Phonological Awareness Tests: Roslyn Neilson

Details: Created on Wednesday, 07 December 2011 10:12; Updated on Thursday, 07 June 2012 15:57

Phonological Awareness

Phonological awareness – the ability to attend to, identify and manipulate the sounds in spoken words – is one of the most important foundations skills in the development of competent reading and spelling. Early identification of children who are having difficulties with phonological awareness is an essential part of any literacy program.

Dr Roslyn Neilson

Roslyn Neilson is a Speech-Language Pathologist who specialises in working with children who have language and literacy difficulties. Her doctoral thesis, completed in 1999 in the Psychology Department, University of Wollongong, was on the development of phonological awareness in normally-developing readers and children with reading difficulties.

Research and Development

Roslyn Neilson has researched and developed three tests of phonological awareness. The tests may be administered by speech pathologists, psychologists and teachers.

One of these tests, the SPAT-R, is available for distribution. The AIST-2 and the SPAT-SE are currently being revised, and will be ready early in 2012.

SPAT-R

Sutherland Phonological Awareness Test – Revised
Copyright © 2003 Roslyn Neilson, Ph.D.

The SPAT-R is a simple but thorough diagnostic test that evaluates phonological awareness in the first years of schooling.

Grades
First to fourth year of schooling. May be used diagnostically for older children.

Norms
Australian sample (n=559). Norms expressed in percentiles for grades.

Administration
Individual; takes 10 to 15 minutes.

Parallel forms
Forms A and B provide parallel tests for pre- and post-testing.

Scope
Phonological awareness tested at the levels of syllable, onset-rime and phoneme (CVC and consonant clusters).

Skills tested
Sound identification, blending, segmentation, manipulation, and nonword reading and spelling.

Analysis
In-depth analysis of nonword spelling errors provides a normed diagnostic picture of emerging phonemic awareness skills.

Test characteristics
Strong validity and reliability characteristics reported.

Manual
Comprehensive manual covers qualitative interpretation and follow-up.

Score sheet alternatives
Choice of a test booklet to facilitate administration and reporting, or an economical one-page score sheet for experienced test users.

Administrator training
Quality DVD resource (30 minutes) demonstrates the administration of the entire test, including discontinuation guidelines, and provides an overview of scoring.

SPAT-R Price
Kit including Manual, Stimulus Sheet Booklet, Test Score Sheet samples and Test Score Sheet photocopy masters: $170.00AUD Add 10% GST within Australia. Price valid until June 2012.

AIST-2

Astronaut Invented Spelling Test-2
Copyright © 2012 Roslyn Neilson, Ph.D.

The original version of this test is currently out of print. A revised edition will be available early in 2012.

The AIST-2 measures ‘invented spelling’, or the ability to attempt to spell unknown words. This skill involves the ability to attend to the sounds in words and choose letters to represent those sounds.

The AIST-2 provides a sensitive marker of phonemic awareness, as well as sampling early orthographic skills. Test items are three to four syllables in length, and are colloquial, familiar words that are unlikely to have been taught on spelling lists.

Grades
First to third year of schooling. May be used diagnostically for older children.

Administration
Whole class, group or individual administration. Takes under 10 minutes.

Progress monitoring: Individuals and whole classes
The AIST-2 is a very sensitive measure of progress, and is useful for providing ‘snapshots’ of whole classes. The test can be repeated frequently.

Analysis
Analysis provides a Total Score as well as diagnostic exploration of emerging skills. There is an additional optional Rasch scoring system available that provides information about the specific items that form a stable linear scale.

Norms
Australian norms available for AIST-2 Total Score (first to third year of schooling). Expressed in percentiles for grades at different points in the school year.

Test characteristics
Strong validity and reliability characteristics reported (Total Score correlation with SPAT-R: r = 0.81 to 0.89).

Kit
Kit includes a comprehensive manual with norms, instructions, qualitative interpretation and follow-up guidelines; a template for electronic scoring; and photocopy masters for all consumables.

Administrator training
A quality DVD resource (25 minutes) is available that demonstrates the administration of the entire AIST and provides an overview of scoring.

AIST-2 Price
To be finalised.

AIST-2 availability
Early 2012.

SPAT-SE

The SPAT-SE is a ‘readiness’ measure, providing an evaluation of early phonological and alphabetic skills at the point when children are first exposed to literacy instruction.

Grades
Late preschool to early in the first year of schooling.

Administration
Individual, using a Powerpoint presentation or a stimulus booklet. Takes up to ten minutes.

Skills tested
Syllable counting and syllable isolation; identification of first sound in spoken words; alphabet letter knowledge; name writing; rhyme detection (optional).

Interpretation
The SPAT-SE provides a Total Score and scores for each of the subtests, allowing an evaluation of children’s strengths and weaknesses in a range of skills that are all prerequisites for early literacy progress. The test may be repeated at reasonable intervals so that progress can be monitored.

Test characteristics
Strong validity and reliability characteristics reported.

SPAT-SE Price
To be finalised.

SPAT-SE availability
Early 2012.

Contact Dr Neilson in Australia

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Telephone: 02 4236 1408 within Australia (International +61 2 4236 1408)
Mobile: 0421 822 898