Readiness Assessments

Gardner Social (Maturity) Developmental Scale [GSDS]
Test of Kindergarten/First Grade Readiness Skills [TKFGRS]
Developmental Profile 3 [DP-3]
Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills [K-SEALS]
Light's Retention Scale - Revised [LRS-R]
Mullen Scales of Early Learning [Mullen]
Pre-Kindergarten Screen [PKS]

Gardner Social (Maturity) Developmental Scale [GSDS]

Morrison F. Gardner

The purpose of the Gardner Social (Maturity) Developmental Scale (GSDS) is to aid psychologists, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, optometrists, physicians, pediatricians, counselors, preschool professionals, learning specialists and other professionals in assessing a child's social development as reported by the child's parent, guardian or caretaker. The parent is the rater.
The GSDS measures the following social developmental skills: fine-motor, grossmotor, locomotion, cognitive, eye-hand coordination, receptive language, expressive language, reflexive acts, instinctive behavior, educational, self-help, and social. The GSDS can be completed by the parent, guardian or caretaker at the time the child is being seen by any one of the above professionals.
The raw score for the combined skills can be converted to social age, standard score, scaled score, Z score, T score, stanine, and percentile rank. Raw scores for each group of activities can be converted to standard score, scaled score, Z score, T score, stanine, and percentile rank.
It can be completed by parents in 5 to 10 minutes and scored by the professional in 5 to 10 minutes to assess children from birth to nine years.

Test of Kindergarten/First Grade Readiness Skills [TKFGRS]

Karen Gardner

The Test of Kindergarten First Grade Readiness Skills (TKFGRS) is a standardized test to evaluate the basic skills in reading, in spelling, and in arithmetic of a 3-6 to 7-0 year old child.
The areas involved in determining a child's abilities and readiness for kindergarten and for first grade are: Reading. Spelling, and Arithmetic.
The test may be given in approximately 20 minutes by principals, elementary school teachers, psychologists, counselors, admissions personnel, resource specialists and other professionals to assess a child's academic readiness for kindergarten or for first grade.
Directions for the examiner as well as for the child are concise and easy to understand.
Scoring, which takes about 10 minutes, is simple, with the results given in age equivalents, standard scores, percentiles, and stanines, and will show strengths and weaknesses in the various areas which comprise reading, spelling, and arithmetic.

Developmental Profile 3 [DP-3]

Gerald D. Alpern

This fully revised third edition of the Developmental Profile strengthens and updates an instrument already considered the best of its kind. Like previous versions, the new DP-3 evaluates children's functioning in five key areas: Physical, Adaptive Behavior, Social-Emotional, Cognitive, and Communication - in just 20 to 40 minutes.
Designed to evaluate children from birth to 13 years of age, the DP-3 includes 180 items, each describing a particular skill. The respondent simply indicates whether or not the child has mastered the skill in question. Typically, the DP-3 is administered as an interview, in which a parent or caregiver answers yes-or-no questions about the child.
Scores are available in five formats: standard scores, percentile ranks, stanines, age equivalents, and descriptive ranges.

Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills [K-SEALS]

Alan S. Kaufman, Nadeen L. Kaufman

K-SEALS is valuable in testing school readiness, identifying gifted children, evaluating program effectiveness, and researching children's early development. This versatile instrument is an individually administered, nationally normed measure of children's expressive and receptive language skills, pre-academic skills, and articulation. Normed for children ages 3 to 7, the K-SEALS is for pre-schools, kindergartens, elementary schools, speech and language clinics, medical agencies or any other setting in which young children are assessed. K-SEALS offers several reliable scores that reflect many aspects of the child's language and early academic development-usually in less than 25 minutes. K-SEALS features three separate subtests for a well-rounded profile:

Vocabulary Subtest - the child identifies, by gesture or name, pictures of objects or actions and points to or names objects based on verbal descriptions of their attributes.

Numbers, Letters & Words - the child selects or names numbers, letters, or words; counts; indicates knowledge of number concepts ("smallest," "half"); and solves number problems.

Articulation Survey - the child pronounces the names and common objects or actions and is assessed for correctness of pronunciation.

Light's Retention Scale - Revised [LRS,2006]

H. Wayne Light

The LRS remains a powerful tool that assists school professionals when makng the sensitive and often difficult decision about promoting or retaining a child. This revised edition includes: consideration of whether or not a student has preschool experience, an up-to-date review of the current findings on both sides of the issue, a changed score structure for the items, revised item descriptions, and new cutoff scores.

The LRS provides opportunities for dialogue between parents and educators and assures all involved that the decision is based on thoughful, professional findings. The record form is easy to use, identifying 20 areas of interest. The Light's Parent Guide explains each factor in detail, as well as the rationales used in making the decision. Spanish translations of the Rocording Form and Parent Guides are available.

The LRS is designed to be completed during a parent conference. Each of the 20 factors is rated on a scale of 1 to 5. The sum of the ratings is then compared to cutoff scores (provided in the Manual) to help determine if retention would be helpful or potentially harmful to the child, ages 6 through 18.

Mullen Scales of Early Learning [Mullen]

Eileen M. Mullen

This AGS edition of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning provides a developmentally integrated system of language, motor, and perceptual abilities for children of all ability levels, ages birth to 5 years, 8 months.

Important extras include five scales (Gross Motor, Visual Reception, Fine Motor, Expressive Language, and Receptive Language), excellent standardization and reliability data, easy profile analysis, an array of stimulating manipulatives and materials, an Item Administration Booklet for administering and scoring items, and scale scores (T scores, percentile ranks, age equivalents) and an Early Learning Composite (standard scores, percentile ranks) all organized in an easy-to-carry nylon briefcase. The Mullen Assist CD-ROM Mac/Win Kit provides a personal information summary, score summary, T score profile, early learning composite, score narrative, and recommended activities.

In 15 minutes, assess a one-year-old and cover all five scales; a three-year-old in 25-35 minutes; a five-year-old in 40-60 minutes. And because the five scales cover a complete picture of cognitive and motor ability, you can identify a child's strengths and weaknesses in these areas. Use it for assessing early intellectual development and readiness for school. It also gives a foundation for successful interventions and provides a baseline for a continuum of appropriate teaching methods and interactions.

Pre-Kindergarten Screen [PKS]

Raymond E. Webster, Angela Matthews

The Pre-Kindergarten Screen (PKS) was developed for use prior to kindergarten entry. It identifies 4 and 5 year old children who, when compared to their peers, lack the skills needed for later academic success. Among the skills assessed are fine- and gross-motor development, understanding of verbal directions, visual perception and discrimination, rudimentary letter and number identification, and impulse control. The PKS is untimed and can be administered in 15 minutes or less on an individual basis. Scoring is unambiguous with a multi-point scale used for many items. A total test raw score is obtained, which can be interpreted in relation to cut-off scores that indicate the probability that the child may be at risk of future academic difficulties. Raw scores may also be converted to standard scores and percentile ranks.