BILINGUAL ENGLISH-SPANISH ASSESSMENT

BESA AT A GLANCE

What is it?

An assessment developed to identify phonological and/or language impairment in Spanish-English bilingual and ELL children, and to differentiate between delays in English language acquisition and true language disorders.

Who is it for?

BESA was developed for bilingual children in the United States. Latino children in the U.S. who speak Spanish, English, or both are eligible for assessment.

Who implements it?

Bilingual speech-language pathologists.

What age range does it cover?

4;0-6;11 years

How long does it take?

1-2 hours to administer all components of BESA, 1 hour per language.

How are subtest scores reported?

Subtest raw scores are reported as scaled scores, standard scores, percentile ranks and age equivalents.

Is BESA norm-referenced?

Yes. Test norms were derived using data from over 600 bilingual children from across the country.

BESA BENEFITS

• Valid and reliable. BESA has high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, interrater reliability, and sensitivity and specificity.
• Culturally and linguistically appropriate. BESA subtests are different for each language; the Spanish subtest isn't just a translation of the English one. Dialects were taken into consideration and items were developed for each language based on the markers, structure, and culture of that language.
• Uncovers the full picture of a child's language development.

HOW BESA WORKS

Through a combination of subtests for students and surveys for teachers and parents, BESA reveals the big picture of a young bilingual child's language development. Comprehensive assessment with BESA includes:

• 3 subtests (in both English and Spanish). Administered with children one-on-one, these three standardized, norm-referenced subtests address the key domains of morphosyntax, semantics, and phonology.
• 2 questionnaires. The SLP gathers more information by interviewing both parents and teachers.
  • Bilingual Input-Output Survey (BIOS): determines Spanish and English use at home and school and pinpoints which language(s) need testing.
  • Inventory to Assess Language Knowledge (ITALK): identifies the parent's and teacher's perception of the child's performance in each language and highlights areas of possible concern.
• Pragmatics activity. This 5- to 10-minute warmup activity, in which children are asked to "help wrap a present" with the examiner, is used to establish rapport with the child and give clinicians an idea of how collaborative and interactive the child will be during the rest of the assessment. It provides the clinician an overall picture of the child's pragmatic skills.

ORDER THE BESA KIT:

1. BESA Stimulus Book
   $80.00 | Stock #: 52834 | 24 pps | pack of 20
2. BESA protocols (English)
   $35.00 | Stock #: 52841 | 8 pps | pack of 20

THE 4 USES OF BESA

BESA was developed to:

1. Identify phonological and/or language impairment in bilingual children and English language learners using a standardized protocol.
2. Differentiate between a delay in English language acquisition and a true language disorder.
3. Monitor children's progress in both languages and use the information to make decisions about intervention.

Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment, BESA, and the BESA logo are trademarks of Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.

Conclusion

Introducing BESA: a valid, reliable assessment for young Spanish-English bilingual children from ages 4 through 6 years. Use BESA to identify phonological and/or language impairment in bilingual children—and differentiate between delays in English language acquisition and true language disorders.