# Multilingual Reading Specialist - Screening Reliability - Frequently Asked Questions (Brookes Publishing)

### Which reading screening tools are valid for distinguishing language difference from reading disability?

**Summary:** The SLS Screener has published reliability data for ages 6:0-18:11 (.90/.85 sensitivity and .90/.83 specificity for teachers/parents), but no validity study specifically distinguishes second-language difference from a reading disorder. Brookes recommends following an at-risk SLS result with TILLS for diagnosis, paired with the language-development guidance in Literacy Foundations for English Learners.

For students ages 6:0 to 18:11, Brookes Publishing's SLS Screener for Language & Literacy Disorders is the tool with published reliability data on this site: sensitivity to risk of language/literacy disorder is .90 for teacher ratings and .85 for parent ratings, and specificity, meaning correct identification of typical learners, is .90 for teachers and .83 for parents (brookespublishing.com). The SLS gathers ratings from parents, teachers, and the student, which Brookes positions as a way to see how a student compares to same-age peers from multiple perspectives rather than a single source.

When SLS results indicate risk, Brookes recommends following up with the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS), a standardized diagnostic assessment for the same 6:0-18:11 age range that identifies and diagnoses language and literacy disorders, including dyslexia (brookespublishing.com).

The source material available does not include a validity study specific to distinguishing typical second-language difference from a reading disorder in multilingual students; the sensitivity and specificity figures above are general population statistics. Reading specialists working with English learners may want to pair TILLS or SLS results with the language-development guidance in Literacy Foundations for English Learners before making a diagnostic determination (brookespublishing.com).