Hello, Parents!

The UB Language Learning Lab is working with several Western New York elementary schools to collect data for a longitudinal study. The goal of this study is to develop accurate and efficient measures of children's language development between kindergarten and second grade. These measures will provide useful information to guide teachers' instructional planning and help them identify children who could benefit from additional support in language and literacy skills.

If your child(ren)'s school opts to participate, your child(ren) will participate in a short in-class activity. During the activity, students listen to words and sentences and choose a picture--in a series of options--that matches what they hear. The entire process, including passing out forms, providing instructions and completing the activity, takes about 30 minutes.

During the course of the study, some information about your child will be collected, including date of birth, race and whether or not they receive services at school. Your child's name, however, is not collected as part of this study, and no identifying information will be attached to the data collected. If you would prefer that your child not participate in the activity, please let your child's teacher know and they will do another teacher-led activity during that time.

Following the spring in-school screening, families will have the option of participating in individual assessments. A letter will be sent home with students.