Acadience Reading Pre-K: PELI: Administration Guidelines

Equipment

To administer the PELI, each assessor will need a PELI book for the child being assessed and a one-page scoring form. There are 5 PELI books for each age group (PK3/4 or PK 4/5) with three books designated for benchmark assessment and two designated for progress monitoring. 

Testing Environment and Conditions

The PELI can be administered in any quiet, well-lit space where you and the child can sit comfortably side-by- side on chairs, a couch, the floor, or at a table. The space may be a quiet corner of the classroom or a space outside of the classroom. Place the book so it is visible to both you and the child when you are seated side by side. When the PELI book is open, the assessor directions are on the right side of the page and the pictures for the child to view are on the left side of the page, thus it is important for you to sit to the right of the child. Place the score sheet to your right so that it is out of view of the child.

Time Required

The PELI takes approximately 10–15 minutes to administer. For most preschool children, the storybook format engages them quickly and holds their interest and the entire PELI can be administered in a single session. If a child displays fatigue or disinterest, however, you can discontinue the session and administer the remaining test items at a later time. Make every effort to discontinue the PELI between subtests. It is especially important to not disrupt the comprehension subtest of the PELI. The comprehension subtest consists of the story, comprehension questions, and the shared retell.

Building Rapport

For a successful assessment experience, it is important that the child feel comfortable with you and the assessment context. Because verbal responses from the child will be required during the assessment, it is particularly important that the child is at ease talking with you. If you are an unfamiliar adult, it is important to take the time to establish rapport with the child to ensure that the child feels comfortable prior to beginning the assessment. This is also a good opportunity to get a sense of the child’s articulation skills and speech patterns. For most young children, a brief conversation is all that is required. For children who are particularly shy, you may need to spend a little more time talking or playing with the child. If a child is exceptionally active and/or distractible, it is important to get into the assessment quickly, while you have the child’s attention.

Directions

Administer the PELI using the recommended wording provided on the assessor’s side of the PELI book. While recommended wording for directions and prompts is provided, you may make minor adjustments to the directions as needed to elicit optimal performance from the child. For example, you may make alterations to the directions that reflect language commonly used in the classroom, or you may simplify the language for children who are English language learners (see the section on English Language Learners in Special Assessment Conditions, p. 18, of the PELI Assessment Manual) for an example of simplified directions). When making modifications, be careful that you do not modify the directions in a way that would be inappropriate. Inappropriate modifications to the directions include providing clues to the correct answer or making major changes to the recommended language. Table 2.1 (p. 13) in the PELI Assessment Manual provides examples of appropriate and inappropriate modifications to the directions.

Encouragement

It is important to keep children interested and actively participating in the assessment. Be responsive to young children’s behavior and needs, and provide liberal encouragement during the PELI assessment whether or not they are giving correct responses (Sandall, McLean, & Smith, 2000). In general, give encouragement by repeating what the child says, using generic praise such as “good” and “great job,” and commenting on the effort of the child. In keeping with best practices in assessment administration, it is best to refrain from statements that indicate whether a child’s response was correct or incorrect (Nitko, 2004). Table 2.2 (p. 14) in the PELI Assessment Manual includes specific examples of appropriate ways to provide encouragement.

Prompting

Prompts are provided for the Alphabet Knowledge, Vocabulary-Oral Language, and Phonological Awareness subtests of the PELI. Suggested wording for giving prompts under specific conditions is provided in the chapters on administration and scoring of those subtests in this manual. Prompts are not provided for the Comprehension subtest of the PELI. The child’s responses are simply scored. Prompts are provided to encourage children to demonstrate their highest level of skill and can be used as needed at the discretion of the assessor. A general guideline is that if a child does not respond to a specific prompt two times in a row, refrain from further use of that prompt. Do not prompt if a child appears to be frustrated by continued prompts.

For more information, please reference the Acadience Reading Pre-K: PELI Assessment Manual which is available to users who have purchased the assessment.