Student Language Scale (SLS) User's Manual

Overview

For use on its own or with the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills™ (TILLS™), the Student Language Scale (SLS) reliably screens students ages 6—18 years for language/literacy disorders, including dyslexia. Filled out by parents, teachers, and students, the screener is a quick, cost-effective way to see how students are performing on academic tasks as compared to their same-age peers.

Product Details

• Product Details
• Table of Contents
• Reviews
• Contributors
• Free Resources

Purpose

For use on its own or with the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills™ (TILLS™), the Student Language Scale reliably screens students from ages 6–18 years for language and literacy disorders, including dyslexia. Filled out by parents, teachers, and students in just three minutes or less, the 12-question screener is a quick, cost-effective way to see how students are performing on academic tasks compared to their same-age peers.

This concise User's Manual shows you how to effectively use the SLS to:

• Screen for language/literacy disorders by gathering teachers' and parents' ratings of students. When teachers or parents rate more than two areas on items 1–8 less than 5, SLS results indicate the student is at risk and needs further assessment.
• Gather input about a struggling student's strengths and needs from multiple sources—a key requirement of IDEA.
• Enhance home–school communication by gaining new insight into the student's performance and the teacher's, parents', and student's perspectives on it, whether or not everyone agrees and whether or not there are concerns.

You'll get reader-friendly guidance on how to administer the SLS with teachers, parents, and students; a complete guide to the technical data supporting the SLS; and three examples that show how the SLS can help you make sound decisions about follow-up for students who need it.

Whether used with an entire classroom or with individual students, the SLS is the tool you need to quickly gather valuable information about strengths and needs—and plan next steps for students at risk for disorders.

Ideal for use with TILLS! Give the SLS to a whole class—and when results indicate the student is at risk, follow up with TILLS assessment.

Strong sensitivity and specificity! Sensitivity of the SLS to risk of language/literacy disorder is .90 for teachers and .85 for parents, and specificity (correct identification of typical learners) is .90 for teachers and .83 for parents.

To learn more about the SLS, watch this free webinar, Quickly and Reliably Screen Students for Language/Literacy Disorders—Including Dyslexia.

Reviews

Sue Ellen Krause, Krause Speech & Language Services
“ The SLS is an incisive, elegant screening tool to guide the recommendation for in-depth language and literacy assessment. The straightforward, brief rating scale and comment section offer insight into the student's profile from the perspective of teachers, parents, and the student. Superb case examples are provided in the User's Manual.”

Carrie Goodwiler, San Diego State University
“ I can't recommend the SLS highly enough—it provides a quick and easy way to obtain qualitative information about a child's speech and language abilities from multiple sources. Unlike many questionnaires, the SLS asks about students' strengths, as well as solicits suggestions from parents, teachers, and children regarding ways to help students succeed. I use the SLS both to screen for language disorders and plan effective therapy; it's an integral part of my assessment toolkit.”

Beverly Barkon, Carlow University
“ As an enthusiastic user of the TILLS, I am very happy to have the SLS as an additional tool in my arsenal. The SLS offers an even stronger view of the student's profile of strengths and needs with a clear and manageable rating scale that can easily be incorporated into assessment with TILLS.”

Authors

Nickola Nelson Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Barbara Howes Ph.D., M.S.W, Michele A. Anderson Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Invited Contributors: E. Brooks Applegate Ph.D., Elena Plante Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Download the brochure
SLS Brochure
Check out the SLS At-A-Glance
SLS At-A-Glance