Step 3: Academic Screening

This section contains sample processes and resources to generate approximate, preliminary understandings about the student’s current academic performance.

The preliminary insights from the academic screeners in Step 3 provide a starting point for decisions on initial placement, instruction, and support for SLIFE. However, these screeners have limitations in accurately capturing SLIFE's abilities. As a result, districts may wish to use other approaches that they find useful to provide valuable information about the student's academic skills. 

These initial understandings should be supplemented with ongoing classroom performance data. As educators gain a more comprehensive view of a student’s linguistic and academic skills, and social-emotional well-being, they can adjust placement, instruction, and support accordingly. 

Step 3 may also be an opportune time to reanalyze any prior student academic records. An important point to remember is that the number of years someone spent in formal educational settings is not always directly correlated with their levels of literacy, numeracy, or other academic skills. 

After the SLIFE pre-screener (Step 1) indicates limited or interrupted education and the SLIFE interview (Step 2) is conducted, the school district may administer the academic screener or screeners (Step 3) to SLIFE to gather an initial understanding of the student’s foundational academic skills.  

Note that, depending on the structure of enrollment and registration procedures within a district, screening processes may vary. In some districts where all steps are centralized, academic background screening may occur during the enrollment process. Conversely, in other districts, academic background screening may take place after the student has started classes, or the decision may be made to conduct a rescreening later to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the student's needs once they have settled into the school environment. 

Districts may choose to adopt, adapt, or develop their own approaches for the academic screening of SLIFE. Below you will find a list of sample academic screening resources currently in use across Massachusetts districts, as well as a vignette describing how a district chose and piloted academic screening resources.

Once the district has selected the screening resource(s) it will use, trained personnel may administer the screener(s) in the student’s home or preferred language. Note that if the screener(s) is not available in the student’s primary language, it may not accurately reflect the student’s current academic skills.  Whenever possible, administer the screener(s) one-on-one to ensure the highest possible degree of accuracy.  

Below are some ways that schools/districts may choose to prepare to administer academic screeners to potential SLIFE:

• Consider training staff on topics such as:

  • • Understanding the purpose of academic screening for SLIFE.

    • Familiarization with the components of the district’s selected academic screener(s).

    • How to conduct the academic screener(s) in a consistent manner.

    • Practice sessions where staff members can role-play administering the academic screener(s) with simulated students.

    • Storing, managing, and sharing (as appropriate) the information collected.

    • Setting up the academic screening space.

    • Creating a supportive environment around the academic screener(s) to help students feel comfortable.

    • Using culturally and linguistically responsive, trauma-informed, asset-based approaches.

• Acquire necessary materials: Gather all necessary materials for administering the academic screener(s).

• Create an administration plan: Develop a clear plan for administering the academic screener(s), including who will administer the screeners (e.g., district or school level staff?), who may need to be trained on how to administer them, scheduling, logistics, and procedures for accommodating students as needed. 

• Evaluate and adjust: After administering the academic screener(s), evaluate the process to identify any areas for improvement and make adjustments as needed for future administrations.

MA DESE Tools

• Adopt, Adapt, or Develop Local Literacy and Numeracy Screening Resources

• Sample Process for In-District Development of Academic Screening Resources

  • Source: MA DESE, 2024 Massachusetts Guidance for SLIFE Identification, Services, and Support, Appendix B. Additional Resources for Step 3, Academic Screening, pg. 74-78.

  • Description: These tools offer ideas to support local decision making about each district’s approach to literacy and numeracy screeners.   

The following optional resources are designed to be used in tandem to help educators (1) identify expected grade-level numeracy skills in relation to same-aged peers and (2) select assessment activities that can measure these skills.  

• SLIFE Numeracy Protocol

  • Source: MA DESE

  • Description: This SLIFE Numeracy Assessment Protocol accompanies the MA Math Framework Progress Chart for SLIFE. 

• Math Framework Progress Chart for SLIFE

  • Source: MA DESE

  • Description: The MA Mathematics Framework Progression Chart (grades K-8) is an interactive tool designed to help educators see how math skills progress throughout the MA math standards framework, so they can understand how foundational skills build upon each other and more easily address gaps in students' math content knowledge and skills. 

Other Tools & Resources

General

• Guidance on SLIFE Intake Assessment

  • Source: Bridges to Academic Success

  • Description: Guidance on how to assess a student's foundational literacy skills and whole linguistic repertoire for the purposes of identifying SLIFE and meeting their needs in the classroom.

Literacy and Numeracy Screening Resources (includes both literacy and numeracy) 

• Supports for English Learner Students with Limited or Inconsistent/Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE): A practical approach for Mississippi educators, pp. 22-23

• Source: Mississippi Department of Education

• Description: Pages 22–23 of Mississippi's SLIFE guidance offer suggestions for academic screeners for math, home language, science, and social studies. Appendices A–D showcase additional screener samples. 

Literacy Tools

• SLIFE Literacy Screening Protocol and Scorecard

  • Source: New Bedford Public Schools

  • Description: Protocol and scoring guide for New Bedford's SLIFE reading and writing assessment

• SLIFE Writing Assessment Prompts/Paragraph Starters

  • Source: New Bedford Public Schools (MA)

  • Description: Prompts for the SLIFE writing assessment

• Native Language Literacy Screening Tool

  • Source: Florida Department of Education

  • Description: Free screening tool for native language literacy available in twenty-nine different languages. 

• Native Language Literacy Assessment (NLLA)

  • Source: Minneapolis Public Schools and the University of Minnesota

  • Description: This test assesses students’ initial literacy skills in their native language or their language of formal schooling. Available in eight languages. 

• SIFE Writing Screener

  • Source: New York State Department of Education

  • Description: Home language writing screener used in New York state in order to get a general idea of the writing skills of potential SIFE/SLIFE

    • Translated versions in 17 languages

Math Tools

• Math Foundations Screening Assessment for SLIFE / Scorecard (Developmental Sequence)

  • Source: New Bedford Public Schools (MA)

  • Description: Math assessment screening tool and scorecard

• SLIFE Math Screener 

  • Source: Lawrence Public Schools (MA)

  • Description: Math screening tool which can be used to help identify a potential SLIFE's numeracy skills across grades K-8 and plan for instruction accordingly.

• Entry Assessment in Mathematics Evaluation (EAME)

  • Source: Fairfax County Public Schools (VA)

  • Description: Math screening tool published in 2001

• Numeracy Assessment and Monitoring tools

  • Source: Easy CBM

  • Description: Free progress measure instruments to assess and monitor skills across multiple grades (K-8). Educators need to create an account and can then access the free materials. Specifically, the math measures offer grade-aligned assessment tools with minimal-to-no language.

• SIFE Math Diagnostic

  • Source: Oakland USD (California) Newcomer Toolkit

  • Description: This is a brief SIFE math diagnostic assessment that was designed to be given at the beginning of a Newcomer Algebra course.

Academic screening snapshot: Choosing academic screening resources

A mid-sized school district in Massachusetts approached the task of selecting academic screening tools for SLIFE with a blend of practicality and resolve. An active member of the SLIFE Community of Practice (CoP), District X engaged in thoughtful deliberation. Along with the CoP, district staff had the opportunity to review literature, hear from experts in the field, and have discussions with other districts facing similar challenges. The outcome was a decision to customize a screener from a neighboring district, chosen for its practicality and adaptability. 

A series of considerations informed this decision: District X considered the screener’s ability to provide timely and actionable data, required time for completion, ease of administration, staff training, and how well the screener results could be integrated with the district’s existing processes to monitor and support student progress over time. Ultimately, the goal was to identify a screening approach that could gather essential information responsibly and efficiently without overburdening students or staff. 

As part of piloting the newly customized screener, Mr. Batista met Carlos, a shy 15-yearold boy from El Salvador. Mr. Batista prepared for the meeting by reading through Carlos's academic records and the previously administered SLIFE interview. As Carlos arrived for the screener, Mr. Batista greeted him warmly in Spanish. Mr. Batista, informed by the records of Carlos's interview, began a conversation about light topics. This gentle dialogue served a dual purpose: to build rapport and to glean insights into Carlos's funds of knowledge, which would later be connected to classroom instruction. It allowed Mr. Batista to connect with Carlos on a personal level and to begin understanding the wealth of knowledge Carlos brought with him. 

The academic screener unfolded as a series of conversations through tasks. It felt more like a dialogue than a test. Carlos was asked to read and write sentences and paragraphs, and solve mathematical problems, but the focus was not on finding a precise grade-level match for his abilities. Instead, Mr. Batista observed Carlos's conceptual understanding of numbers, problem-solving strategies, and textual sense making. Rather than looking for errors, Mr. Batista looked for indications of Carlos's foundational academic skills. The screener was not about perfection, but about understanding Carlos's general academic framework and what kind of support he would need to succeed in his new classes. It was a process that acknowledged the student's current state without judgment, focusing on how the district could best support his entry into the classroom. 

The results from Carlos's screeners offered practical initial data points to inform teachers about Carlos's strengths and the areas where he may need the most attention and support. It was a process grounded in the understanding that it takes time and effort to fully integrate students into their new academic environment. The district's philosophy was clear: a single test is merely a snapshot, one piece of a larger puzzle. An accumulation of data points from various sources (e.g., academic records and intake information, student and family interview, academic screeners, classroom teacher input) and the continuous observation of Carlos's progress would shape his educational path. 

As the district continues to pilot the newly adapted screener, it remains committed to refining its screening process, guided by feedback and the evolving needs of its students and educators.