as being at-risk readers by the
PALS assessment are required (by Standard C) to receive intervention or remediation. A
link to the Wisconsin Standards can be found here,
http://cal.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/cal/pdf/wi-edstds.pdf.
● PALS considers PreK too early to identify students as “at-risk” readers. However, the assessment
is still given and used to learn what students currently know and what they are ready to learn next.
● Students receiving Special Education or Title 1 services may NOT receive this intervention
from the Special Education teacher or the Title 1 teacher. A document relative to Wisconsin
Statutes Ch. 121.02, explaining Remedial Reading and the Law: Guidance Related to Standard C,
can be found here, http://commoncore.dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/commoncore/pdf/palsand-standard-c.pdf (Appendix D)
RTI for General Education
● Quick Checks are the PALS progress monitoring tools. They are criterion-referenced and
assess the same skills on the PALS-K, and PALS 1-3, but use different items.
● Quick Checks are available on the website and may be used to monitor the progress of a tier 1 or
tier 2 intervention. It is recommended that tier 3 interventions be progress monitored weekly, and
therefore, the Quick Checks would not qualify.
● See the “Quick Check Guidance Document” for more information (Appendix E).
● PALS is well-rated by the Center on Response to Intervention as a screening tool. See
http://www.rti4asuccess.org for detailed information.
Special Education
● PALS Quick Checks cannot be used as the progress monitoring tool for a potential SLD
referral because they were not designed to be given weekly.
● ALL students are required to take PALS, and there is no opt-out or alternative assessment.
● There are 3 additional administration options for students with disabilities:
○ Allowable practices (available to all students)
○ Accommodations, and
○ Modifications (would result in a nonstandard administration; this would need to be marked
in the student’s online profile. This icon
will appear next to the student’s name.)
● Please see “PALS and Students with Disabilities” or “PALS-PreK and Students with Disabilities”.
(Appendix F & Appendix G).
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Communication with Parents
● Wis.Stats., Ch.118.016 requires that results of screening be shared with parents/guardians.
● Teachers are recommended to share results with parents in a conference setting where scores can
be explained.
● Schools are discouraged from sending home reports without explaining results in person.
● A parent report exists in the system for PALS PreK. Teachers can click on the student name and
then select parent report from the right-hand column under “View Results”.
● For PALS-K and PALS 1-3, teachers should use “Your Child’s PALS-K Score” or the “Your
Child’s PALS 1-3 Score” to guide the conversation. These documents can be found at
http://palswisconsin.info/parents.shtml. Teachers may also choose to share the document,
“Questions for my Child’s Teacher about PALS-K/1-3”.
Resources available online from PALS
●
●
●
●
●
●
Guiding documents on using data to guide instruction
ELPs (electronic lesson plans) with many ready-made resources.
A monthly parent activity
Instructions to create literacy workstations
Grade level activities for phonological awareness and literacy skills
See https://wi.palsk8.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showLogin for more information.
Websites
● https://wi.palsk8.com - This is the login site for teachers and administrators with active PALS
Wisconsin accounts.
● http://www.palswisconsin.info/ - This website provides information from the DPI about PALS
implementation in Wisconsin.
● http://pd.casenex.com/ This is the professional development site for PALS. Teachers should use
their email address associated with their PALS Wisconsin login to create an account and access
their dashboard.
● www.palsmarketplace.com - This website is for reviewing and purchasing materials associated
with PALS.
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APPENDIX A
(source: www.palswisconsin.info)
Description of Tasks (P4)
PALS-PreK is compromised of six tasks, designed to be administered in the fall, mid-year, and spring of
the 4-year-old preschool year. All tasks are administered individually and are un-timed. The tasks are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Name Writing – The child is asked to draw a self-portrait and write his/her own name. Scored on
a developmental continuum ranging from scribbles to the use of mixed symbols to writing entire
name correctly.
Alphabet Knowledge – The child is asked to name the 26 upper-case letters of the alphabet
presented in random order. Children who know 16 or more upper-case letters proceed with the
lower-case alphabet recognition task. Children who know 9 or more lower-case letters are asked to
produce the sounds associated with 23 letters and three consonant digraphs (ch, sh, th).
Beginning Sound Awareness – The child says the name of a picture and is asked to produce the
beginning sounds for each of these target words.
Print and Word Awareness – The child is asked to point to various text components in a familiar
rhyme printed in book format. There are ten items for this task.
Rhyme Awareness – From three pictures, students are asked to identify the picture that rhymes
with the fourth target picture. There are ten items for this task.
Nursery Rhyme Awareness (optional for Wisconsin) – The teacher recites lines from nursery
rhymes and stops before the end, prompting the child to supply the final rhyming word.
Description of Tasks (K)
PALS-K is compromised of six required tasks and one optional task. The majority of the PALS-K
screening is administered individually, but a few of the tasks can be given in small groups of five or fewer
students. The tasks are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rhyme Awareness – Form three pictures, students are asked to identify a picture that rhymes
with the target picture. There are a total of ten items for this task.
Beginning Sound Awareness – From three pictures, students are asked to identify pictures that
have the same beginning sound as the target picture. There are a total of ten items for this task.
Alphabet Knowledge – Students are asked to name the 16 lower-case letters of the alphabet.
Letter Sounds – Students are asked to produce the letter sounds of 23 upper-case letter of the
alphabet, and three consonant digraphs (ch, sh, th).
Spelling – Students spell five consonant-vowel-consonant words, receiving credit for phonetically
acceptable substitutions.
Concept of Word - Students are taught a rhyme in advance of assessing their concept of word. A
students' concept of word is assessed using a picture sheet of the rhyme, as well as pointing and
word identification in the context of a small book format and then in a word list.
Word Recognition in Isolation (Optional)- Students identify a list of words at the Preprimer,
Primer, and First-Grade level.
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Description of Tasks
PALS 1-3 is comprised of three tasks required for all students taking the assessment (plus one task
required Fall of 1st grade only) and additional tasks (Levels B & C) for gathering further diagnostic
information about students who score below the summed score benchmark.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Spelling (Entry Level task, required for all students )– Students spell words that represent phonics
features necessary to be successful at each grade level. Teachers score spelling according to the
presence of these particular phonics features in each word. Spelling may be administered whole
group, small group, or individually.
Word Recognition in Isolation (Entry Level task, required for all students )– Students read words
provided in leveled word lists.
Oral Reading in Context (Level A, required for all students) – Students are asked to read a
leveled passage (determined by student’s score on Word Recognition in Isolation task) while the
teacher takes a running record to determine student’s instructional reading level. Assess accuracy,
fluency, reading rate, comprehension.
Letter Sounds (required Fall of 1st grade only. Also part of Level B tasks, below.) – Students are
asked to produce the sounds of 23 letters of the alphabet and three consonant digraphs (ch, sh, th).
Level B (administered if the Entry Level summed score benchmark is not met)
o Alphabet Recognition – Students are asked to name 26 lower-case letters of the alphabet.
o Letter Sounds – Students are asked to produce the sounds of 23 letters of the alphabet and
three consonant digraphs (ch, sh, th).
o Concept of Word – Students are taught a rhyme in advance of assessing their concept of
word. A students' concept of word is assessed using a picture sheet of the rhyme, as well as
pointing and word identification in the context of a small book format and then in a word
list.
Level C (administered if Level B benchmarks are not met)
o Blending – students are asked to blend individual phonemes together to come up with a
word (includes, two-, three- and four-phoneme words).
o Sound to Letter – The teacher says a word (e.g. map). The student segments a specific
phoneme within that word and tells the teacher the letter that represents the phoneme
(includes beginning, middle, and ending phonemes).
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APPENDIX B
PALS%K'Benchmarks'and'Mid%Year'Ranges'
!
Individual"Task"
Benchmark"(fall)"
MidGYear"Range*"
Individual"Task"
Benchmark"(spring)"
Maximum"
Score"
Group"Rhyme"Awareness""
5"
9G10"
9"
10"
Group"Beginning"Sound"
Awareness""
5"
9G10"
9"
10"
PALS%K'Tasks'
5"
9"
Individual"Rhyme"Awareness""
(Required"if"the"Group"
Rhyme"score"is"below"
the"benchmark)"
Individual"Beginning"Sound"
Awareness""
(Required"if"the"Group"
Beginning"Sound"score"
is"below"the"
benchmark)"
9G10"
LowerGCase"Alphabet"
Recognition"
12"
23G26"
24"
26"
Letter"Sounds"
4"
17G26"
20"
26"
Spelling"
2"
10G20"
12"
20"
Pointing""
2"
GGG"
5"
4"(fall),"!
5"(spring)"
Word"ID"in"
Context"
2"
GGG"
9"
8"(fall),"!
10"(spring)"
COW"Word"List"
0"
3G10"
7"
10"
9G10"
10"
9"
(Required"if"the"Group"
Beginning"Sound"score"
is"below"the"
benchmark)"
10"
"
5"
Concept"of"Word"
(Required"if"the"Group"
Rhyme"score"is"below"
the"benchmark)"
Word"Recognition"in"Isolation"
(Preprimer,"Primer,"and"First"
Grade"Word"Lists)"
Summed"Score"benchmark**"
20"!
per"Word"
List"
(optional"task)"
28"
(no"Summed"Score"
at"midGyear)"
81"
102"
!
*"MidGYear"Ranges"are"not"benchmarks."MidGYear"Ranges"represent"where"students"who"are"on"gradeGlevel"by"the"
end"of"the"year"typically"perform"at"midGyear."
"
**"Summed"Score"="Rhyme"Awareness"+"Beginning"Sound"Awareness"+"LowerGCase"Alphabet"Recognition"+"Letter"
Sounds"+"Spelling"+"COW"Word"List""(Include"Individual"Rhyme"Awareness"and/or"Individual"Beginning"Sound"Awareness"
scores"instead"of"Group"scores,"if"the"individual"tasks"were"administered.)"
©"Copyright"2014"CaseNEX,"LLC"
!
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21!
65%
Task"3:"Concept"of"Word"(COW)"
Level%B%Summed%Score%benchmark%
8!
16!
Task"1:"Blending"
Task"2:"SoundGtoGLetter"
74!
24!
24!
77!
25"
26"
26!
%
6!
GGG"
90%(fall),!
68%(spring)!
GGG"
GGG"
28!
12!
40!
20!
©"Copyright"2014"CaseNEX,"LLC"
*"MidGYear"Ranges"are"not"benchmarks;"they"represent"where"students"who"are"on"gradeGlevel"by"the"end"of"the"year"typically"perform"at"midGyear."
"
GGG%
GGG"
GGG"
26"
(Administer"Level"B"to"all"
students"who"score"less"than"15"
on"the"Preprimer"Word"List.)%
(optional)!
90%"accuracy!
on"First"Grade"passage!
35!
26!
20"per""
Word"List!
44"(fall),!
48"(spring)!
Maximum"
Score"!
(Administer"to"students"who"do"not"meet"the"Level"B"Summed"Score"benchmark;"recommended"at""
midGyear"if"administered"in"the"fall)!
20!
Task"2:""Letter"Sounds"
(Recommended"if"administered"
in"the"fall.)!
GGG"
GGG"
(optional)"
24"
LEVEL%C:%%Phonemic%Awareness%
%
90G97%"accuracy"on"Primer"
or"higher"level"passages"
N/A%
(Administer"to"students"who"do"
not"meet"the"Entry"Level"
Summed"Score"benchmark.)!
Task"1:"Alphabet"Recognition"
LEVEL%B:%Alphabetics%
Comprehension"
Accuracy,"Fluency"(optional),"Rate"
85%"accuracy!
on"Readiness"or"Preprimer"
passage!
39!
Entry%Level%Summed%Score%benchmark%
LEVEL%A:%Oral%Reading%in%Context%
20!
Task"3:""Letter"Sounds"(First"grade"fall"
only)"
not"required"
15!
First"Grade"Word"List!
19G20"Preprimer"Word"List,"!
15G20"Primer"Word"List,!
7G20"First"Grade"Word"List!
10!
Preprimer"Word"List!
Task"2:"Word"Recognition"in"Isolation"
GGG"
20!
(Spelling"Words"1G20)!
Individual"Task""
Benchmark"(spring)""
24G52"out"of"52!
"
MidGYear"Range*!
9!
(Spelling"Words"1G16)!
%
Task"1:"Spelling"Inventory"
Entry%Level%
PALS%1'3%Tasks%
Individual"Task""
Benchmark"(fall)"
PALS%1'3%Benchmarks%and%Mid'Year%Ranges%(First%Grade)%
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APPENDIX C
PALS 1-3 High Benchmark Designation
Wisconsin Policy
What are the criteria for PALS 1-3 High Benchmark Designation?
The high benchmark designation exempts students reading well above grade level from future PALS
screenings. The High Benchmark Designation is indicated with an up arrow next to a student's name.
Students are eligible for the High Benchmark Designation in the spring of first grade or the fall of second
grade. In the spring of first grade students must read 18 or more words correctly on the second grade word
list, read the second grade passage (or higher) with 98% accuracy or better, and receive a fluency rating of
three on that passage. In the fall of second grade students must read 18 or more words correctly on the
third grade word list, read the third grade passage (or higher) with 98% accuracy or better, and receive a
fluency rating of three on that passage.
Are Wisconsin students who reach the high benchmark designation in the spring of first grade or
fall of second grade required to be screened in future administrations?
Students reaching the high benchmark (information on the high benchmark designation can be found on
page 18 of the PALS 1-3 Administration and Scoring Guide) during screening in fall of grade 2 are not
required to participate in future administrations of PALS 1 – 3. Students reaching the high benchmark
during screening in spring of grade 1 are still required to be screened in the fall of grade 2.
Wis.Stats., Ch. 118.016 requires that second grade students be screened annually using a tool selected by
the DPI (PALS 1 – 3). As a result, all students (even those reaching the High Benchmark Designation in
the spring of grade 1) are required to be assessed in the fall of grade 2.
Use the chart below to determine which students are not required to participate in PALS 1 – 3
administrations. All students will appear in the PALS Online Score Entry & Reporting System; leave a
blank score for any student who is not required to be screened in spring of grade 2.
Grade 1, Fall
Grade 1, Midyear
Grade 1, Spring
Grade 2, Fall
Grade 2, Midyear
Grade 2, Spring
All students are screened.
Students are screened at
the discretion of the
district.
All students are screened.
All students are screened.
Students are screened at
the discretion of the
district.
Students reaching the
“High Benchmark”
designation in fall of grade
2 are exempt from
screening with PALS.*
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*While students reaching “High Benchmark” designation in fall of grade 2 are not required to be screened with
PALS 1-3 in spring grade 2, teachers/schools/districts can still choose to administer PALS 1-3, as it provides
valuable information about a student’s strengths and areas of need.
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Provide intervention or remediation in relation to this statute in addition to that provided by
Title I and/or special education; federal funding sources (such as Title I or IDEA) cannot be
used to provide interventions or remediation required by this law.
Wis.Stats., Ch. 121.02 School Board Standards
Each school board shall:
(c) Provide interventions or remedial reading services for a pupil in
grades kindergarten to 4 if any of the following occurs:
1. The pupil fails to meet the reading objectives specified in the
reading curriculum plan maintained by the school board
under par. (k).
2. The pupil fails to score above the state minimum performance
standard on the reading test under par. (r) and:
a. A teacher in the school district and the pupil's parent or
guardian agree that the pupil's test performance accurately
reflects the pupil's reading ability; or
b. A teacher in the school district determines, based on other
objective evidence of the pupil's reading comprehension, that
the pupil's test performance accurately reflects the pupil's
reading ability.
3. The pupil's reading assessment under s. 118.016 indicates that
the pupil is at risk of reading difficulty. If this subdivision applies,
the interventions or services provided the pupil shall be
scientifically based and shall address all areas in which the pupil is
deficient in a manner consistent with the state standards in
reading and language arts.
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Grade3: (per 121.02(c)(2)) (continued on page 2)
District-selected data sources indicate a student is not meeting reading objectives
specified in district-level curriculum – OR –
A student does not meet the PALS 1 – 3 Entry Level Summed Score Benchmark
during spring administration of PALS in their second grade year
–
Page 1
Grades 1 and 2:
District-selected data sources indicate a student is not meeting reading objectives
specified in district-level curriculum – OR A student does not meet the PALS 1 – 3 Entry Level Summed Score Benchmark
–
Updated October 2013
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
http://readwisconsin.dpi.wi.gov/
5-year-old Kindergarten:
District-selected data sources indicate a student is not meeting reading objectives
specified in district-level curriculum – OR A student does not meet the PALS-K Summed Score Benchmark
–
Review data to determine which students should be provided with intervention or remedial
reading services. Services are provided when any of the following occur:
This law requires school districts to:
Relevant State Statutes
Resources Related to Standard C (Remedial Reading Standard):
The left column of the following table includes Wisconsin statutory language related to remedial reading. The right column explains
what the statute requires of districts. A school/district’s systems, structures, and decisions related to these statutes work in
conjunction with other education priorities, especially developing a multi-level system of support (Response to Intervention or RtI).
Additional information and resources can be found here: http://commoncore.dpi.wi.gov/remedial-reading-education-overview.
Remedial Reading and the Law: Guidance Related to Standard C
APPENDIX D
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APPENDIX E
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APPENDIX F
PALS and Students with Disabilities
Section 1. Administration of PALS to Students with Disabilities
Do students with disabilities participate in PALS?
All Wisconsin students, including those with disabilities participate in PALS. Per Wis. Stats 118.016(1),
each pupil enrolled in 4-year-old kindergarten to second grade must be screened for literacy fundamentals
(as measured with PALS). There is no alternate version of the screener, and this statute does not include
any provisions for opt-out or exemptions.
Who administers PALS to a student with disabilities?
PALS is a tool to be used for planning a student’s reading and literacy instruction. Most 4K - 2nd grade
students with disabilities who are placed in the least restrictive environment with access to general
education curriculum and standards will receive their reading and literacy instruction in the regular
education setting. Classroom teachers who are primarily responsible for literacy instruction should
administer PALS to all of their students, including students with disabilities. In some unique situations,
such as when a child is only in a special education setting for instruction, it may be reasonable for a
special education teacher to either administer PALS alone or collaboratively with the classroom teacher,
in accordance with accommodations and modifications specified in the IEP. PALS administration by
other school staff who are not primarily responsible for a student’s literacy instruction (e.g.
paraprofessional, school psychologist, social worker) should be discouraged. Schools and districts should
make every effort to screen all students, including students with disabilities.
What if a student is unable to complete the PALS screener?
DPI recognizes that for a very small percentage of students, not all PALS tasks will be accessible or
appropriate due to the given nature of that individual student’s disability. In these situations, teachers
should administer the assessment but use their professional judgment about whether it is appropriate to
continue screening if the student does not respond. If a teacher elects to discontinue screening, the student
score for the section should reflect the actual number of points the student earned when the screener was
being administered.
It is important to remember that the purpose of PALS is to provide information to be used to guide
instructional planning and practice. Administrators and educators should use multiple measures when
making instructional planning decisions. Using results from PALS along with other formal and informal
assessments of student performance will allow educators to make sound decisions about instructional
needs and supports for a given student.
How does the administration of PALS address the need to individualize the assessment for young
children?
PALS was designed to be flexible, responsive, and accessible to meet the wide range of needs inherently
found in young children. PALS includes allowable practices for administration that are built into the
assessment. Teachers can use these allowable practices with any student during a PALS administration.
There are no time limits for any of the PALS tasks. Students with disabilities will access PALS through
these allowable practices similar to their non-disabled peers. The use of these allowable practices does not
require an IEP team meeting or IEP documentation.
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Where can I receive information on how to administer PALS to students with vision and/or hearing
impairments?
To request Braille or Deaf/Hard of Hearing PALS materials, contact Duane Dorn at DPI at 608-267-1069
or [email protected]
Section 2. PALS and IEPs
What “accommodations” and “modifications” may be necessary for PALS for students with
disabilities?
A standard administration of PALS can include the use of many allowable practices. Allowable practices
are support options that are already built into the design of PALS, which enable optimal access for all
students including students with disabilities. The use of these practices does not change the construct
being measured and does not require documentation in the IEP. Educators should always consider the use
of allowable practices prior to considering the need for accommodations or modifications for students
with disabilities. PALS allowable practices that are available to ALL students, including students with
disabilities, include:
Multiple testing sessions
Breaks between tasks
Scheduling assessment for optimal times
One-on-one administration
Small-group administration
Assessing in an alternative location (e.g. special education room, library, etc.)
Repeating directions, repeating practice items
Students repeat directions, checking for understanding
For students who need support beyond these practices, an IEP team can consider accommodations.
Accommodations do not change the construct being measured, but rather allow some students with
disabilities equitable access to the material being presented. Accommodations should be consistent with
day-to-day instructional methods. Accommodations will be documented in the student’s IEP (using the I9). Below are examples of accommodations that may be used for students with disabilities without risk of
invalidating PALS scores:
Visual aid (e.g., ruler, magnifier)
Auditory aid (e.g., FM system, sound field system)
The use of modifications should only be addressed by a student’s IEP team after careful consideration of
both allowable practices and accommodations. Modifications change what is being assessed and result in
a non-standardized administration. Modifications should be consistent with day-to-day instructional
methods and should not be first introduced during screening. It is likely that the use of modifications will
significantly limit information obtained during screening to guide instructional planning. Modifications
must be documented in the student’s IEP (using the I-9). Below are examples of modifications that may
be used for students with disabilities, as determined by the individual student’s IEP team.
Assistive technology for non-verbal students
Braille text and altered instructions
American Sign Language and altered instructions
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Use of a scribe
Allowing non-verbal students to identify letters of the alphabet by pointing rather than vocalizing
How does an IEP team determine that there is a need for accommodations or modifications for a
student with a disability who will be screened with PALS?
If a student only requires allowable practices, there is no need for an IEP meeting and no IEP
documentation is required. IEP teams should always consider allowable practices that are available to all
students, including students with disabilities, before consideration of accommodations or modifications.
Because PALS is a tool to guide instruction, accommodations and modifications are considered
supplementary aids, services, and supports provided to or on behalf of the student. Any accommodations
and modifications used during a PALS administration should be consistent with those that are provided
during a student’s daily instruction and generally should not be introduced for the first time for the sake of
screening.
If an IEP team determines there is a need for accommodations or modifications beyond the use of
allowable practices, where is this documented in the IEP?
As explained above, allowable practices do not need to be documented in the IEP. Accommodations and
modifications beyond allowable practices should be documented on I-9, IEP Summary, Supplementary
Aids and Services. Supplementary aids and services must include frequency and amount and be stated so
that the level of the LEA’s commitment of resources is clear to parents and other IEP team members. The
statement must be appropriate to the specific service and stated in a manner that can be understood by all
involved in developing and implementing the IEP.
Because PALS is a tool for instructional purposes, it is not necessary to include documentation specific to
PALS on I-7, IEP Participation in Statewide Assessments.
What does the I-7 (IEP Participation in Statewide Assessments) need to reflect about PALS?
Because PALS is a tool for instructional purposes, it is not necessary to include documentation specific to
PALS on I-7, IEP Participation in Statewide Assessments.
PALS is a screener designed to provide information to immediately inform instruction. Although it is
administered statewide, PALS is unique in that it is a state mandated universal screener, not a high-stakes
summative assessment such as the Badger Exam (Smarter Balanced) or Dynamic Learning Maps.
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APPENDIX G
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