A Best-Selling
Book by
Dr. Cristina Saldaña

The Assessment of Word Retrieval Skills includes several items that can enhance your screenings and evaluations. It has checklists for parents, teachers, and individuals with suspected word finding/retrieval difficulties that yield a percentage score. This score is meant to be compared over time to monitor progress as part of the dynamic assessment process and help determine a true disorder. This assessment also includes Name the Action/Verbs Screening (Elementary Level), Name the Action/Verbs Screening (Age 13+ to adult), Name the Categories Screening, and Name Things Within Categories Screening. 

The purpose of this assessment is to help establish the existence of a word finding/retrieval weakness in all the individual’s settings. This includes the classroom and home environments. Sample scoring sheets and reports are included to help you write your findings.

The annual IEP and the eligibility report for re-evaluations require information regarding communication skills. An informal teacher checklist in English, a parent checklist in English, and a parent checklist in Spanish are provided as another means to assess such skills in middle and high school students (5th grade and up). A sample summary is also provided to help guide evaluators, speech therapists, and special education teachers on how to report the findings for upper elementary, middle, and high school students. All of the items listed in the checklists should be mastered by middle school.

The annual IEP and the eligibility report for re-evaluations require information regarding social skills. An informal teacher checklist in English, a parent checklist in English, and a parent checklist in Spanish are provided as another means to assess such skills in middle and high school students (5th grade and up). A sample summary is also provided to help guide evaluators, speech therapists, and special education teachers on how to report the findings for upper elementary, middle, and high school students. All of the items listed in the checklists should be mastered by middle school.

The annual IEP and the eligibility report for re-evaluations require information regarding adaptive skills. An informal teacher checklist in English, a parent checklist in English, and a parent checklist in Spanish are provided as another means to assess such skills in middle and high school students (5th grade and up). A sample summary is also provided to help guide evaluators, speech therapists, and special education teachers on how to report the findings for upper elementary, middle, and high school students. All of the items listed in the checklists should be mastered by middle school.

The annual IEP and the eligibility report for re-evaluations require information regarding motor skills. An informal teacher checklist in English, a parent checklist in English, and a parent checklist in Spanish are provided as another means to assess such skills in middle and high school students (5th grade and up). A sample summary is also provided to help guide evaluators, speech therapists, and special education teachers on how to report the findings for upper elementary, middle, and high school students. All of the items listed in the checklists should be mastered by middle school.

Teachers need simple ways to document classroom behaviors and modifications over time. It is especially difficult to observe, assess, and monitor the skills of bilingual students regardless of their cultural and linguistic background.

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The checklists included in this resource can be used to document the skills of students in preschool through 3rd grade who speak English and/or any other language.

Ages 6+ (1st grade and up)

This packet is most beneficial for progress monitoring, behavior assessment, MTSS/RTI purposes, and to detail teacher concerns.

It is normal for students to get restless and move around during the day. Sometimes, however, students’ behaviors interfere with learning. If these behaviors are noted on a daily basis, it is imperative to record the behaviors and describe them. Use the checklists to obtain a percentage score, and then use the template to understand how to document the results.

Ages 5+

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a regular education initiative that requires teachers to monitor student progress. The MTSS/RTI process becomes even more challenging when it involves bilingual students. The Student Support Team must guide teachers on how to appropriately document their students' progress. Use this packet of checklists and charts to track such progress for language and behavior concerns.

Students should not require significantly more classroom modifications than their peers. Use the results to determine the percentage of modifications utilized daily, as well as the frequency of negative learning behaviors.

The Descriptive Fluency Assessment can be administered in English, Spanish, or bilingually to children and adults. It includes a client interview form, conversation prompts, record forms, sample results summary, and more. 

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The Brief Language & Articulation Screening tool was created by Dr. Cristina Saldana and translated by Linh Dang. It can be used for any age, however, it is ideal for children in preschool and early elementary grades.

This resource includes various forms and checklists for teachers and parents.

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The Descriptive Screening of Language & Articulation for Children of Indian Culture (primarily Hindi, Urdu, and Telegu speaking) was created as a tool to describe language and behavior skills in elementary aged students. It can also be used as a screening for newly arrived students of older age. It is used to monitor progress over time and determine if further evaluation is warranted. 

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These checklists are intended to be used over time for comparison purposes and to monitor progress. They serve well through the MTSS process. 

Ages 3.5 - 11 years

This assessment packet can be used by speech therapists, special education teachers, ESOL teachers, dual language teachers, and MTSS/RTI teams that work with students who are exposed to Brazilian Portuguese. These checklists are intended to be used over time for comparison purposes and to monitor progress.

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For adolescents & adults

The Assessment of Social-Pragmatic Skills is a compilation of tools that can be used to test students in upper elementary, middle school and high school, as well as adults. It provides percentages and allows for a descriptive analysis of skills. Use it as an addition to your dynamic assessment.

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This resource includes the Photographic Test of Social-Pragmatic Language Skills, Self-Assessment Checklist of Social-Pragmatic Skills, Self-Assessment of Pragmatic Behavior Skills, Social-Pragmatic Language Skills Checklist for Teachers and Clinicians, Interview Form of Social-Pragmatic-Sensory Skills, and the Example of Summary of Results.

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Grades 3-8 (depending on reading ability)

This product can be used for testing or screening purposes, especially to collect data over time for MTSS/RTI or therapy. Five stories with corresponding pictures are provided in English and Spanish. Plus, there is a tally sheet for each story in addition to the protocol to obtain a total percentage score.

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This brief screening/assessment allows you to examine the student's ability to state the setting, characters, character traits, the problem, and the solution to the problem. The student is expected to make inferences, devise an appropriate ending for each story, and retell the story in sequence.

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** Also included is the Bilingual Screening of Reading Fluency.