preLAS Paper Administration FAQs
Pre-Test FAQs
What materials do I need to have to conduct preLAS testing?
Must have:
Student Test booklets (aka Scannable Score Sheets)
Cue Picture Book
Optional:
Examiner's Guide
Audio CD/PDF of Audio Files
Game Board (if administering the pre-literacy component)
We don't have to bubble in student demographic information, correct?
Correct. You do not need to bubble student identifying information when you can write out the information (i.e. student name).
Does age 3 reflect on the preLAS answer sheet?
Yes on the "Cut off Levels and Interpretation of Scores" section of the student answer document.
May we photocopy the answer documents since we will not be scanning them?
No, these are copyrighted materials.
Our new technology does not have CD drives anymore. What options do you have available to play the audio files?
DRC has posted audio files to our INSIGHT portal for download in the "General Information" section under the "Documents" tab. You will still receive the cd's in your kits as we are unable to remove them and repackage the kits.
Test Administration FAQs
For the English test, may directions be given in Spanish?
No. Directions must be given in the language of the test.
How many times may we prompt the student?
For preLAS, you may prompt no more than two times for all items.
How long do we wait for the student to respond after they have been prompted?
The test administrator should wait no more than 3-5 seconds for the student to respond.
A test administrator is only allowed to model the correct response for the practice items, correct?
A test administrator may model the response after each practice response if the student doesn't respond or responds incorrectly. Once you have moved to #1, you no longer may model the response/give the student the correct answer.
For preLAS, when may we stop the test due to insufficient language?
If the student has failed or does not respond to, any five consecutive items, including the practice items, stop testing in that part and move on to the next part of the test.
If the student misses or does not respond to five consecutive items in two consecutive parts, stop the test.
Please refer to page 14 of the Examiner's Manual for more information.
For preLAS, what if the student gets practice 1 and 2 correct but then gets questions 1-3 incorrect? Do I stop testing?
No, they have to get 5 in a row incorrect to stop that section and move to the next section.
For preLAS, any of the sections/parts of the test can be given at any point, correct?
Correct. If you start testing but need to stop for whatever reason, you may resume testing when ready.
In Say What You Hear, if the student says "Do not forget" as opposed to "Don't forget", is it correct?
Do not forget is correct as the answer provides the negative command which is the structure tested for that particular item.
Is using the CD/Audio Files up to each stakeholder to decide?
Yes, although use of the audio files is highly recommended for the Let's Tell Stories section of the test.
Does the test administrator need to record the students' exact answers in the Let's Tell Stories section?
Yes, except you may omit the home language words by indicating those words with "HL".
Are we allowed to record the student on a recording device for part 5: Let's Tell Stories?
Yes, but make sure you transcribe their answer onto the test in a reasonable amount of time. You then must delete the recording - again in a reasonable amount of time.
Are there different rubrics based on grade/age levels?
The preLAS rubrics are the same across preK3 - K. The LAS Links rubrics are the same from 1 -12 for Speaking and 2-12 for Writing.
For Let's Tell Stories, an "I don't know" is a 1, correct?
That is correct. Also, the "I don't know" has to be in the language of the test.
Do we literally stop their telling of the story if they are saying it in another language?
Yes, and you may remind them to tell you in English but then if they start again in their HL, you may stop the telling of the story and indicate this by writing (HL) at the end of their story indicating that the rest is in their HL.
When a student gives an isolated word in Let's Tell Stories that does not relate to the prompt but is an English word, do we mark it as a 1? Or 0?
A zero. It must relate to the prompt to receive a 1. A caveat for preLAS (not LAS Links) is that if the student provides a verbal expression such as "Good morning" , "How are you" and/or "I don't know", you may give this response a 1.
May we prompt students to continue to tell their story in Let's Tell Stories?
You may and this is considered their second prompt.