ABLLS Assessment

Many people have asked me what type of assessments I use in my classroom.  For my students who are reading, spelling, and writing, I use similar assessments as the rest of the school (such as Bear Spelling/Word's Their Way and the Rigby Reading Assessment).  With my kids functioning below a kindergarten level, I use the ABLLS.  This stands for The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills.  

This assessment is time consuming (believe me...I have been completing it with 6 of my new students this fall!).  However, it covers a variety of subjects and really gives you a comprehensive overview of the child.  Some of the areas it covers are Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Imitation, Intraverbals, Visual Performance, Reading, Writing, Math, as well as functional skills such as Bathroom and Feeding.

With my new students, this assessment helps me learn so much about each child.  It not only helps me identify the child's strengths, but it also helps me figure out the areas they need to work on developing.  This directly helps me in figuring out appropriate IEP goals for my students.  Check out this website (TRACKING Worksheets) for some data sheets and for other ABLLS resources.

This assessment is very easy to follow.  It is very clearly laid out.  As you go through each section, you are given the task the child needs to complete, along with an objective and examples.  It also gives you very specific criterion to help guide you in coming up with a score for each objective. 

For example, in the RECEPTIVE Language section, one task is to "Follow instructions to do a simple motor action."  The examples are "jump," "sit," "clap," etc.  A student would get a score of 4 if they can follow 6 instructions without prompts; a score of 3 if they can follow 6 directions;  a score of 2 if they can follow 4 directions; and a score of 1 if they can follow 2 directions.   


In order to grade this assessment, for each task, you fill in the score by shading in the correct number of squares. For instance, if your student scored a "3" you would fill in 3 squares for that item.  What you end up with is a nice looking chart like the one below.  You can tell by a quick visual glance which areas are more filled in (i.e. the student's areas of strength) versus those areas that are more empty (i.e. the student's areas of weakness).

Once you have completed this assessment the first time, the successive updates are much faster and easier!  I try and update these at least one time per year for each student.  I use a different color each time I complete the assessment.  This helps show a clear visual of how much growth the child has made over the last year.  This is a great thing to show parents at an IEP meeting so they can see their child's growth each year!  

This assessment is also nice because it does not cost much!  I found it on Amazon for $65.  This only includes the manual and scoring guides....it does not include all the resources you need to conduct the ABLLS (such as puzzle, blocks, manipulatives, etc.)  I haven't needed to buy the full kit (which runs closer to $1000), because I have most of the resources I need in the classroom!  

Any other assessments you guys use for kids below a kindergarten level in your classrooms?  I would love to know!